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In menswear, as in life, one size hardly ever fits all. Even when there are four sizes—small, medium, large, and extra large—unless you are extremely fortunate, they aren’t going to fit perfectly either. This is particularly apparent when it comes to dress shirts. Men’s clothing lines have recognized this and now offer slim fit or “tailored fit” shirts to give guys who want a cleaner and slimmer look another option without having to visit their tailor. And though a slim fit shirt might get you closer to the fit you are looking for on your body, it generally involves making uncomfortable compromises in neck size, sleeve length, and/or sleeve width. Enter Washington, DC shirtmaker Hugh & Crye.
As a fairly lean guy who likes slimmer cut shirts, I am all too familiar with the uncomfortable compromises named above when trying to buy off the rack. A medium is always too big and bringing one to my tailor is never an option because there is no way to reduce the neck size of a shirt. A small will usually fit decently, but depending on the brand, I will be choking when I try to button the top button or feel like I am going to rip the sleeves off since I have a more athletic upper body. And I have completely given up even considering an extra small.
Hugh & Crye’s approach to fit takes the standard four-size model and expands it to a 12-size matrix, making allowances for height as well as body type. I used the chart to determine my size and when I got into the shirt, found that it was right on. The collar was comfortable. Sleeve length was on point. No bunching around the waist. And most importantly for me, it wasn’t tight around the chest or under the arms while still fitting slim and not looking baggy at all. Beyond the spectacular fit, I was super excited to find some classic options that I’d had difficulty coming by, like the cutaway collar bengal stripe shirt featured in this post.
This Look: Cotton pincord blazer by J.Crew (part of suit), Bengal stripe shirt by Hugh & Crye, Blue moleskin cotton tie c/o Hugh & Crye, Orange patterned pocket square c/o Hugh & Crye, White selvedge denim jeans by J.Crew, Watch with black leather band by Timex, Black penny loafers by Bass Weejuns, Sunglasses by Persol, Black leather plaque belt by J.Crew, Vintage silver tie bar.
Hugh & Crye is offering a 10% discount to He Spoke Style readers. Simply use the code BMORE10 when placing your order.
I had the opportunity to stop by the Hugh & Crye shop recently and was definitely glad I did. Not only do they make some great fitting and quality shirts, but the entire team is fantastic. They are committed to helping guys look their best and most stylish and that is abundantly apparent. And beginning this week, Baltimore Style Guy readers will receive a 10% discount on orders from Hugh & Crye. Simply use the code BMORE10 when placing your order.
Stylishly Yours,
He Spoke Style
Photography by Rob McIver Photo.