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How to Buy Shirts: An Introduction

5/18/2011

18 Comments

 
  1. The Glorious Versatility of the Long-Sleeved Button-Up Shirt: As you may have gathered, the unofficial butch uniform is button-up shirt with a (white, black, or matching) T-shirt under it.  This outfit offers both comfort and versatility.  Want to look more casual?  Leave the shirt unbuttoned.  More formal?  Tuck the shirt in.  Attending your gay ex-boyfriend’s wedding?  Throw on a tie. 
  2. Brands: Certain men’s brands tend to be a little roomier in the hips and chest, and are thus friendlier to many female figures.  You’ll have to experiment on your own, but a few favorite dyke brands are Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, Material London, and LL Bean.  Banana Republic and J. Crew tend to favor the slimmer-hipped bois, as do Alfani and Van Heusen.            
  3. Women's ("Ladies'") Shirts: To Look or Not to Look?:  It may be worth looking at women’s shirts by designers who are lighter on the frill factor (e.g., LL Bean; Eddie Bauer; Jones New York).  But beyond a few select brands, women’s shirts tend to disappoint the butchier members of the fairer sex, and you’ll spend hours futily searching for the one item in the store without lace or pearly buttons.  We've all been there.  
  4. Sizing: The centrality of the long-sleeved, button-up shirt to the butch wardrobe means it’s essential that you buy shirts that fit.  Men’s shirts are usually sized in one of two ways: (1) S, M, L, XL; (2) using actual numbers.  Where (2) is employed, you will see two numbers.  The first refers to collar size, and ranges from about 14 to 18 1/2 (in half-inch increments).  Many sales clerks at Macy's, Nordstrom, etc., will happily measure your neck. 
  5. Fit: Your neck measurement is useful, but not dispositive, because of—you guessed it--the breast factor.  For example, my neck is 15 inches, but the smallest shirt size I can wear without popping off buttons is a 16 1/2.  If you're a buxom butch, avoid slim-fit shirts, as these are even smaller in the chest.  The second number you will see refers to sleeve length.  The most typical sizes are 32/33, 34/35, and 36/37.  Even a 32/33 may be too long (this is easily masked by rolling the sleeves, which has the additional advantage of suggesting a serious work ethic).  Sleeves should extend to the base of your thumb.  Perhaps because bra sizes are also in the 30s, I spent my first months in menswear trying on 36/37s, having somehow concluded that 36/37 was a chest measurement.  I still own some shirts with way-too-long sleeves to prove it.  (And here’s another tip: don’t worry about what the numbers say.  They’re going to be different for you than for a guy, because you are a chick, and have boobs and hips.  Maybe you’re a 17, and your dad is a 17, and you think he’s fat.  Don’t worry about it.  The measurements mean different things for each of you.) 
  6. Color:  One of the best things about being a butch is that you’re still a chick!  (Well, if you're female-identified.)  Or genderqueer!  Hallelujah!  This means that you can get away with wearing a wider variety of colors than most heterosexual cisdudes would dare to sport.  Have fun with it—try all kinds of different colors, and feel free to match your button-up shirt with the T-shirt you’re wearing underneath it.  No need to stick with white T-shirts every day, either.  Brands like Mossimo (cheap, awesome, stocked at Target) and GAP make men’s T-shirts in a wide palette of colors.  These make good undershirts because they’re thinner and cooler than those thick, cheap run-of-the-mill shirts made by brands like Gildan.  I like American Apparel, too (on those, the sizing runs small, so buy a size smaller than you normally do).
  7. Conclusion: I'll post more shopping tips in the future (as well as waaaay more details about shirts), so comment or email me your questions.  I'd also love to hear what shirt-shopping tips you can offer! Oh--and here are some pictures of shirts I like.
      
Picture
Here's a maroon Kenneth Cole Reaction shirt. I like the subtle striped texture, and tend to get a lot of compliments on this one!
     
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I've been loving tattersall lately. LL Bean is especially nice because you can order your *exact* sleeve length (as short as 31", I believe) and collar size.
      
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This is a little number from Material London. I like it because it goes equally well with jeans or black slacks.It's got black, maroon, and dark blue stripes
        
18 Comments
Kyle link
5/19/2011 03:02:19 pm

I had a great experience shopping for dress shirts at Macy's (it may have still been the Bon Marche then). The salesmen measured my neck and arm and advised me to steer clear of the fitted shirts, because they'd probably be too tight in the chest. So that's another thing to be aware of. If it says 'fitted' that probably means 'will not fit a womanly chest'.

That last one reminds me of one of my favorites. It's dark enough that you can wear almost any tie with it, very sharp. Your LL Bean shirt reminds me of a short sleeved one I have, one of my 'Dad shirts'. I love that one with accenting t-shirts under. I've really gotten into the layered look for casual and work settings.

Great information, keep up the good work.

Reply
Emma
5/20/2011 08:23:38 am

Just a few tips on British sizing and brands. I prefer to buy shirts that are classic fit by collar size and sleeve length than by S, M, L etc because the proportions are better (more chest and stomach room with a smaller neck, basically).

T M Lewin (but not the Francombe range) and Charles Tyrwhitt are more generously sized (and affordable) than other Jermyn Street establishments. They also do a 33 sleeve.

The saville row company sell shirts online that are affordable and roomy and often have discount codes. They also do sleeve alterations.

For those on a budget Primark shirts are more generously sized than other high street shops.

If you're small and want shirts that fit well and are made of decent fabrics then the boys section of a more upmarket department store (Selfridges, for example) is worth a try. Thomas Pink also do a range if you're feeling flush.

