This is the secret measuring method that our tailors use. First, grab your best-fitting t-shirt and a cloth tape measure. Lay the t-shirt down on a flat surface and smooth out any wrinkles.

Don’t have a cloth tape measure? Get creative! You can use any piece of string, cord, or belt that is at least as long as your shirt. Just hold up the measured length to a ruler or tape measure after marking it to see the approximate length in inches or centimeters.

1. Shirt Length: Place the end of the cloth tape measure just outside of the collar at the top of the shirt. Hold the tape measure in place, and bring the other end straight down to the hem of the shirt. This number is your shirt length.

2. Chest Width: Place the tape measure at the seam under one sleeve (armpit area), and then bring the other end straight across to the same spot on the other side. This number is your shirt’s chest width.

3. Sleeve Length: Measure from the outside of the collar to the shoulder and from the shoulder to the end of the sleeve. Add these two measurements together to get your desired sleeve length. (Simply measuring from the collar to the end of the sleeve does not properly account for the curvature of the shoulder area.)