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powerbook867 · Feb 6, 2006, 08:37 AM

Figured someone here could point me down a path to finding some nice shirts.

I'm a strange build. I wear a 17 collar with 35 or 35-36 sleeves. My waist is a 36, shoulders are about a 42. The problem is that at that size most shirts are built for a 300 pound guy which I am not.(weigh 200, 6 feet tall) The shirts are extremely baggy and most look like crap on me. I also can't stand much of the fabric that dress shirts are made of. Super thin, easily wrinkled, in general junk.

I have heard Banana Republic has nicer shirts, but they cost about 100 dollars a piece!!

I have been rummaging hard at Marshalls and TJ Max without a lot of success in the shirt department (been doing awesome on wool pants and high end khakis though!).

Anyone know of a place that sells dress shirts made of heavier fabric, tailored and costing between 25 and 35 dollars?

Maybe I’m living in a fantasy land….

ShortcutToMoncton · Feb 6, 2006, 08:51 AM

Mexx have some decently tailored dress shirts that fit me pretty nicely. They're cheaper than Banana Republic but still run about $50 Cdn around here. I usually get mine on their post-Christmas sales and get 50+% off (I actually got 3 for $45 this Boxing Day when the girl only scanned 2 of them. I pointed out that I had three shirts, and she calmly looked at me and said "Well hopefully you don't beep." I didn't.

)

I'm a starving student though, so I'll be the first to admit they're not gonna please everyone in the quality department. I'd suggest checking them out and deciding yourself.

greg

Blizzake · Feb 6, 2006, 08:54 AM

banana shirts should be around $80, but still $$$, but they do run very good sales.

Also try express for men, they are more fitted, and are 2 for 50 sometimes. I have alot of trouble with shirts to and nothing ever fits correct.

aberdeenwriter · Feb 6, 2006, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by powerbook867

Figured someone here could point me down a path to finding some nice shirts.

I'm a strange build. I wear a 17 collar with 35 or 35-36 sleeves. My waist is a 36, shoulders are about a 42. The problem is that at that size most shirts are built for a 300 pound guy which I am not.(weigh 200, 6 feet tall) The shirts are extremely baggy and most look like crap on me. I also can't stand much of the fabric that dress shirts are made of. Super thin, easily wrinkled, in general junk.

I have heard Banana Republic has nicer shirts, but they cost about 100 dollars a piece!!

I have been rummaging hard at Marshalls and TJ Max without a lot of success in the shirt department (been doing awesome on wool pants and high end khakis though!).

Anyone know of a place that sells dress shirts made of heavier fabric, tailored and costing between 25 and 35 dollars?

Maybe I’m living in a fantasy land….

Call your nearest Men's Warehouse store and talk to their tailor. I think they used to have tailors on-premises. Tell him your problem and your budget. He (or any men's tailor) will know where to send you. Heck, if worst(ed) comes to worse, you might ask him if HE would alter the shirts to fit you if you bought them from the Men's Warehouse.

OR, go to any store with the big guy shirts, find the style and fabric and price that you like and take them to your local dry cleaner and ask the seamstress to alter the shirts for you.

That's my best advice. Good luck!

powerbook867 · Feb 6, 2006, 09:43 AM

thanks for all the info guys!! I'll give Men's warehouse a call and start talking to some people locally about reputable tailors.

ghporter · Feb 6, 2006, 09:47 AM

I've had to deal with the same sort of thing for a long time. One thing the powerlifters do to look sharp is what I refer to as "military pleats." You take the side seams of the shirt, pull them out all the way to the sides, and then fold them back, wrapping them around your waist. You have to pay attention to keeping the fold folded as you pull up your pants, but once they're up, this tends to hold pretty well. I even did this with supposedly tapered military shirts for a better fit. This costs no extra money and tends to accentuate the difference between shoulders/chest and waist. I think it looks good on most people.

milhous · Feb 6, 2006, 09:50 AM

you should also have luck wtih l.l. bean and land's end.

Heavy Fluid · Feb 6, 2006, 07:32 PM

Mens Express 1MX solid color shirts right now, $29.99

They are very nice, modern fit (more tailored like) and hold up well. If it fits well, DO NOT DRY it in the dryer, or it will shrink. Air dry, iron or send em to the dry cleaners.

aberdeenwriter · Feb 6, 2006, 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by powerbook867

thanks for all the info guys!! I'll give Men's warehouse a call and start talking to some people locally about reputable tailors.

Please let us know how you resolve the issue. Thanks!

SSharon · Feb 6, 2006, 10:53 PM

I was just buying myself some shirts in Macy's and saw a few in your size. They have tons of brands many of which have "slim fit" styles that would probably work well for you. Oh yea and all the shirts I got there were $15.52 because of the sale they had.
Keep checking B. Republic since their sale prices are very reasonable. (I got a suit there for $150).

thestumper · Feb 6, 2006, 10:54 PM

http://www.mytailor.com/

Good stuff. Reasonable prices. Not $35 dollars, but pretty reasonable considering...

volcano · Feb 6, 2006, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by powerbook867

Figured someone here could point me down a path to finding some nice shirts.

I'm a strange build. I wear a 17 collar with 35 or 35-36 sleeves. My waist is a 36, shoulders are about a 42. The problem is that at that size most shirts are built for a 300 pound guy which I am not.(weigh 200, 6 feet tall) The shirts are extremely baggy and most look like crap on me. I also can't stand much of the fabric that dress shirts are made of. Super thin, easily wrinkled, in general junk.

I have heard Banana Republic has nicer shirts, but they cost about 100 dollars a piece!!

I have been rummaging hard at Marshalls and TJ Max without a lot of success in the shirt department (been doing awesome on wool pants and high end khakis though!).

Anyone know of a place that sells dress shirts made of heavier fabric, tailored and costing between 25 and 35 dollars?

Maybe I’m living in a fantasy land….

I have the same problem. In a different way, of course. I'm a small guy - about 5'7", roughly 135-140 lbs, lean build. I always wear 14 1/2 - 15 when it comes to button up shirts, or a small (although extra smalls work sometimes). My waist size is even more detrimental - I wear either a 29 x 30 or a 28 x 30, depending on the brand.

I buy most of my shirts at Express Men - I've always had good luck there. Oddly enough though, I can never buy any of their jeans - even if they have a 29 x 30 in stock, it's still too baggy. On the other hand, I can wear their 30 x 30 Producer dress pants without any issues. In fact, I'm wearing a pair right now. Strange.

If you're willing to spend more (I know your budget is limited, but think about it) I'd try Club Monaco, if you have one in your area. All of their clothes in small or extra small fit great for me - and I've always been happy with them. But just like Express, I can't buy jeans there - they're all too baggy. When it comes to jeans, Lucky and Gap seem to work best.

Also, be sure to ask all the stores if they have more sizes and fits available online - many do, including Gap and Banana Republic (and Old Navy, for that matter - since they're all owned by the same company).

powerbook867 · Feb 7, 2006, 05:48 AM

I haven't been in Express men for years. I used to shop there, but if I remember correctly, their stuff used to shrink on me pretty badly. I'll give them a look and maybe just air dry like Heavy fluid stated.

Thannks all for all the recomendations. I'm looking at http://www.mytailor.com/ right now.

For clearance stuff, it's a bad time in Upstate NY since tax free week just ended and a lot of the shelves are picked bare.

I'm starting a new job in 1 month tomorrow and can no longer dress like a hobo!!