Finding a brand and clothes that fit you perfectly is a huge challenge. And if you fall on the fringe of the demographic Normal Curve this challenge becomes humongous. Finding a good shirt that is not tight in the shoulders and does not stretch to the limits of my ballooning paunch proved to be a big problem these last few years, after returning to India.
The economics of mass production allows good quality at a decent price tag, however, it also makes it nearly impossible to find a brand that creates for people who do not fit the average. Even when I could find something in my size, the cut or the style of the shirt was often too slim to feel comfortable through the day.
So when I came across the MyFit concept from Van Heusen, I was pretty excited and hopeful. The MyFit concept addresses the needs of the aberrant few who can’t slide into the ‘Standard’ shirts and trousers sold across scores of malls. To find an international brand to cater to my specific needs is new. The MyFit range defines some three or four body types: broader in the shoulders, broader in the tummy, and someone who is broad in both the places. While Van Heusen MyFit is not a customization or made to measure solution, the many choices it gives you will ensure that you get something that is right for your body type.
An invitation from Van Heusen India to try out their new offering, to be frank, got me quite excited and off I went to the Exclusive Van Heusen showroom on M.G. Road, Pune. I am glad I chose this store as store manager Shankey and Ravindra went out of their way to fill me in on the whole idea of MyFit and patiently fulfilled my every request to try out different fits and sizes of shirts and trousers.
MyFit Shirts
Let me tell you a bit about how MyFit addresses these custom fittings. They have defined some basic body types and have labeled shirts . The Slim fit is a body hugging cut you will love if you carry a six pack and vouch to challenge any model on the ramp.
The Athletic fit is for those who workout a bit and can boast of broad shoulders with almost zero flab on the midriff. For sedentary creatures like me, it has to be the Healthy cut or the Plus cut.
However, after a few trial and errors and troubling Shankey, I realized that the Healthy option is for someone who is more healthy around the tummy but does not really have broad shoulders. If you have a bit of both, I will say go for the Plus cut which is more of a straight line cut from the inseam of your underarms to the shirt’s tail.
With the Plus fit, I was just glad that I could find something that allowed me to move my arms around without worrying about the tugging in the shoulders.
One of things I liked the most about MyFit was that you also get a choice to extend the size of your sleeves so that the cuff doesn’t restrict your arm motion. Most shirts that you buy off the rack have sleeves that ride up when you lift your arms. The extended sleeves length ensures that you don’t get that stretchy feeling in the shoulders and the cuffs don’t jam in your forearms.
MyFit Trousers
Trousers are an entirely different ball game. I have had good tailors mess up the design even after taking the exact body measurement. But MyFit didn’t disappoint here either. Here too, you get four different type of trouser fittings or cut or design, whatever you wish to call it.
The Ultra Slim and Snug were definitely not for me and I didn’t bother to check them out. Ravindra was spot on with suggestions of fits and size variations that would fit my body type correctly.
But then I had to try! So I began with Slim for my waist size. The waist was not a problem but the snug fit kind of drove the thigh portion of the trouser up and didn’t really look that good. This definitely wasn’t for me.
We moved on to a higher size, Custom fit. This was better but the cut was still not completely comfortable. However, if you want to have a crisp look, this could work for you, provided you are not too heavy in the thighs. You can either opt for the highest size available in Custom fit or jump to the lowest in Healthy. The difference between these styles is the size of the thigh and taper to the bottom that makes it roomy or slim.
You will also find that the Healthy fit starts at waist size 34 and ends at around 50, whereas the slim fit ends at 38.
If you are going to be wearing something all day at a formal event, your clothes is the last thing that should make you uncomfortable. So I tried the Healthy fit. For the same waist size, the Healthy fit is more roomy in the thighs and allows a relaxed feel when you are sitting and easily allows longer strides while walking.
So I guess you can basically have the same waist size and get different trouser styles for different occasions depending on your activity level.
And after spending nearly an hour trying different sizes and styles I was on my way back, determined to get the right clothes, customized to my specifications.
I was so glad to walk out of a store with formals I didn’t have to squeeze into or clothes with a body hugging design – I would have selected spandex if I wanted that! Anyway, after a fabulous experience at the Van Heusen store, I logged on to their website Trendin.com to select the shirt and trousers.
The portal presents you a wizard that you can walk through and select the fabric, design and the size. You can further compare the variations looking at the size charts associated to different styles.
My order was delivered at the doorstep within five days with clothes that fit me perfectly.
Selecting an extra inch on the sleeves was defintetly a good idea. I could easily button the cuffs on the tighter option and it didn’t move even slightly as I moved my arms around. This surely is the first time I have a store bought shirt that doesn’t ride up the forearms.
The trousers too fit very well. The fabric did not bunch above the knees and the length I had selected in the wizard was applied correctly. Even if you are not sure of your trouser length, you can order generic length and then walk into any of the VanHeusen stores to get it altered to your size.
Now, I am sure of at least one place that I know will have what I need, even if I lose or put on a few extra pounds.
This is a sponsored post written for Van Heusen India.