Full Shoulder/Armpit Fit (A), Tailored Shoulder/Armpit Fit (B), and Very Tailored Shoulder/Armpit Fit (C)
What does ‘Shoulder/Armpit Fit’ do?
The Shoulder/Armpit Fit option will adjust the shape of the top of the sleeves and the angle at which the sleeves attach to the body of the dress shirt. Based on your personal preferences for comfort and appearance of your shirt, you may find one option to suit your needs best.
In general, between the three Shoulder/Armpit Fit options, there are subtle tradeoffs wherein choosing a more tailored, streamlined appearance of the upper sleeve results in less range of motion for the arms.
Full Shoulder/Armpit Fit
The Full Shoulder/Armpit Fit attaches the sleeve to the body of the shirt in roughly a “T” shape. The shape of the armhole is a round, circular shape.
The Full Shoulder/Armpit Fit gives you maximum range of movement at the shoulder. You can raise your arms fairly high in the air and reach forward or backward with minimal pulling or tightness in the armpit. If you’re used to looser fitting shirts, this is a great place to start.
The tradeoff of this option is that you may notice some diagonal lines running from the outside of the shoulder down to the inner part of your armpit when your arms are at rest. The rounder, circular shape of the armhole also adds a bit of extra fabric right at the front and back of the deltoid. If you’re going for an extremely tailored, clean look, these lines may be bothersome.
Tailored Shoulder/Armpit Fit
The Tailored Shoulder/Armpit Fit attaches the sleeves to the body of the shirt at a more acute, downward-pointing angle. The shape of the armhole is little more oval-shaped than circular, resulting in slightly more room under the wearer’s armpit, about 1/8″ to be exact.
Selecting the Tailored Shoulder/Armpit Fit option reduces the fabric at the front and back of the shoulder and makes for a cleaner, more polished look with less lines around the shoulder and armpit. The tradeoff for reducing the lines spiraling around the bicep is that you’ll experience slightly less range of motion. Reaching above your head to grab something or putting your arms up and elbows back in a bench-press position, you will feel more restriction at the armpits.
Very Tailored Shoulder/Armpit Fit
The Very Tailored Shoulder/Armpit Fit attaches the sleeves to the body at an even more acute downward angle. The shape of the armhole is more oval-shaped than the Tailored Shoulder/Armpit option, resulting in an additional 3/4″ of room under the wearer’s armpit. The lowered position of the armhole also unlocks a greater range of dimensions for Sleeve Width.
For those looking to achieve a very slim bicep fit (Sleeve Width) without compromising on Chest Width, the Very Tailored Shoulder/Armpit Fit is your answer.
Selecting the Very Tailored Shoulder/Armpit Fit also reduces the amount of fabric in the front and back of the shoulder even more than with our Tailored Armpit Fit. This allows for our cleanest and most streamlined look by reducing lines around the shoulder and armpit when your arms are at rest. Again, the tradeoff is that you’ll have less range of motion when reaching up above or in front of you.