To help you find the best shirt you’ll ever own, here’s my guide to choosing the perfect tailored shirt or a dress shirt.
1. Intended Purpose First things first, you need to know exactly what you need the shirt for and in what environment are you going to be wearing it most. If you’re looking for a shirt to pair with your Summer suit, then you might need to choose a fabric that will keep you away from heat throughout the hottest months. If you’re looking for a casual shirt to wear to work on a hot day in the summer, you need something that’s breathable and light so you can stay cool. Your choice of fabrics will dictate how comfortable your shirt is going to be, and that’s the whole point of the shirt. You want something that’s comfortable while keeping your looks tight and neat. Discuss your intended purposes with your Master Tailor and they will help you make the right decision.
2. Extra Room Staying on the topic of comfort, you also need to make sure that your arms have some room to work with. Even though ultra-slim and slim fit are the trends right now, it doesn’t mean that you should opt for a shirt that doesn’t allow you to move at all. Not only that you’ll risk damaging the shirt; the experience of wearing a shirt that’s fitted too tightly is not a pleasant one either. If this is something you’re worried about, tell your tailor to add in a little extra fabric in the underarm and armpit areas so that you have more wiggle room in those areas.
3. Accessories Most men wear watches or bracelets, and this needs to be accounted for when measuring your body. This is another advantage of a tailored shirt, as you can decide exactly what you want to do with the cut and the fit. If your watch is rather large compared to your wrist, the shirt you wear might need to have a little bit more room so that it doesn’t cover the entire watch. This includes things like cufflinks and other accessories as well. So be sure to tell your tailor all there is to know about what you’re going to be wearing the shirt so that they can craft one that fits with all your needs.
4. Symmetrical Look The key idea of business attire is to keep a coherent and elegant look. There’s nothing that emphasizes this effect better than symmetry, and that’s why you want to create the most smooth eye flow from your head down to your toes as possible. Of course, each of our body is different, and no one has the body that’s perfectly aligned, but that’s where the outfit comes in. It can hide all of your imbalances and guide the onlookers' eyes down to your toe in a natural V flow. Your tailor will be able to tell by your measurements about the misalignments in your body, but you can still tell them your preferences so that you get the right cut for your shirt.
5. Style The collar is the most overlooked part of your entire outfit, and that’s where most people get wrong. You can use the collar to offset the shape of your face so that you get a smoother flow to the eye. If you have a rather wide face, for example, you might want to go for a Kent collar, as the size and the shape of the Kent style will complement your face shape and keep it in proportion with your shoulder. If you go for a narrower collar, your face will look abnormally large, and that’s not a good look. Why not design and order your own shirts from our very own Trublu Tailor . We are here to help you with measurements and discuss the best fit and style to suit your body type.