Try Classic One — A try-on and fit-check procedure | tryclassicone.com

Try Classic One — A try-on and fit-check procedure | tryclassicone.com

How to Try On a Dress Shirt

A dress shirt passes or fails at four points — collar, chest, sleeve and cuff line — and each one has a number.

Start at the collar, because it is the least forgiving measurement. Collar sizes run 14-17.5 in (35.5-44.5 cm). Fasten the top button and slide two fingers between the collar and your neck: that gap should be 2-3 cm. Tighter is a choke that no amount of wear will fix; looser leaves a visible gap at the back of the neck.

Move to the chest. A classic-fit shirt is built with 10-15 cm (4-6 in) of ease over your body chest, against 5-8 cm for a slim fit. Button the shirt and pinch the fabric at the side seam: you should gather a few centimetres without effort. Buttons that pull and strain mean too little ease; fabric that tents like a sail means you have drifted into the wrong cut entirely.

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Check the sleeve against the 32-36 in (81-91 cm) range. With your arm relaxed, the cuff should end at the wrist bone with 1-2 cm of give. Bend your arm to 90 degrees: if the cuff rides far up the forearm, the sleeve is short; if it swallows your hand when your arm hangs, it is long.

Finish with the cuff line under a jacket. With arms at your sides, 1-2 cm of shirt cuff should show past the jacket sleeve. This is the one shirt-jacket relationship people notice from across a room, and it costs nothing to check in the mirror.

Write the four results down — collar, chest, sleeve, cuff line — and decide against the checklist in the main fit-check guide. If the shirt passes, the lower half of the outfit is next: the jeans fit check covers rise, break and leg opening.

  • Collar: 2-3 cm (two fingers) when fastened, on the 14-17.5 in chart
  • Chest: 10-15 cm of ease for classic fit, no button strain
  • Sleeve: ends at the wrist bone with 1-2 cm of give, in the 32-36 in range
  • Cuff line: 1-2 cm of cuff showing past a jacket sleeve

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