Altering men's shirts

[Chinese Pistache]

My dh is on the shorter side (5'8"), but he's got a long torso and shorter legs. He is also broad shouldered, and wears an XL shirt.

Whenever he wears a button-up shirt, it hangs so long he feels like he's wearing a dress. So, he prefers to tuck them in with belted pants/shorts, but that makes him look like an old man (which he also doesn't like).

So, I'm wondering if any of you have experience altering button-down shirts, either with a straight hem or the kind that is longer in the front and back and shorter at the sides. How do I know where they should fall in relation to his waist, fly and/or fingertips? Can I just cut along the hem, a few inches up, and then roll a new hem?

I've looked for links without any luck, so if you know of any online resources, I'd love to check them out. Thanks!

[Roxy2007]

can you measure him as he is wearing his shirt? i've hemmed a few of my DH's shirt and i just cut it straight and hem. hemming with that "curve" is tricky not to mention imo looks a little sloppy if its not tucked in. i would only do this for short sleeve though, more like the casual look. long sleeves button down would look a little odd and also with thin vertical stripes button down done this way will look like pj's. my DH has mostly horizontal stripes shirt or tropical flower (tasteful, not the overdone kind) shirt and a few solids.

good luck

[sapphire_chan]

From "How to Make Sewing Patterns" by McCunn, paraphrased:

Bottom of the shirt should be on the hip line. Width of the bottom of the shirt in front should be the same as the shoulder width (shoulder point to shoulder point)

The top of the side curve should be halfway between the natural waist and the hip line.


Hope that helps! I'd try it on a thriftstore shirt first.

Oh, and if he's not tucking them in, don't put in the side seam curve, it's only to keep shirts from pulling out when tucked in. If he will be wearing it tucked in, I say just zigzag the edge to prevent fraying, since it won't show.

[Chinese Pistache]

Oh, good point, ladies! He doesn't wear the curvy hem shirts un-tucked anyway, so I don't need to worry about it. It's more the casual, straight hem shirts that I need to worry about, and that shouldn't be too difficult to correct. Thanks for the measurement, info sapphire_chan.

Thanks to you both!