Why don’t these shirts work on me?

[LoopingTwice]

After 6 years of WFH, I am going to full time office and need more formal clothes.
I have bought and returned a few shirts, here is another one - the fit in shoulders and length is perfect. But the pleat in the middle makes me feel like a lollypop, it blows up in the middle. Is this because they are crisp cotton? Or do I need a straight or tailored fit? Does anyone else feel weird in these shirts (which seem to be the majority in the shops)? Or is this what is current and I should embrace?

Do you have to wear shirts, what about a couple of smart simple dresses! It's funny, I was nursing over 40 years, before that office,in the 80s,we wore suits. I'm old skool almost 75, and it horrifies me what people wear (pjs and slippers for shopping) DH 69,loves these shirts,they are the very devil to iron..I'm sure you don't look like a lollipop,you have a lovely figure.

I have a weirdly long body and narrow shoulders and find that only fitted really suits me

I think it’s the style. The pleat makes for more material round the middle and with it being tucked the material will billow up and feel too much
a think a slimmer fit, more tailored shirt would stop all the excess material bumfling up and feeling too much

I think the shirt looks great. The general more relaxed fit might feel a bit different and so maybe give it a bit of time to adjust.

shirts are really useful in the office as they are versatile and can be worn smart-casual or full on smart

I like jersey shirts but maybe they wouldn't be formal enough?

I find this style works better untucked at the back and just tucked at the front (French tuck). Far less lollipoping 😂

Ive tried tucking shirts and tops in and get a bulge that looks like ive stolen a load of Nik naks just above pelvis what am I doing wrong you seem to have it perfect

Every time I do a French tuck I think it makes me look like I got dressed in a rush and people will be wondering what's wrong. It never looks deliberate or stylish..

These types of shirts only work for me if the material is thinner and hangs down. Like silk shirts for example. Otherwise I become too big on top and I don't look balanced.

The pleat in the back is so that you can reach your arms up and forward. I hate a shirt that pins my elbows to my sides.
I never tuck any shirt in. Just wear them loose outside the trousers. I shorten the length if needed.

I agree OP, it doesn’t fit you properly at all.

Unfortunately, it seems to be the fashion at the moment as I was looking for a decent fitted shirt/blouse and struggled to find anything suitable when I was shopping a couple of weeks ago.

I’ve decided I’m going to buy some nice cotton poplin fabric and make my own with darts in the right places.

Thank you, all. I have a couple of silk shirts, including one identical to this, it’s Boden Sienna, and they hang much better. I fancied a cotton one, and the white one seems to fit better than this striped one. I thought that this maybe due to my short height, even if the shirt is petite, I just do not have enough back length to fill the shirt if that makes any sense.

I'd never wear a shirt they are horrible to wear, I'd be fiddling with it and messing with the tucking in all day
I either wear blouses or a smart top, like this.

Gylda Wrap Top - Pure White | Baukjen

If I wear say a nice broderie blouse I'd wear this over it with a smart pair of trousers.

Rosalie Ecotec Tank - Neutral | Baukjen

I think it looks completely fine! What’s the problem? Is it that you’re just not used to wearing tailored clothes?

Oddly enough, I’m finding even with much more expensive shirts manufacturers tend not to bother with detailing and construction seams on the back any more, so I’m impressed that yours has all that.

(I adore shirts. Generally get mine from Budd London, Margaret Howell, or Margaret Howell’s slightly cheaper iteration MHL.)

Have you looked at:

Community Clothing
Cos
Studio Nicholson
Toast
Uniqlo
YMC

That’s a loose fitting shirt, not tailored at all! 😁

@abitbloodybrighteroverthere yea, there is nothing tailored about that shirt at all. It's an oversized shirt in a stiff cotton material. Some of the brands you have listed are knows for their more boxy shapes, OP is better off looking at either actually tailored shirts or find shirts in thinner and/or softer material.

So by your definition this isn’t ‘tailored’?

https://www.phoebephilo.com/products/neapolitan-jacket-brown-khaki-wool

Tailoring isn’t exclusively about being tightly fitted. My point was that they’d made an effort to influence the way the shirt falls, through cutting and sewing and pleating. It isn’t an expensive shirt, so they’ve only done this in a way that will make it wearable by the largest possible number of people.

Obviously a shirt can hang well without such detail; the OP can experiment with different brands to find the sort of shaping and finishing that appeals to her.

https://www.hawesandcurtis.co.uk/womenswear/shirts?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20327613307&gbraid=0AAAAADr__d_7EztkwFkYZM_i0sz-EFafe&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6vW05tG0lQMVYJRQBh1BDRjvEAAYASABEgKoQfD_BwE

OP, are the fitted shirts on here (as opposed to the "relaxed" fit) closer to what you're looking for?

@abitbloodybrighteroverthere

Do you know anything about bespoke tailoring or are you just using AI to try to sound knowledgeable?

The shirt that the OP was wearing isn’t remotely ‘tailored’ because it’s a boxy shaped RTW garment cut to ensure minimum fabric wastage and styled to fit a variety of body shapes, but in reality, flatters very few of them.

I have found there's a bit of a knack to tucking smart shirts in around the sides to stop that billowing - I have quite a large chest so have to buy shirts and blouses in larger sizes than the rest of my torso. But there are also lots of cotton shirts in shops at the moment that are meant to be worn unranked and looser. OPs looks like one of those.

Also agree with Krazykatty about the boxy fit of so many tops now, simply made so they can fit more sizes with minimal work so able to produce things for even less money. Short trench-style jackets are terrible for it.

@KrazyKatty I don’t need AI to talk about common or garden shirts.😂

(Amazing what appears on these threads nowadays.)

And if you had a clue about the brands or type of shirt I mentioned I wear myself, you wouldn’t be spouting such offensive nonsense.

Not all tailoring is bespoke. Did you really not know that? No need to reply - I won’t be responding again. (I’ll just carry on buying incredibly beautiful tailored shirts and enjoying wearing them.)

@abitbloodybrighteroverthere

I guess I don’t waste my money buying RTW overpriced garments (that lots of other people are also wearing) when I have the talent and ability to design and make bespoke pieces for myself. 🤷🏻‍♀️

It’s way too big for you like a man’s shirt… it’s probably made to be oversized and not worn tucked in because it’s a fashion shirt possibly. Go to an actual shirt shop and buy a ladies slim fit if you want the classic fitted shirt look. Or do a silk shirt.

Thank you for the comments.

I have sent the shirts back but bought the same cut in silk as I already have one and it looks beautiful with draping fabric. I will make a trip to Hawes and Curtis for other cuts - thank you for the idea.

Regarding tailored fit - my understanding is that it’s a term used specifically to describe a shirt’s fit that is different to relaxed and fitted. As well as general tailoring. A bit like sharp can be about a sharp knife and a sharp mind.

As usual, a simple thread gets derailed by in-fighting and posturing…