Articles on: Adjusting your Shirt
This article is also available in:

Adding (or not) darts to a shirt

You already own a LE CHEMISEUR® shirt and would like to add or remove back darts? This page is for you.


Shirt without darts

Shirt with darts

A shirt without darts has a clean back.

Darts are seams sewn into the back to remove excess fabric so the shirt follows the curve of your back. Ours are about 1.5 cm deep.


Darts and waist taper are independent. They only help position the side seams; the finished width stays the same. Example : for a 50 cm waist with darts we cut 53 cm, add the darts, and finish at 50 cm.


LE CHEMISEUR® tips


🏋 V-shaped or athletic builds

Add darts to avoid the hour-glass look by moving the side seams back. We generally recommend darts as soon as the chest – waist difference exceeds 5-6 cm.


🛝 Hollow back / rounded stomach

Darts help the fabric hug the small of your back. From collar size 48 upwards you automatically switch to our Big & Tall pattern: shoulder pleats replace classic darts because the side seams are already farther back.


💖 Personal preference

Choose according to taste. Some clients avoid darts on thick fabrics (e.g. velvet) or on very casual fabrics such as linen shirts.

Updated on: 13/06/2025