Classic = roomy
Slim = closer fit
Tailored = even slimmer

Reply
Butch Wonders link
5/21/2011 03:42:54 am

@ Emma: Thanks for the terrific information on British brands! I'll have to check out Primark shirts. Wonderful info.

@ Kyle: I've had good experiences at Macy's as well. Thanks for the tip. I wish I could wear short-sleeve button-up shirts. They make me look like an unpleasant cross between a retired football player and a 12-year-old geek.

Reply
Amy
5/25/2011 04:26:26 am

I find that Polo/Ralph Lauren dress shirts tend to be the roomiest in the hips of all brands I've tried. Being small-chested and wide-hipped means I often face too-big in the shoulders but won't button at the hip. On shirts where this is really extreme, I make use of a fashionable sweater vest to cover it. If you know what size/style you prefer, eBay is a GREAT place to look for a variety of shirts (ties too!)

Reply
Katie
7/1/2011 11:01:29 am

"Maybe you’re a 17, and your dad is a 17, and you think he’s fat." - Haha, this was always my paranoia factor when shopping for shirts. It took forever for me to realize that it was just my breasts that needed the extra room. Thanks for the info on brands that might be better suited for my shape!

Reply
ButchOnTap link
1/18/2012 04:29:19 pm

I love Thomas Pink shirts and ties (very expensive), followed by Thomas Dean, and English Laundry. Nordstrom is the best bet for me. They are wonderful to me when I go in, lots of help and doting without the unnecessary judgement. Plus, they have a nice selection of ties. Of course, if you happen to be nearby a Pink store, go in. They are awesome!

Reply
xander
1/21/2012 02:29:06 pm

Thanks for the tips! I love reading your stuff. Very thoughtful and carefully-written. I wonder if you have any advice for a sometimes-butch queer who is too small to fit into a Men's size S? I've tried looking in boys' sections of department stores, and aside from feeling a little creepy, the shirts that fit my shoulders and torso are too short in the sleeve. Finding a good button-down dress shirt has been the bane of my butch explorations. I'm not even that small! And there's nothing worse than a frilly button-down with mini pockets over the boobs...

Reply
harper link
2/15/2012 10:27:28 am

AHHH! this was so helpful! i'm stoked i ran across your blog! Do you have any tips for finding the perfect tee? i like to wear tees that are a little bit snug around the biceps...but my biceps are minuscule so that means the tee is going to be small...but THEN my boobs become rather torpedo like...! no bueno

Reply
Stacy
2/19/2012 01:39:48 am

Thank you for this article! For someone who is just starting their foray into mens fashionable clothes (and loving it), this was really helpful. Alot of the brand names you talk about I've already found to work for me so it's nice to know I'm on the right track in my blind explorations. One issue I have is finding mens shirts that fit everywhere else, but are way too roomy in the arms, and I've got some extra weight on me so my arms aren't tiny, but not as big as guy arms. It just seems to be hit and miss on that one. Thanks again for the info!

Reply
wdfortyplus
3/19/2012 12:48:29 am

http://www.itailor.com/

friend recommended this site for shirts. Thought I would pass it on.

Reply
Butch Wonders link
3/19/2012 03:09:08 am

Cool! I'd never heard of iTailor, and I'm going to have to check it out. It looks awesome.

Reply
jreilly link
10/7/2012 04:30:33 pm

Lands End is a great site for the afordable classic, tailored look. I wear mens and womens button up shirts and the T-Shirts come in super colors. And they have plus sizes.

Reply
Robin
6/16/2013 04:57:05 pm

The best advice I can give any woman, butch or otherwise, is to find a good tailor. A good tailor can (usually) make any poorly fitted garment look great on its host. Baggy, long sleeves...no problem! Employ the professionals for a perfect fit!

Reply
Hilary
6/18/2013 01:27:52 pm

Hi,

I was wondering if you ever have your shirts tailored after you buy them or if you have any advice for how to find shirts that fit better when you are particularly large (I am both busty and overweight). I end up with a lot of extra room in the neck even if I get the smallest neck size where the shirt still closes around the girls. I also have lots of extra baggy fabric under my armpits and around my abdomen, and then the fabric usually still tugs across my hips because I'm trying to find the smallest shirt that will still look good in all the places that are visible when the shirt is tucked in.

Reply
roses
2/11/2014 11:14:17 am

I just bought my first men's shirt at a little shop downtown in my very small town. I was super nervous, but the sales guy didn't bat an eye when I asked to be measured.

I'm big and busty (about an XXL or 18/20 in women's clothes and I'm 5'6''). I ended up with an 18 neck, a 34/35 sleeve, slim fit. I was really surprised about slim fit, but it ended up solving a lot of the problems noted above with bagging around the waist and then tight on the hips. It was a tinge tight at the hips, but nothing bad.

My only wonder is whether to tuck it in or not. In another post, you said tuck it in if it's dressy. But for my date this weekend, I want to wear jeans. I probably should have gotten a less dressy shirt (it's a light blue dress shirt and I got a tie). I'd hoped to get a sweater vest, but they didn't have any. So I bought a belt to finish the look. Hopefully it'll look ok!

Reply
Eliza Annis link
7/31/2014 03:57:58 pm

Thanks for this article. I am confused about the shirt fitting and to choose perfect color for my husband, but now doubt is clear, next time I remember…….

Reply
cor link
6/14/2016 01:56:54 am

Wonderful designed shirts super information

Reply
Jann
7/14/2019 04:04:05 am

Such helpful info! More androgynous in my preferences, but female to the eye . Always buy men’s and have to roll sleeves Waay up. Thank you!

Reply

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