Dear wearer of men’s dress shirts,
And that should be ALL of you gentlemen out there…
Please attend to the fit of your shirts. Here, I found you this helpful infographic.
Yes, it is definitely a step up from a Henley or (shudder) a Tshirt to don an actual, grown-up button-down shirt. ‘Grats on that.
However, as in all things sharp and polished, FIT matters. I know that you know enough to iron the thing, and if you don’t, FIE ON THEE! Really, there is no reason for you to not own and regularly operate the humble domestic appliance known as the iron. Take the time. Iron it properly. If you don’t know how, have your dad or your grandma or the friendly local dry cleaner show you.
What really gets PeaceBang is that, not that long ago sartorially speaking, it was considered going about somewhat undressed to be seen only in one’s “shirtsleeves;” that is, without your waistcoat (vest) and jacket over that. Men used to ASK PERMISSION to remove their coats in respectful company. So let us not hear any whining about how hot or uncomfortable it is to wear a sports jacket or blazer.
But let’s get back to the FIT of the thing — that thing being a dress shirt. It saddens PeaceBang no end when she sees men in a dress shirt and tie, or just a dress shirt, trying to look a step up for work or an event and looking like a rumpled mess because they did not pay attention to the details of fit.
The collar is so loose you could fit a whole ‘nuther neck in there. Or it’s so tight it’s squeezing the neck up into a second or third chin.
The shoulder seams are way down on the top of the bicep, floppy and sloppy.
The buttons are too tight and the gaping holes between them reveal either a bit of white undershirt or (and this is truly the worst) a big glimpse of hairy stomach.
YES, I SAID HAIRY STOMACH!! Get me my smelling salts!
Please do study the handy picto-tutorial link I have so helpfully provided, darlings. Start shopping for the right size shirt, have the helpful sales clerk aid you in determining the correct size and do not fret if it has gone up or down (size is not a determiner of your moral status, guys. We must all dress for the size we are now, today, not the size we think we might be after six weeks at Planet Fitness). Since none of us are likely to be able to afford custom made shirts, get to a local tailor to have the sleeves shortened. Cuffs that sag over the hand or need to be rolled to the appropriate length are not cuffs that fit.
Do not render the whole point of a “dress” shirt moot by wearing versions that don’t fit well.
Oh, and speaking of rolling cuffs: I don’t know who you were, minister last week I saw wearing ROLLED CUFF JEANS with dirty Topsiders with a stole over your sloppy outfit at a protest. Would it have killed you to actually wear a pair of pants that fit? Even if they had to be jeans?