Short answer: if your dress shirts pull across the chest, gap at the buttons or strangle you at the collar, the problem is almost always the cut rather than the size. Most dress shirts are graded so the chest, waist and neck grow together, which doesn't match an athletic or larger build. The fix is an athletic cut, sized to your shoulders and chest, in a fabric with real stretch.

Why standard shirts fail on athletic builds

A dress shirt is usually sized by neck and sleeve, then the rest of the shirt is scaled proportionally from there. That works if your proportions are average. It stops working when they aren't.

If you lift, play a sport, or are simply built broad, you tend to have a chest and shoulders that are two or three sizes ahead of your waist and neck. Buying for the chest gives you a tent around the middle. Buying for the neck gives you a shirt that pulls open between the third and fourth button every time you sit down.

Neither is a size problem. It's a grading problem, and the answer is a differently shaped shirt.

Diagnose the fit

Slim, athletic and classic: what they actually mean

These are cuts, not sizes. The same nominal size in two cuts is two different garments.

• Slim — narrow through the chest and waist. Built for a lean frame. On a broad chest it pulls at the buttons regardless of what size you buy.
• Athletic — more room through the chest, shoulders and upper back, still tapered at the waist. This is the cut designed for a V-shaped build, and it's what most men who "can't find a dress shirt that fits" are actually looking for.
• Classic or regular — roomier throughout, straighter through the body. Comfortable, less shaped. Better for a larger build than for an athletic one.

The common mistake is buying slim because it sounds like the modern option, then sizing up twice to make the chest work. You end up with a shirt that's tight in the wrong place and loose in the other.

Why stretch matters more than anything else here

A shirt is measured standing still with your arms down. You don't spend your day that way.

The moments that break a dress shirt on a big frame are all movement: reaching across a desk, driving, putting on a seatbelt, lifting something, crossing your arms. In a rigid woven cotton, the fabric has nowhere to go, so it either pulls at the buttons or restricts the movement.

Four-way stretch changes the math. The shirt can be cut closer — which is what makes it look sharp — without the closeness becoming a constraint. For a broad build that's not a comfort upgrade, it's the difference between a shirt that works and one that stays in the closet.

Tall sizing solves a separate problem

Tall is not "bigger." It adds length in the sleeve and body without adding width. If you're over about 6'2", or have long arms for your height, tall sizing fixes two problems that going up a size only makes worse: sleeves that end short of the wrist, and a shirt that untucks when you reach.

Buying without guessing

1. Start from your shoulders and chest. Those are the measurements that can't be altered. Waist can be taken in; shoulders can't be let out.
2. Pick the cut before the size. Athletic first if you're V-shaped, classic if you're carrying it more evenly.
3. Check sleeve and body length separately. If either is short, look at tall before sizing up.
4. Test it sitting down. Most shirts fail in a chair rather than in a mirror. Sit, cross your arms, reach forward.
5. Use the returns window. One size and cut on paper is a guess; wearing it for an afternoon isn't.

General fit standards are in How Should a Dress Shirt Fit?

Common questions

What is an athletic fit dress shirt?

A cut with more room through the chest, shoulders and upper back while staying tapered at the waist. It's designed for a V-shaped build, where a slim cut pulls at the chest and a classic cut billows at the waist.

Why do my dress shirts gap at the chest?

The shirt doesn't have enough room across the chest for your build. Going up a size usually adds width everywhere including the waist and neck; an athletic cut adds it where you need it.

What's the difference between athletic fit and classic fit?

Athletic is cut full through the chest and shoulders but tapered at the waist. Classic is roomier and straighter throughout. Athletic suits a V-shaped build; classic suits a more evenly proportioned one.

Should big guys wear slim fit shirts?

Usually not. Slim is cut narrow through the chest, so it fights a broad build no matter what size you buy. Athletic gives you the tapered look without the pulling.

When should I buy a tall dress shirt?

If you're over roughly 6'2", if your sleeves end above your wrist bone, or if your shirt untucks when you raise your arms. Tall adds length without adding width, which sizing up doesn't do.

Can a tailor fix a dress shirt that's too tight in the chest?

No. A tailor can take a shirt in but can't let out fabric that isn't there. Buy for the chest and shoulders, then have the waist taken in if you need to.

What we make

&Collar shirts come in slim and athletic fits, sizes XS–5XL, with tall sizing for longer sleeves and body. The fabric has four-way stretch, so an athletic cut moves with you rather than pulling.

We build for this specifically — see Built for Big & Tall. Our Arctic Quarter Zip and Arctic Flannel come in slim and classic fits for the same reason.

Shirts are $49.99 or any three for $99. Returns are 45 days from the day your order arrives, so you can try a cut and swap it if it's wrong. Sizing help is on our size guides.