Articles on: Adjusting your Shirt
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Adjusting the waist of a shirt

How should a shirt waist fit?

The waist of the shirt corresponds to half the waist circumference, measured on the shirt (not on the body). It should allow you to sit and relax your stomach without the button being tight, while avoiding excessive flapping. Standing up, with a relaxed stomach, you should be able to pinch about 2 cm on each side of the shirt.


Tips from LE CHEMISEUR®

👔 What to do for a strong build (plus size shirt)?

Avoid creating a shirt cut that is too wide. The idea is to maintain a nice shirt shape that visually corrects the silhouette and avoids the "bag" effect. We recommend opting for a straight cut (chest width = waist) or, for very large sizes, a waist that is 2 cm larger than the chest, but no more.


🏋️ For athletic V-shaped or very slim body types

You can slim down a bit, but we advise against tapering the shirt too much. This could create a feminine hourglass silhouette.


⌛ The hourglass effect on the shirt is created by:

  • The difference between the chest width and waist (called the "drop") which should not exceed 10 cm.
  • The difference between the hip width and waist, which should not exceed 8 cm.
  • The presence of back darts. From a chest-waist difference of about 6 cm, you should probably add darts which will shift the side seams towards the back and thus reduce the "hourglass" effect.


The hourglass effect is more pronounced when the shirt is short, as with casual shirts worn outside the pants. If you are slim and want to create a casual shirt, opt for a slightly straighter cut by adding, for example, 2 cm to the waist.


⚖️ You plan to lose weight

Order a shirt that fits you now! Keep in mind that adding back darts in alterations is very simple. This allows you to reduce the waist by 2 to 4 cm (depending on the depth given to the darts). If the shirt is too tight, on the other hand, it needs to be remade.


How to measure the waist on a shirt

Button the shirt, lay it flat and measure the full width at the narrowest point, edge to edge without stopping at the seams.


Updated on: 08/10/2025