Women's Shirts: Fit and Gaping

FASHION · GLOBAL

Women's Shirts: Fit and Gaping

Why shirts gape, fit points, fabric and alterations

The most common complaint about a women's shirt has one cause and several cheap solutions, none of which is a larger size.

Why shirts gape

The button placement does not fall where your bust is widest, so the fabric pulls between buttons. Sizing up adds width everywhere else and rarely fixes the gap.

Shirts cut with a bust dart, a princess seam or a hidden placket are designed for this, and they are what to look for rather than a different size.

Fit points

Shoulder seams at the edge of the shoulder, which cannot be altered affordably. No pulling across the back when the arms come forward. The waist shaped rather than straight if you want it tucked.

Sleeves should reach the wrist bone, and cuffs should sit without riding up when the arms bend.

Fabric

Cotton poplin is crisp and shows a gap clearly. Twill and fabric with a little elastane move with the body and forgive more. Heavy polyester traps heat and yellows over years.

Check opacity by holding it to a light before removing the tags, particularly across the shoulders and back.

Cheap fixes

Fashion tape holds a placket closed for an evening. A small press stud or a hook and eye sewn between buttons is permanent, invisible and takes minutes.

A tailor can move a button, add a dart or take in the waist for very little, which transforms an off-the-peg shirt.

Care

Wash cool, hang immediately on a shaped hanger, and iron collar, cuffs, yoke, sleeves then body.

Sizing between brands

Shirt sizing varies enormously, so work from the stated garment measurements — chest, waist, shoulder and sleeve — rather than the label. Measure a shirt you already own laid flat.

Order two sizes where you are between and return one, which is cheaper than owning a shirt you never wear.

Fabrics and comfort

Natural fibres and viscose breathe; heavy polyester traps heat. A little elastane adds comfort and shortens the life of the garment.

Layering and wear

A shirt works under a knit, open over a top and on its own, and buying one slightly roomier makes all three possible. Check what shows through when layering.

Wash less and air more, since most shirts are worn out by laundering rather than by wearing.

Have a shirt that fits everywhere but the waist taken in, which costs very little.

Keep the receipt, since shirts are frequently returned for fit rather than fault.

Buying

Buy a second of anything that fits particularly well, since makers revise patterns quietly.

WHERE TO BUY

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