Shirts for Short Men: The Ultimate Guide
This is Ash & Erie’s official guide to how a casual, untucked shirt should fit. In this guide, we’ll be specifically talking about the fit of collared button-downs.
The right casual button-down makes the perfect choice for many of the social and professional functions in our lives. We wear shirts to work, to happy hour, to dinner, and more. We can dress our shirts up to be more formal, or we can dress them down to be more casual. Either way, our wardrobes would feel incomplete without the presence of a well-fitting button-down.
The Anatomy of a Shirt
The chest of a shirt
The chest of a shirt is often the most important measurement to take into consideration. The fit around your chest should be tight enough to provide a clean look, but loose enough where you still have room to breathe, move around, and feel comfortable. Some men prefer an even tighter or looser fit, but most men want something in the middle.
Where your shirt's shoulder seam should fall
The shoulders of a shirt are also very important. Even the most skilled tailors in the world can’t fix a shirt with bad-fitting shoulders. The shoulder seam should fall right where your arm meets your torso (the acromion bone).
How long should your shirt be?
The body length of a shirt is probably the most common issue for us short men. Depending on the type of shirt you wear, the body length you’ll want will be different. For an untucked casual shirt, your hem should fall near the middle of your fly. When standing up straight with your hands by your side, your shirt is too short if you can see your belt and too long if it goes past the bottom of your fly.
Where should your shirt sleeves land?
The sleeve length on a shirt is another very common issue for short men. As a general rule, your sleeve should end right where your wrist meets your hand. When it comes to the width of your cuff, you should aim for a sleeve cuff that gives you enough room to be comfortable and fit a watch without being too wide.
Common Shirt Fit Mistakes Short Men Make
Your shirt sleeves are too long
The most common mistake we see men make when it comes to wearing a shirt is having sleeves that are too long. This is the most common mistake because shirts aren't made for the frame of a shorter man. Typical sleeve lengths on shirts run an at least inch or two long, depending on your arm length.
Your shirt sleeves are too baggy
Another common mistake men make is having sleeves that are too baggy. This is more avoidable since shirts come with different cuts like slim and standard, but it's a common mistake nonetheless. We recommend about an inch of room between the shirt and your arm, since you don't want the sleeves to be too tight either.
Your shirt is too long
The next common mistake men make is having too long of a body length on their button downs. This is another common mistake due to the fact that most shirts are made for guys 5'10" and taller who have longer torsos.
Choosing quality shirt material
One common fit mistake we don't want you to make is being cheap when it comes to the material of your shirts. The quality of shirt will decide how long you'll keep the shirt. The better the material, the longer it'll last.
The Ash & Erie Everyday Shirt
Design thoughtfully crafted for short men
When we designed our Everyday Shirts, we looked at hundreds of details to design a perfect fit from the ground up. From our collar size and shape, armhole, cuff width, tail drop, and more, we’ve come up with the best possible shirt for shorter men.
We’re constantly tweaking our fit and coming out with new products every season, so check out a few of our shirts below and give them a try!
