What Are Darts?
Darts are two seams sewn into the back of a shirt that together remove a total of 1.5” of fabric. Each dart takes out .75” at its widest point.
Darts start just below the armpit, gradually becoming larger until their widest point at the midsection, decreasing in size until they end a few inches above the shirt bottom. Shirts with darts will have a front panel of the shirt that is wider than the back panel.
Back Darts
What Do Darts Do?
Darts are popular for removing excess fabric from the lower back of a shirt. Many guys will have lower backs that curve inward, so removing fabric from this portion of the shirt can help the shirt follow the lines of their body more closely.
If you are constantly bothered by extra fabric in the lower back, but feel slimming the midsection of the shirt evenly in the front and back will cause the shirt to be too slim around your stomach, then darts may be great for you.
How Do I Use Darts?
Simply adding darts will not make the shirt slimmer—it will keep the midsection width the same when measured flat. The 1.5” taken from the back is automatically added to the front panel of the shirt. To achieve a slimmer fit with darts, you must lower the midsection width with darts selected.
If your fit is already slim at the front of the stomach and you’d like to just reduce fabric at the lower back, we suggest lowering your midsection width by .5” with darts selected.
Style Implications
Darts will add another element of design to the shirt. Some find that darts give the shirt a more European, modern look. Darts are often associated with shirts from brands such as Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and Hugo Boss.