Buying Shirts That Fit

[AlphaBettor]

I have had trouble finding appropriately fitting shirts for many years. Part of this is my natural build and part of it is training/dieting in such a way that enhances the V taper (e.g. broad shoulders and lats, narrow waist.)

That's wonderful and all but the great majority of shirts don't really fit me. Take t-shirts. Large and extra large shirts tend to be big enough in the chest/back region and long enough, but then there is typically there is far too much room in the midsection as the shirt cuts down from the shoulders instead of tapering in. The sleeves are often too big as well (as in, you'd need 18+ inch arms to fill them out.)

Similar issues come up with button downs or pretty much any other type of shirt. Proper dress shirts have the 'fitted' option to at least partially mitigate this.

So what's the solution to this? Anyone know of any brands of shirts that are Bodyrecomp-friendly? Ideally I could order them on Amazon or whatever but if I have to make a trip to the mall that's ok too. Or do I need to find a good tailor?

[LightCrow]

I have the same situation as you at 6'1" 200 lbs and 10~% BF.

My go to t-shirt company is https://www.alternativeapparel.com/ Overall great fit in most of their solid colors, very comfortable material and lots of good colors. I usually go for a medium so it's on the cusp of getting too tight, but I'm not swimming in it.

I wear a lot of polos to work which I can get cheap and fit really well from H&M, once you know your sizes your stuff just order online and you'll never have to go into a store again.

I prefer to buy dress shirts in person because I need to try them on. Usually just Express or Banana Republic though. For an actual shirt I can button the collar and wear a tie with I have one, but I bought the neck size I needed and had a tailor adjust the body for me.

I will sometimes do clothes on Amazon, but only once I know my size after buying in person. Too much of a hassle with returns otherwise.

Overall my best advice is to find a good tailor, it can be hard to find stuff off the rack you can wear without adjusting.

[Twitchy]

I typically use these sites it find out what sizes to wear:http://www.shirtfitfinder.com/ http://www.sizecharter.com/

Other than that just make sure to measure yourself and check the measurements of shirts. Can't measure? Find the best fitting shirt in your closet and look up it's measurements. I have the same problem, some mediums fit well or too tight. Some larges fit snuggly around my chest but too loose around my waist.(I usually tuck it in to hide it)

[w1cked]

Tailor is your best bet for dress ones. Google for an Asian tailor in your city. There are bespoke tailors in my city that'll do 2 shirts for 80 to 100. Off the rack Hugo Boss might be as good as it gets.

T shirts: Mossimo from target
Polos: again Mossimo, and Tommy Hilfiger slim fit.

[alcahuetej]

Originally Posted by AlphaBettor

Large and extra large shirts tend to be big enough in the chest/back region and long enough, but then there is typically there is far too much room in the midsection as the shirt cuts down from the shoulders instead of tapering in. The sleeves are often too big as well (as in, you'd need 18+ inch arms to fill them out.)

Get 18" arms and a bigger gut. Problem solved.

[squat]

I just wear loose clothing, nowadays. I don't feel the need to sexually tempt every passerby with my figure.

There are lots of good clothes out there. It's a huge industry. Go to a boutique kinda place. You can buy nice well-made-fitting t-shirts for 50$ a piece. Maybe it would be worth it for you.

[AlphaBettor]

There are a lot of good ideas here. Thanks for the links/advice/humor everyone. I'll bump this thread at some point with more specifics.. maybe.

[Ziltoid]

Typically the 'slim-fit' cut has more of a taper from the chest down so you'd want to look at that style from regular brands. Also you probably don't want 100% cotton as it hasn't got enough enough stretch.

A lot of the gym clothing companies have 'lifestyle' ranges which *should* be designed to fit lifter types better. I also know some yoga brands menswear use a lot of tapering from the chest down because it stops tops rolling down/turning inside-out when you're in inverted poses like downward facing dog, although they tend to be quite pricey (Lululemon, Alo Yoga, OhmMe etc).