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By Hendrik Pohl

No matter how expensive or stylish your shirt might be, it will still look like a collared fashion disaster if you dont get the right fit. Women might get away with it every now and then, but you have no excuse and no allowances for a bad fitting shirt. A good fit will not just make you look better in your shirt; it will also make your overall look much more formal.

Check Your Collar
Errors in the fit most often happen in the collar area because a lot of guys are not sure about how much allowance should be left there. Almost all shirt makers use half inch increments, and you should round your size up to the next larger size if your measurement is somewhere in between the numbers. A too-tight collar will not just look strange; you will also end up uncomfortable because you are likely to get choked by your own collar.

To take your neck measurement, get a measuring tape and then wrap it straight around your neck right under your Adams apple. Get the measurement that is just right, that is, without squeezing your neck. If you are going to buy your shirts premade, you could also test the fit of a shirts collar by inserting two fingers into the space between the collar and your neck. A shirt that fits well should have sufficient space to fit your two fingers.

See Your Sleeves
The sleeves are another area where a lot of guys tend to make incorrect judgments with regard to fit. Most tailors use a standard fit for shirts so that they will look just right when worn with suits. If you are buying it off the rack, though, you can check the length of the sleeves by wearing the shirt and then placing your hands on your waist. The end of the cuff should extend just an inch beyond your wrist.

Your cuffs should fit just as well as your sleeves, even if you plan to wear a suit. Your cuffs will still be visible beyond your jacket sleeves or at least they should be, so ill-fitted cuffs are still obvious. Again, tailors have a default measurement that they use. For pre-made shirts, though, the right fit would be one that does not squeeze your wrists, but at the same time does not let your hands through without undoing the buttons.

Take Care of Your Torso
You have a lot more creative freedom when it comes to fitting for your torso because there are several possible fits. The usual categories are the American cut, the English cut and the French cut. American-cut shirts are full at the chest area with little to no taper towards the bottom. French cuts are similar with a greater degree of tapering, while English cuts are fairly slim all the way through.

Remember that your shirt is your bottommost, most basic layer, so it has to be the one with the best fit in your entire outfit. Getting your shirt tailored is a really good idea, especially if you are planning to use that particular shirt for some time. You could find something that fits decently off the rack, but there is nothing that will beat a shirt made just for you.

About The Author

Hendrik is a regular contributor on style tips for men. Besides publishing articles he regularly writes for his own mens fashion blog. He is also the founder of http://www.ties-necktie.com/ - One of the Internets premiere retailer for fine mens ties.