Making the most out of any Dress shirt

Dress shirts come in many different sizes and colors, patterns and lines. However, they all remain a staple of every respectable man's wardrobe. Typically, if you're a fit guy you want to gravitate to those shirts that come tapered from the store with any type of fit other than the classic or standard fit, e.g., custom, slim or extra slim fits. These fits make the shirt mold to your body and give you a more pleasing taper that can make the shirt 'pop' even more.

However, for those of us that workout a lot this can present a problem because our shoulders and chest width may put a lot of strain on the top buttons causing them to look over stretched and ready to put an eye out like a mini missile in a bar, club or restaurant. There is one workaround that I have found resolves this problem, but it can be a pain and add another $10-20 to the final price of your shirt.

Before getting to the latter part, some good fitting shirts from places that I recommend:

• Brooks Brothers
• J.Crew
• Zara
• Ralph Lauren (Although at times overpriced for its quality)
• Landsend Canvas
• Hugo Boss

These brands carry many fits other than your boring standard and classic ones that make you look like a bag of chips or Jerry Seinfeld in his poofy shirt episode, except instead of the poof being on the sleeves and shoulders, it's near the waist.

Now, let's get back to the latter portion of the post to wrap this up. The aforementioned workaround for us muscular fellas (skinny Europeans need not apply, no hate) is this:

1. Purchase a regular shirt that has plenty of room on the chest and shoulder area
2. Notice the portions of extra fabric (typically located on the waist and arm areas)
3. Mark them and identify how many inches is necessary to taper them down to a nice fit
4. Take the markings and measurements to a tailor near you
5. Wait for the results and profit from a great looking shirt

This can even become cheaper than buying a shirt of any custom, slim or extra slim fit as the tapering is priced into the shirt already. Therefore an extra slim shirt might run you $85 whereas a classic or standard fit may be $50 plus the tailoring ($20) and you still come out winning ($70 vs $85). So, go forth and taper.

I'm gone.