Any chance you will be anywhere near a TJMaxx or Marshalls? I have had decent success getting slim shirts there. I know you live rural but…maybe you will be in a more suburban area for a visit?
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Not surprising. Among actual people, what is considered “slim” now was “regular” in the past, so clothing cuts have been changed.
But the hardest dress shirt cut to find off the rack now is “athletic”, for those with chest 8+ inches larger than waist.
I mentioned Mizzen & Main upthread already as being athletic fit but thought I’d add more detail. They have regular, classic, and trim fit styles. I have an 8” drop, which in suit terminology is the difference between chest and waist - so 40” chest, 32” waist.
Their trim fit shirts in medium fit me perfectly, although I have some in large for when I want a bit more room. They’re available at Nordstrom so worth a try if you have one nearby. List prices are expensive but they just had 25-30% off site wide for Thanksgiving and probably will again for Christmas. Only (possible) downside is that their most common fabric is polyester + spandex, so the texture is somewhat like a very stretchy pair of athletic shorts.
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Good to know about those shirts. I have three slim fit boys and a slim fit husband - various degrees of slim😂 and some may be athletic fit. Didn’t realize the difference in athletic fit in shirts. Big fan of Nordstrom free shipping and free returns so I may try those out! Not sure about the polyester aspect. Do you find them hot? That’s an issue in the south!
Their fabrics vary from thin to thicker; I haven’t found them to be hot but I’m not generally running around outside in hot weather in them. Polyester sounds scary but it’s used widely for both athletic and athleisure gear for hot weather and workouts these days, e.g. Under Armour HeatGear is a similar poly/spandex/elastane mixture.
Seconding the J.Crew suggestion. Their slim fit performance dress shirt fits my trim son nicely. If cost is an issue, J.Crew Factory might have better prices.
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The slim guy may be like a high school student with 30" waist and 36" chest, while the athletic guy (possibly the same guy several years later after playing sports etc.) may have a 30" waist and 40" chest.
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@creaky
I have had good luck in the past getting slim size dress shirts for my very slim S at Kohls and Macys.
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These days is J Crew Factory selling real J Crew or just other J Crew branded products like they used to? From what I remember from a decade ago, fit could be quite different. But if that’s changed now, maybe I’ll check out the outlet malls again…
@UnsentDementor my husband has to try every shirt on. Even slims of the same brands are not consistently sized. Except Hugo Boss…those always fit him. Our issue now is that DH is retired and really doesn’t need fancy dress shirts. Nice chamois or flannel works…but finding things that fit are a challenge.
H loves the Filson flannel shirts. But, he always wears a medium- Filson it’s a small! He likes them alone or with a colored t-shirt underneath and flannel open over it.
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I have not been in a Factory store in a couple of years but I think they are still selling their own merchandise. Most of the outlet stores carry made for outlet merchandise with the exception of designer/luxury brands. Woodbury Commons north of NYC has dozens of stores that you do not usually see at outlets: Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Prada, Tod’s, etc. Those stores generally sell their own past season merchandise, but all the Gap, Ann Taylor, Banana, etc, produce goods for their outlets.
You can order a selection of sizes and cuts to see what works and then just mail the others back. Holiday return policies are less restrictive than the rest of the year.
https://factory.jcrew.com/plp/mens/categories/clothing/shirts
There is plenty of stuff that is made for Gucci factory stores or so called outlets… usually there is a special mark somewhere like on the tag inside bags. So if you see a mark like an extra G on the tag… the bag is not necessarily fake…it was likely a factory store merch.
Not sure about Prada etc. but suspect there is a similar story.
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It’s a very common strategy for companies to produce inferior goods bearing their label for sale in “outlet stores”.
The Inside Dope On Outlet Malls - Consumer Reports is from 2014, but may still have some general relevance (not specific product relevance) regarding outlet stores.
You can only return some things to Nordstrom that come from Nordstrom Rack.
I have never had any issue returning anything from Nordstrom to Nordstrom Rack.
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For people looking for slim or very slim fit shirts, when my very thin son was in HS his “dress” shirts came from Express. He was 5’10” or so and weighted 118 when he went to college.
What about the websites? Can you return Nordstrom online purchases to Nordstrom Rack brick & mortar stores? I pick up my Nordstrom Rack online purchases at our local Nordstrom retail store and can return online purchases to the same location.
My son used to buy his clothes at Express. After getting a gift of a Hugo Boss shirt, however, he realized the quality wasn’t quite the same. But yes…the Express slim is very slim!
I’m not saying Express is high quality, but quality was fine for a HS guy.
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