Long torso, short arms
February 7, 2020 7:18 AM   Subscribe

Men's styling -- husband has a long torso/big neck and short arms, so has a really tough time finding shirts that fit right. What styles/retailers should we be looking at?

He's looking for all shirt types, has a casual office, and mainly wears casual button-downs, polos, and tees/long-sleeve tees (graphic or blank). Would prefer modestly-prices items.

"Normal" shirts are typically either:
-too short (show his stomach)
-too baggy
-fit right but arms are baggy/long
-slim fits sometimes work but are sometimes too tight in the belly

Shirts he has that fit:
-Brooks Brothers shirts (length is juuuust enough but not ideal, also $$$)
-Slim fit suits he's worn to weddings
-A couple of British-brand polos/sweaters

I just bought a bunch of random shirts and things that DON'T work:
-sizing up and getting a slim fit (way too baggy)
-"longline" tees are way too long and look dumb
posted by DoubleLune to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (18 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Consider alterations. Any local dry cleaner/tailor should be able to shorten the sleeves of a button-down shirt and it won't cost a lot. What's important is that the shirt fit in the chest and shoulders. Almost anything else can be altered.
posted by SansPoint at 7:21 AM on February 7, 2020 [7 favorites]


Response by poster: What's important is that the shirt fit in the chest and shoulders.

So not to threadsit... but shirts that fit him in the chest/shoulders are typically too short.
posted by DoubleLune at 7:31 AM on February 7, 2020


Bonobos has a wider variety of sizes than many stores. He can go to their store and see if there's anything with a good fit, then order the style/color. But it might be more than you want to pay.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 7:48 AM on February 7, 2020


to het over my chest/torso/arms challenges i started ordering my shirts from Proper Cloth. i am never going back :) they worked with me to get the right fit and if you are close by their offices you can go by for a personal fit. i usually spend around $120 for a shirt - but it fits PERFECTLY!
posted by alchemist at 7:51 AM on February 7, 2020


Try a place like Paul Frederick where you can order customizable shirts. That said, and as someone who has a very thick neck, broad shoulders, deep chest and short arms, I can tell you that there are limitations as to how good the fit will be. I would typically have to order "athletic trim fit" (I am not an athletic trim person) in order to get a shirt that didn't fit like a circus tent. In my experience, I've had to spend the money on actual custom-made in order to get shirts that truly fit me properly, and it made a huge difference. Companies such as Proper Cloth will offer greater options for customization below the level of actual custom-made, but of course each level up the ladder comes along with increased cost. Another option would be to find a good alterations tailor, buy shirts that fit in the neck and shoulders and are sufficiently long, then have the tailor take up the sleeves and bring in the torso. This, too, will of course increase the per-shirt cost. "Modestly priced" is unlikely to ever give him what he wants. Unfortunately, this is the lot of we who have less-common body types.
posted by slkinsey at 8:02 AM on February 7, 2020 [1 favorite]


Best answer: American Apparel men's shirts and polos do well for long torsos. (I used to buy clothes from them for an ex who had a similar build) Yes the models on the site all look like 23 year old hipper-than-thou types but the actual clothing - for the most part - are neutral looking polos and shirts. It's American-made, sweatshop-free if that's important to you and the prices are great for what you get. I've bought shirts from them that have lasted over a decade.
posted by caveatz at 8:10 AM on February 7, 2020


I can't speak to the torso issue because I'm very short, but the only men's shirts I've ever found that are short enough for my short arms are Kohl's Croft and Barrel. I have a broad neck as well; I usually wear a 16.5" size L with whatever the shortest sleeve option they have. I usually do Classic fit over Slim, not sure if that matters. Just another option to try.
posted by possibilityleft at 8:33 AM on February 7, 2020


I can't speak to the quality, but you can order one made to your specific measurements from here. I got some pretty good jeans there once, but they were so specifically made to my measurements that I wasn't used to having jeans that fit so closely.
posted by amtho at 8:35 AM on February 7, 2020


At Kohl's, $12-$35: Croft & Barrow Tall Dress Shirts, Van Heusen Tall Dress Shirts, Tall Chaps Slim-Fit Stretch Collar Dress Shirt (usually at least 2" longer than average in torso; seconding tailor rec to adjust sleeves); Tall Under Armour Tech Tee in L at Kohl's; Sonoma Tall Slim Fit Henley; other Kohl's options.
posted by Iris Gambol at 8:41 AM on February 7, 2020 [1 favorite]


Haven't personally tried these particular shirts, but Duluth Trading has "anti-plumber-butt" a.k.a. "longtail" tees that are like 3 inches longer than standard for a given size.
posted by soundguy99 at 8:47 AM on February 7, 2020


Seconding looking into alterations. Learning to sew has been the greater part of what's kept my weirdly-proportioned body decently clothed at a reasonable price through the years.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:15 AM on February 7, 2020


Brooks Brothers online is very pricey but the outlets are a lot cheaper, especially if you watch the sales and are willing to buy three shirts at a time.
posted by wnissen at 10:31 AM on February 7, 2020 [1 favorite]


Recently I bought a men's shirt for my very tall daughter, and had a long conversation about fitting with the salesman. He said they will either fit or custom make shirts for everyone, any form and shape. I have forgotten the brand, but can ask my daughter to look next time I see her. Or just ask wherever you shop. I went into a random section at a local department store.
(The salesman also said that quite a lot of women buy men's shirts because they are far more comfortable and better value for money. Think about that).
posted by mumimor at 11:11 AM on February 7, 2020


Proper Cloth will tailor to order... more affordable than you might guess.
posted by elf27 at 12:21 PM on February 7, 2020


Indochino makes relatively affordable made-to-measure dress shirts. I have similar fit issues, and my Indochino shirts fit well.

Fun fact: My iPhone wants to autocorrect “Indochino” to “I do hobos”. Nice to know this device has such a high opinion of me!
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 1:08 PM on February 7, 2020 [2 favorites]


I, too, suffer from mild T-rex arms. I have tailored almost every shirt I own either at the sleeve or occasionally at the shoulder. Another option here in California workplaces is to simply roll the sleeves up, but that doesn't work for dressier shirts or more formal work environments.
posted by rjacobs at 3:29 PM on February 7, 2020


I wear polo shirts pretty exclusively to solve the arms too long problem. I like the AIX (Armani Exchange) ones, but some styles are too short. Old Navy polos are a better torso length but not as classy.

There should be no fit problems with men’s dress shirts though, if you get the dept store kind with independent sizing of neck and sleeves, as they give you a sensible length to tuck in, and the other measurements are controlled.
posted by w0mbat at 2:41 PM on February 8, 2020


Response by poster: An American Apparel shirt, and one recommended by Amazon as similar were home runs!

He's still considering Proper Cloth but will probably give it a shot.

Other than that, lots of ideas, thanks all! (For tailoring, we've had issue finding a reliable tailor so a bit jaded, but will consider it in the future.)
posted by DoubleLune at 10:12 AM on February 18, 2020 [1 favorite]


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