Shirts · Made to measure
Custom shirtsvs. off-the-rack
The shirt is the garment you wear most and think about least. It’s also the cheapest way to find out whether custom is for you.
Off-the-rack shirts fit two measurements — neck and sleeve — and guess the rest. Made to measure fits the body, shoulder, and cuff as well, which is why men with a full chest or long arms rarely find a good off-the-rack fit. The Man’s Shop makes custom shirts in Arlington, Texas.
The arithmetic of a shirt
Two numbers, a dozen variables
An off-the-rack dress shirt is sold on neck and sleeve. Everything else — chest, waist, shoulder width, yoke, cuff circumference, body length — is inferred from those two numbers.
For men close to the assumed proportions, this works well enough. For everyone else it produces the familiar compromise: a collar that fits with a body that billows, or a body that fits with sleeves an inch short.
A tailor can take in a shirt body, and it is inexpensive and worth doing. What he cannot do is move the shoulder seam or lengthen a sleeve that was never long enough.
What made to measure fits
Beyond neck and sleeve
- Shoulder width and yoke
- The seam should sit at the edge of your shoulder. When it does not, nothing else about the shirt looks right, and it is the one thing alterations cannot move.
- Chest and waist independently
- Off-the-rack ties these together in fixed ratios. Yours are whatever they are.
- Sleeve length per arm
- Measured individually. Arms differ more often than men realise, and a shirt cuff should sit at the wrist bone on both sides.
- Cuff circumference
- So the cuff sits on the wrist rather than sliding over the hand — and so a watch fits underneath without strangling.
- Collar height and spread
- Chosen to suit your neck and your face rather than whatever the brand decided that season.
- Body length
- Long enough to stay tucked when you move, short enough not to bunch. Rarely right by accident.
Why start here
The sensible entry to custom
Lowest cost of entry
A custom shirt costs a fraction of a custom suit, which makes it the cheapest honest test of whether made to measure is worth it for you.
You wear it most
A dress shirt gets worn far more often than any suit in the wardrobe. The return on getting it right is correspondingly larger.
The difference is immediate
Most men notice it the first morning. That is why the first custom shirt is almost never the last.
Common questions
Custom shirts, answered
Are custom dress shirts worth it?
For most men who wear dress shirts regularly, yes. Off-the-rack fits neck and sleeve and infers everything else, so if your shoulders, chest, or arm length sit outside the assumed proportions you have been compromising. The shirt is also the cheapest entry point into custom.
What does a made-to-measure shirt fit that off-the-rack doesn’t?
Shoulder width and yoke, chest and waist independently, each sleeve individually, cuff circumference, collar height and spread, and body length. Off-the-rack derives all of these from neck and sleeve measurements alone.
Can a tailor just alter my off-the-rack shirts?
Partly, and it is inexpensive and worthwhile. Taking in the body makes a real difference. What cannot be altered is the shoulder seam position or a sleeve that was never long enough, which is where off-the-rack reaches its limit.
How long does a custom shirt take?
Similar to other made-to-measure garments, and we will give you a firm timeline at your appointment. Most men order several at once after the first, since the measurements are already on file.
How much does a custom dress shirt cost?
Considerably less than a custom suit, which is why it is the usual first step into made to measure. Price depends on cloth, and we quote at the appointment with swatches in front of you before anything is ordered.
Should I order one custom shirt or several?
Order one first. Wear it for a few weeks and see whether the difference matters to you. If it does, your measurements are on file and reordering is a phone call.
Start with one
Get measured
A single shirt is the cheapest honest test of whether custom is for you.
100 S. West Street, Arlington, Texas 76010
Mon–Sat 10am–5pm · Closed Sunday
(817) 265-1116