How Dress Shirts Should Fit: The Complete Guide
How a Dress Shirt Should Fit (According to a Tailor With Thousands of Fittings)
The internet is full of opinions about how a dress shirt should fit. Some insist slimmer is always better. Others argue comfort means more room everywhere. After making thousands of custom shirts for men with different bodies, jobs, and lifestyles, we’ve learned one simple truth:
Fit is subjective. We've made them skin-tight and super baggy, everywhere in-between.
A shirt that hugs the body can be flattering, but restriction in your range of motion is often the tradeoff. A looser shirt can feel great all day, but too much extra fabric quickly works against a clean appearance. Most of our customers end up somewhere in between—enough room to move comfortably, without fabric that isn’t doing any real work.
This guide isn’t about chasing trends or prescribing one “correct” fit. It’s about understanding how a dress shirt is designed to work, so you can decide what feels right for you.
Dress Shirt Fit: A Quick Overview
If you want the short version, here’s what a well-balanced dress shirt typically looks like:
- The collar rests comfortably against the neck and follows the two-finger rule.
- Shoulder seams align with the shoulder points, while upper-back comfort comes from proper chest measurement.
- The shirt drapes cleanly through the chest and waist, returning to a smooth line after normal movement.
- Sleeves fall to the correct length at rest and stay off the palm when buttoned.
- Shirt length is long enough to stay tucked without excess fabric bunching at the waist.
- The shirt looks its best in normal posture, with enough ease for everyday motion.
- If you’d like help dialing this in for your body and preferences, that’s exactly what we do, please reach out!
Function vs. Fashion: Setting the Right Expectations
Before getting into details, it helps to understand one important principle: dress shirts are made to look their best at normal posture.
If you want a shirt to accommodate every possible position—raised arms, hunched shoulders, constant reaching—it will require additional fabric. That extra fabric has to go somewhere, and it will change how the shirt looks when you’re standing naturally.
There’s no right or wrong answer here. It’s simply a choice between maximum mobility and a cleaner silhouette at rest. Most people prefer a thoughtful balance.
Collar Fit
The collar should rest lightly against your neck without squeezing. You should feel the fabric all the way around, but it should never feel restrictive.
A reliable guideline is the two-finger rule. When the collar is buttoned, you should be able to comfortably fit two fingers between your neck and the collar. If you can’t, it’s too tight. If there’s excessive space, the collar will lose structure and collapse.
Shoulders: Points vs. Upper Back
Shoulder fit involves two related but distinct areas.
The shoulder points determine where the sleeves hang. The seam should align with the edge of your shoulder. If it sits too far inward, the shirt will feel restrictive. If it extends past the shoulder, the shirt will appear sloppy and oversized.
The shoulder blades and upper back are controlled by the chest measurement. This is what allows you to reach forward, move your arms, and sit comfortably. A shirt can have perfectly placed shoulder seams and still feel tight if the chest circumference doesn’t allow enough room across the back.
Chest and Waist
Through the torso, a dress shirt should follow the shape of your body without clinging to it. Rather than focusing on whether you can create tension at the buttons—which most people can by changing posture—a better test is how the shirt behaves after movement.
Raise your arms, sit down, or reach forward. When you return to a relaxed, natural posture, gravity should be able to pull the shirt back into a clean, uninterrupted line. The fabric shouldn’t pucker, catch, or hang up around the circumference of your torso.
Some men prefer a sharper, more tailored look, while others prioritize comfort. Both are valid. The goal is enough ease for movement without excess fabric that doesn’t serve a functional purpose.
Sleeves and Cuffs
Sleeve length is best judged at rest.
With your arms at your sides and the cuff unbuttoned, the sleeve should fall roughly one inch above the crease where your thumb meets your hand. When the cuff is buttoned or cinched, it should stay clear off the meat of your thumb while still covering the wrist cleanly.
Sleeve width should allow natural movement at the elbow and forearm and return to their resting position without too much pulling or coercion.
Shirt Length
For a tucked dress shirt, The shirt should be long enough to cover the seat (i.e. butt) and, for most men this helps it stay tucked throughout the day during normal movement.
Extra length, however, isn’t better. Too much fabric will back up from the seat, creating bunching that can undo an otherwise clean, tailored silhouette.
At Black Lapel, your account can accommodate different patterns for different uses, including shirts designed specifically for tucked or untucked wear.
Final Thoughts
There is no single “correct” way for a dress shirt to fit. Trends change, bodies differ, and comfort means different things to different people.
Most of our customers choose a fit that balances comfort with a clean appearance—and refine it over time. If you’re unsure where you land, reach out. We’re happy to help you talk through the details and dial in your preferred fit.