Shirt Size for Broad Shoulders: How to Buy a Shirt That Fits the Back and the Waist

Men who train, swim or are simply built wide hit the same wall: the size that fits the shoulders billows at the waist, and the size that fits the waist pulls across the back. The fix is to size for the part that cannot be altered, the shoulders, and tailor or choose the fit for the rest.

The one rule: size by shoulder

Shoulder is the measurement a tailor cannot change. Chest can be taken in a little; waist can be taken in a lot; shoulders are fixed by the pattern. So: find the size whose shoulder matches yours, then make everything else work around it.

How to measure your shoulders

Have someone measure across your back, from the bony point of one shoulder to the other, over the shoulder blades with the tape slightly curved to follow your back. Alternatively, lay your best-fitting shirt flat and measure seam to seam across the back yoke. Most men fall between 17 and 20 in.

Shoulder measurement by size

A shirt's shoulder should equal yours or be up to ½ in wider. Narrower, and the sleeve head pulls up your arm; wider by more than an inch, and the seam droops.

Broad shoulders, slim waist: the V-shape problem

Take the size that fits your shoulders and chest. If the waist then has more than 6 in of room over your body, have a tailor take in the side seams. It costs ₹200 to ₹400, takes a day, and turns a regular shirt into one cut for you. Do not buy slim fit a size down to avoid this: the shoulders will be the first thing to go.

Which fit works best

Signs the shoulders are wrong

• Horizontal pull lines across the upper back when you reach forward: too narrow.
• The sleeve seam sits on top of your shoulder, inside the bone: too narrow.
• The seam droops onto your upper arm, and the yoke sags: too wide.
• You cannot cross your arms comfortably: too narrow, or the sleeve is too tight.

Sleeve width matters too

Broad shoulders usually come with bigger arms. Check the bicep: you should be able to pinch about an inch of cloth on each side of your upper arm with the sleeve down. If it grips, the shirt will crease at the elbow and feel hot.

Your size at mtsya

Every mtsya shirt is one regular-fit pattern: shoulder 17¼ in at S rising to 20½ in at XXL, with 3 to 4 in of ease over the chest. For a broad-shouldered build, start from the shoulder row above, confirm the chest, and expect to size up from your slim-fit size. The size finder compares your current brand's shoulder with ours. A size exchange is open for 7 days after delivery.

Deep Water and Ash in black, or Deluge in indigo, suit a wider frame: dark, plain, and nothing to pull the eye sideways. Each mtsya shirt carries one mark: the Matsya fish, stitched small at the left chest, for the fish that guided Manu's boat through the flood.