You measured your neck. You measured your chest. You followed the video guide, selected "slim fit," and waited two weeks.
The shirt arrives. The collar gaps when you move. The sleeves swallow your hands. The body billows like a sail.
Sound familiar?
This happens constantly with online custom shirts. Not because you measured wrong. Because the system doesn't actually verify fit before cutting your fabric.
The Algorithm Problem
Most online shirt companies use the same approach:
- You enter measurements (or answer fit questions)
- Their algorithm adjusts a base pattern
- They cut your fabric
- You hope it works
That's it. No verification. No fitting. Just math and hope.
Some companies have refined their algorithms over thousands of orders. Proper Cloth uses 16 fit points. Ratio Clothing assigns dedicated fit advisors. These are genuinely good systems.
But even the best algorithm is still guessing. It's predicting how fabric will drape on your body based on numbers. Numbers don't capture posture. Numbers don't capture how you actually move.
What Goes Wrong With Shirts
Suits have complex fit issues—shoulders, chest structure, lapel roll. Shirts seem simpler. They're not.
Collar Problems
The collar is the most visible part of your shirt. It's also where fit fails most often.
- Collar gap: Stands away from your neck when you move
- Too tight: Uncomfortable, pulls at the button
- Wrong height: Disappears under your jacket or sticks up too high
Collar fit depends on neck circumference, neck slope, and how you hold your head. A tape measure gets one of those three.
Sleeve Issues
"Measure from shoulder to wrist." Simple, right?
Except shoulder point location varies by shirt style. Your arm isn't perfectly straight when you measured. And sleeve length preference is personal—some want a half-inch of cuff showing, others want more.
The result: sleeves that eat your hands or ride up past your watch.
Body Fit
This is where "slim fit" becomes meaningless.
Every brand defines slim fit differently. Your chest measurement doesn't tell them about your stomach. Your waist measurement doesn't account for how you sit.
The algorithm picks a taper ratio. Maybe it matches your body. Probably it doesn't.
The "Free Remake" Trap
Here's how most companies handle fit problems: they offer free remakes.
Tailor Store will remake your shirt at no cost. Indochino reimburses alterations. These are real policies, genuinely helpful.
But think about what "free remake" actually means:
- First shirt doesn't fit
- You document the problems
- They make a second shirt
- You wait another 2-3 weeks
- Hope version two is better
The remake guarantee is an admission that the first shirt probably won't fit. It's not a solution—it's damage control.
And some problems can't be remade away. If the collar style doesn't suit your neck, a remake with the same style won't help. You needed to try it first.
What Actually Works: Test Before Cutting
High-end bespoke shirtmakers do something different. Before cutting your $300 fabric, they make a test shirt in cheap muslin. You try it on. They see how it actually fits. Then they adjust.
This is called a fitting garment, toile, or draft.
It's why Savile Row shirts fit perfectly. Not because their tailors are magic—because they verify before committing.
We do the same thing with draft fitting.
How Draft Fitting Works for Shirts
- You provide measurements (DIY or via our pattern service)
- We make a test shirt in fitting fabric
- You try it on at home
- You send photos and feedback — collar feel, sleeve length preference, body fit
- We adjust your pattern
- We cut your Italian cotton with a verified fit
Your body proves the fit. Not an algorithm. Not a guess.
The Shirt-Specific Advantage
Draft fitting matters even more for shirts than suits. Here's why:
Shirts sit directly against your skin. Every fit issue is felt constantly. A suit jacket with slightly wide shoulders is annoying. A shirt with a collar that gaps is unwearable.
Shirts also get washed repeatedly. A marginal fit that works when new becomes a problem fit after ten washes and some shrinkage.
Getting the pattern right the first time means every shirt you order afterward fits correctly. Your pattern is stored. Reorders are effortless.
Two Lines, One Fitting Process
Italian Cotton Collection — 180gsm, 14 styles, $115
Year-round weight. Plains, herringbone, twill, subtle textures. Foundation shirts.
Premium Cotton Collection — 190gsm silky finish, extensive patterns, $120
Slightly heavier hand. Bengal stripes, windowpane, gingham, and more. Statement shirts.
Both include draft fitting. Both use your verified pattern.
Stop Hoping, Start Fitting
Online custom shirts fail because there's no verification step. Algorithms guess. Remakes react. Neither prevents the problem.
Draft fitting prevents it. Test garment first. Adjustments made. Then your fabric is cut.
$115-120. Draft fitting included.
