Dress shirt ripping through elbows

If your shirts keep tearing at your elbows faster than the rest of the shirt wears out chances, are you are very tall, muscular or have wide shoulders. If you are muscular the shirt may not have a sufficient sleeve width causing strain when you move your arms. If you are tall the shirt fabric is subject to increased stress due to frequent bending. Taller individuals have a greater range of motion which leads to more friction. This is exacerbated in cases where your sleeve length is too short and the cuff is too tight. In such cases, there isn’t room for your elbow to maneuver comfortably. Bending your arm is a natural gesture. If you are wearing a dress shirt and bend your arm you will notice that where the cuff falls on your wrist varies as you bend your arm. A sleeve that is constructed using your correct measurements will account for movement in the arm. If the sleeve is too short, the cuff too tight or the sleeve width too narrow for the biceps then the shirt doesn’t fit right.

Apart from the arm another contributing factor may be having large shoulder or a large back which causes tension on the sleeves causing them to rip. When you buy a shirt in a store you can choose the collar size and often the sleeve length. However, the shoulder width is fixed for a particular size. If the ratio of your shoulders and back to your other upper body measurements don’t conform to a given brand’s standard sizing then this is another reason to opt for made to measure shirts. A simple test it to try crossing your arms like you are hugging someone. If it feels tight against your upper back or shoulders than the shirt doesn’t fit. In general, when it comes to sizing gradations clothing companies can’t support infinite combinations for ready to wear collections since that would make inventory management a nightmare. Therefore, they pick for a particular size what they consider to be the most common measurements. For example, for those who wear a 16-inch shirt with a 32 sleeve brands will opt for that they consider to be the common height, should length, back size and bicep width for that collar and sleeve size. All their shirts sold as size 16-32 will follow those dimensions with some deviation on width for companies that let you pick a fit such as slim or traditional.

A good indicator of whether off the rack shirts work for you is what part of the shirts wear out first. If, after several years of regular usage, the collars and cuffs fray first then your shirt fits well. If, on the other hand, the elbows keep ripping or wear out before anything else then you are good candidate for made to measure shirts since ready to wear standard sizing won’t work for you. A made to measure shirt can be constructed with a wider sleeve width to allow for the biceps if you work out a lot. Or if you are tall and need more room to maneuver when you bend your arm so as to reduce the amount of stress applied to the sleeve. Many mass-market shirtmakers insist on much of their merchandise being tight and narrow. This wasn’t always the case but the current trend is to go for a snug look. If you prefer or need a roomier shirt, then made to measure is a great solution for you. The sleeve length and cuff width can be customized during the made to measure process without being bound by standard sizing ratios. For example, the sleeve can be extra-long for a body that is otherwise lean or a wider cuff and sleeve can made for you like to lift weights.

If you insist on off the rack shirts should eschew slim fit and opt for a traditional or regular fit. That will provide you will a wider sleeve at the bicep but won’t help if your sleeves are too short or the measurements are off to begin with.

Other than changing the absolute dimensions another solution is to increase the amount of pleating at the forearm. Pleating in clothing serves a purpose apart from mere aesthetics. For formal clothing that is not elastic it provides a mechanism for moving your arm comfortably. Pleating lets you bend your arm without piling stress onto the shirt. This is because the pleats serve as a reservoir of fabric that is folded when your arm is outstretched. Then when you then move you then adjust your arm, the pleats unfold providing more room for your arm without stretching the fabric but rather by folding and unfolding. Pleating alleviates the tightness at the elbow. The number of pleats varies by shirt. A one-pleat forearm is the tightest and most appropriate for slender individuals. A two-pleat forearm balances comfort at the forearm with a trim profile. A three-pleat forearm is the roomiest forearm and is appropriate for bodybuilders and athletes that are likely to be muscular.

Besides altering the amount of pleating, the choice of fabric has consequences for the durability of your shirts including at the elbows. A thicker, heavier fabric will last you longer and is less likely to rip than a broadcloth or a any of the fabrics worn during the summer. A dobby weave shirt will prove more resilient and therefore last longer than a linen shirt. Oxford weave will also prove durable due to its tighter weave.

At the end of the day problems need to be addressed at the source. If your dress shirts keep ripping through the elbows of the shirt then your sleeves are too skinny, too short or the back is too narrow. The constant stretching arising from incorrect measurement is the root cause of your shirt ripping at the elbows. Getting shirts made that reflect your correct measurements is the solution that will best address this and hence you should consider made to measure shirts. That being said if you have a particularly treasured shirt that you can’t part ways but that ripped at the elbows you can sew on an elbow patch to cover the part that is ripped. Albeit the patches will stand out a bit and will contrast with the rest of the fabric on the sleeve. If worn with a sweater or a blazer they certainly won’t be noticeable. The upside of adding elbow patches is that it will cost less than buying a new shirt.

Dress shirt ripping through the elbows