Is this wool shirt too short on the arms?
I got this Polo Ralph Lauren wool shirt from a charity shop last month, and as you can see from the photos, it's a bit short on the arms but not too much, which means I can use it for a layering piece, but is it too short to use on its own, without anything on top? Does it really matter?
44 Replies
Yeah too short when wearing by itself
Yeah
Thanks!
it looks kind of small in general tbh
:linkThink:
yeah
perhaps it's too small in general?
It is.
It's very short and gathering in your arm pits because they're too high/narrower than your chest.
ah
that's a bit of a shame. It did feel nice to wear, the wool.
This was what I was going for today, and I don't think I have any other dark navy shirts like the wool one 🥲
:thonk: I think it's a navy overshirt over a turtleneck sweater?
this is where understanding silhouette comes into play. The inspo here is more than just a navy overshirt- it's oversized. If you wanted to achieve a similar effect with the same RL shirt you posted, you'd need to go a few sizes larger than your usual tagged size.
🤔
I've not considered silhouette before
The one I've got atm is a medium
So I'd probably go for XL here
If I can find it again online
I mean, as a general rule of thumb yeah you'd want to be sizing up a couple times.
But if you're buying secondhand you really need the measurements. The shirt you're wearing here is flat out too small for you, and since it's secondhand wool I wouldn't be surprised if it's shrunk significantly from the original size. So it really is impossible to say XL is the move. This is why we're always harping on people to take their measurements and compare them to the garments they're considering.
You should start! It is one of the most important pieces to consider in building an outfit.
You could look at the Yarmouth from PRL, it’s cut oversized and big all over.
Looking at your shirt, to me it looks like It might have been washed and dried inappropriately and as it has shrunk quite a bit, maybe that's why it's being sold second hand.
Like if you look at the placket, it looks like it's not straightforward that's due to the placket keeping it's original length due to the extra fabric and buttons while the rest of the shirt looks like it shortened quite a bit.
Try looking back through your most recent inspo post and consider the silhouette in each photo. The clothes themselves are all nothing too crazy, but what makes it really cool is the way everything fits (for me at least). Notice the shapes created by some of the wider fits, the way the pieces drape, the space between the people and the clothes. Consider how the vibe would change if everything was slim fit instead.
Have you read the "How to Breathe" guides yet?
Not yet.
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@Sam I know you've been looking at Popeye a bit, so the big thing Popeye editors seem to value is a certain perspective on silhouette, often done with fairly "basic" items (mainly military surplus and ivy classics). It's worth looking at it with that in mind.
hmm
this was one of the inspo images I tried to use earlier for waywt
One of the things I notice is that the sleeves on the jumper are crumpled, which suggests to me that it could be an oversized jumper. I also can see that the jeans are wide.
Yep, for sure that. You can also see the shoulder seams are quite far beyond his shoulder bone.
I suspect that model is wearing probably two sizes "too big" on the top with some pretty loose fitting jeans.
oh, i didn't notice that before :linkThink:
Yep, but the thing to really look at isn't how one piece fits but how it all goes together as an outfit. Sizing up can look great (as it does in this photo) but it can also look bad if the rest of your outfit doesn't work with it. To some degree that's silhouette.
Ok
It's something I'll try to consider now and practice, silhouette and seeing an outfit as a whole
How could I practice silhouette with my outfits?
if you own clothes of a different silhouette (big or wide or cropped, for example) it's a matter of trying them on
if not, you can try on clothes when shopping that are oversized or cropped or that sit differently on your body and see how you feel in them and about them
worst comes to worst try them on and make a new thread with pics
I've started to read the how to breathe guide
finally i've got an outfit to use those button up shirts
I think something like this could work
It’s 2024, so I’m always partial to swapping to wider/less tapered pants
I think the top block fits fine though
🤔
I'm trying on what I've got to see what would do for the button up like what the article suggested
So far there's 1 shirt thats been breathable out of the 4 I've tried so far
Both of the RL shirts I've available have been pretty snug
There's not much breathing room between either
But yeah, I might look to get some more standard fit button ups
I did order 2 Yarmouth's off eBay, to see which one would fit best
Ok
Is it too large? :thonk:
Yarmouth? Nah honestly they fit like that! This is where silhouette comes in, some wider pants, play with shape.
This is the last time I wore mine https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1116800072093532191/1298750806559821907
A lot of the inspo you post seems to have more oversized looks, it can be tough to get into but just play with it a bit
A lot of my shirts fit like these and I enjoy wearing them
you can play with proportions too, so in mine i have my undershirt tucked and there's a lot of contrast there too, and my pants are equally big
@zeometer also plays around with proportions really well, like this big shirt big pant here https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1116800072093532191/1300916096634716191
or this one he was experimenting with in Q&A https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1300496845612515378/1300548907339874394
the second shirt is a yarmouth in fact :xd: it took some adjustment to get used to such a big shirt but i like the added volume in some settings
yeah the added length was a bit jarring at first for me more than the overall volume.
Just gonna point out you can read your full name in these photos. Might not be something that bothers you but worth a mention.
Oh
it's not bothering me that much
:thonk:
It does look closer to these inspo