Tall dress shirts for men – a buyer’s guide

Buying a tall dress shirt is not the nightmare that it may first seem if you follow five simple steps.

1. Fit

For the right fit you need some key measurements – basically your height, weight, collar size and arm length.

Men have problems with tall dress shirts in two areas – the sleeves are too short and the easement or fit under the arms is too tight making the sleeves ride up.

The other is the length of the shirt. The shirt tail should come down to fit snugly in your trousers without pulling out when you bend over or sit down.

Fit also considers how tight the shirt is – if you are tall and broad and need a comfortable fit, then go for a traditional rather than tailored or slim fit.

2. Fabric

Compare the shirt to your suit – for a dress shirt with a black dinner jacket then a plain colour, generally white is preferable.

Dress shirts come in many fabrics, colours and styles.

3. Features

Shirts are a lot more complicated than they seem when you start deconstructing the design.

Collars – make sure the collar suits the tie you will where

Cuffs – These can be button or sewn with cuff links in mind.

Placket – this is the strip down the front with the buttons. A placket can be standard, which means t=the buttons can be seen, covered, where the buttons are not revealed or the shirt need not have a placket at all.

Pockets – For a dress shirt, generally the design excludes a breast pocket

Base hem – this is the bottom of the shirt tail that can be curved or straight.

Inside back – this is the yoke or the part of the shirt revealed under the collar which can be the same colour or contrasting to the main fabric.

4. Monograms

These are initials or logos that can be sewn in to the shirt fabric.

Check out the High and Mighty online store for ready-made tall dress shirts.