How a Shirt Should Fit

A shirt is the cheapest garment in the tailored wardrobe and the one that is worn most, which makes its fit disproportionately important. Fifteen percent of men can buy a shirt off the peg that fits at every point. The rest are choosing which compromise to live with. There is a better way, and it costs less than most men expect.

The five points

• Collar. Two fingers between the fastened collar and your neck. The collar points reach the jacket lapel and stay under it. A collar that gaps when you turn your head is too big; one that leaves a mark is too small.
• Shoulder. The seam sits on the bone. Dropped shoulders make a shirt look borrowed.
• Chest and waist. Room to pinch five centimetres of cloth at the chest, no pulling at the buttons, no billowing at the waist when tucked. Slim does not mean tight.
• Sleeve. The cuff sits at the wrist bone with the arm down and does not ride up the forearm when you reach. The cuff should be snug enough not to slide over the watch.
• Length. Long enough to stay tucked when you raise your arms, roughly to the middle of the seat.

The collar is the frame for your face. A collar that stands away from the neck makes a fit man look ill and a broad man look small.

Made to measure is the answer

A made-to-measure shirt from a good shirtmaker costs €120 to €220, roughly the price of a designer shirt that fits nowhere. The first order takes two shirts and one adjustment; after that you reorder in five minutes. Choose a collar that suits your face, a cuff that suits your watch and a fabric that suits the climate. Then order the same shirt in white and pale blue for the rest of your life.

Fabrics worth having

Poplin for the suit: smooth, cool, crisp. Oxford cloth for everything else: textured, forgiving, better with age. Twill for winter. Linen for July and August, accepting that it creases and that the creases are the point. Two-ply cotton from a known mill lasts twice as long as single-ply. Avoid anything labelled non-iron; the treatment weakens the fibre and the shirt feels like paper.

The wardrobe

Seven shirts: four white or pale blue poplin for tailoring, three oxford cloth button-downs in white, blue and a stripe for everything else. Replace one a year. Iron them yourself or find a laundry that presses rather than tumbles. A well-pressed shirt in a plain fabric is one of the few things in a wardrobe that improves the whole outfit at no extra cost.