Perusing the shops on Melrose in Los Angeles over the weekend, I stopped in the Paul Smith boutique to peruse the fun menswear collection with the boyfriend. Paul Smith is a British brand that is mostly known for their menswear, infused with fun unexpected touches like wildly patterned inner linings and youthful color combinations. After playing with the menswear, I perused the women’s section, and found an interesting thing…tiny dress shirts!
This shirt, which is from the Paul X collection, fits incredibly tiny in size 38. Cut unbelievably small in the chest and torso, I couldn’t believe the fit right off the rack. The shirt is cut with a teeny tiny waist, small shoulders and high arm holes. It will work perfectly for someone who is longer waisted than I am.
The shirt fit great on me from the front, but because I am shorter in the torso than average, there was some extra fabric at the back. The shirt’s waist is so fitted that it rides up to sit on my natural waist, but because it is meant for a longer torso, there is extra fabric bunched up near my shoulders. If you have a long to average torso, then this shirt will fit amazingly on you right off the rack! The only alterations the shirt might need would be to shorten the sleeves.
I thought it was a fluke, a one time cut perhaps, and asked a sales associate if any other Paul Smith shirts are cut this small. The sales associate informed me that this cut is indeed meant to be very slim, and is a cut offered every season in a variety of colors, including the tried and true staples of black and white. I looked around the store and found a few more shirts in this same tiny cut, as well as a few sweaters and even a fantastic dress in the Paul Smith Black collection. I could not find an online photo of the dress I tried on, but it fit my torso like a glove, and would only need to have the bottom hemmed.
So…check out Paul Smith for dress shirts if you’re lucky enough to have an average to long torso…otherwise, my tailor suggests you buy a size up and have the sides tailored down. Aside from that, also check out the sweaters and dresses from this designer in size 38, as there are loads of options that are cut teeny tiny!
