Your shirt plays an important role in your image as a big guy. It either shows how large you are or accentuates your body curves and muscles, if you have any. Slim-fit shirts take it a step further by being tailored to fit as closely as possible. This fitting allows them to make you look sharper and more well dressed than regular shirts.
Can fat guys wear slim fit shirts?
Yes, big guys can wear slim fit shirts to achieve a more stylish look than regular shirts. However, there’s more to it than just wearing a slim-fit shirt.
Regular Shirts vs Slim Fit Shirts
The difference between regular shirts and slim fit shirts is that regular shirts are generally built on a one-size-fits-all basis, so a Large shirt will fit anyone who wears large, while an XL typically fits anyone who wears that size. On the other hand, Slim fit shirts are more tailored to fit slimmer persons closer than regular shirts in the chest, waist, and arms hence the name slim fit.
Why might Slim Fit Shirts not be a good idea for big guys?
For big guys, slim fit shirts off the racks won’t work in most cases since they are tailored to fit a specific size. The typical slim-fit shirt is tapered around the waist area to provide a nice curvature in your upper body. And the sleeve is normally tighter to show off your muscles than on a regular shirt. So if you arent a short fat guy or don’t have a normal-sized stomach width, they’d be next to impossible to find.
But if you are the typical fat guy with a large stomach, fat shoulders and arms, and man boobs, you’ll have a harder time finding slim shirts that work with your size. Thankfully, you can get yourself one of the best compression undershirts that might barely allow you to wear a slim-fit shirt as a fat guy.
With that in mind, you have to accept that slim fit and fat guy is contradictory.
Instead of looking for a slim-fit shirt, I’d recommend getting your shirts custom-made or tapered to your size. These shirts will achieve almost the same result as a slim fit shirt without the hassle of searching for shirts that will fit a big guy.
What to Look for in Slim Fit Shirts and Custom Fit Clothing
Whenever you decide to get a slimmer fitting shirt as a big guy, here are a few things you should always consider:
Neck Size
Most big guys tend to have a fairly larger neck than average. As such, a big guy wearing a slim-fit shirt becomes a challenge since most of them will only measure 16.5″. However, a few I’ve found go up to 18.5 or higher, but those are rare. And in most cases, you won’t find anything higher than 18.5, whereas most big guys will need a shirt with a neck size of 19-21 inches.
So whenever you go looking for a slim-fit shirt, always know your neck measurements if you plan to shop online. Or if you’re shopping in person, try to get one that doesn’t choke you.
Arms, Sleeve, and Shoulder Width
You want to ensure that the sleeves and shoulder area offers about two inches or extra room on slim fit or custom shirts to give it that nice fitting style. Any tighter, and you won’t be able to move, and if it’s larger, it won’t be considered slim fit anymore. You’ll want to be able to still bend your arms at the elbows properly.
Midsection
For the midsection of the shirt, you’ll want it to have about 3 inches of room for best fit and comfort. This will allow more room around the stomach area instead of having you look like a sausage. You never want your shirt’s midsection to be so large that you can pinch more than 3 inches of extra fabric in the midsection.
Chest
The general rule of thumb for the chest area is to have no more than 6 inches of extra material in that area. You also don’t want it too tight, so it looks like the buttons are about to pop loose on their own. The shirt’s button seam should sit nicely in line without spreading apart the shirt due to your size.
Bottom Line – Should fat guys wear tight shirts?
Big guys can and should wear tighter fitting shirts if you’d like to improve the way you look. Shirts that fit tighter don’t make you look sloppy and reduce how fat you look while dressed up.
As such, I always recommend other big guys to take some time and get their shirts custom-fitted to match their body size.