Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I found this shirt that I really liked on a shopping website and it's a mens' shirt, but all of the sizes are way too big for me.  :-\ This always happens to me. I'm way too short.

I have the same problem as you.  :icon_headache: When I bother to go out and shop for clothes, even a SMALL is too big. Just to add, I haven't tried the younger/children's section yet... (I always get mistaken as some youngin'.)

Short guys FTW? .__.

I have to wear male smalls or mediums (if it's long-sleeved I have to wear XL)...and I'm not short.  It's pretty irritating to me.

Quote from: Nick on September 17, 2010, 08:56:17 PM
I have the same problem as you.  :icon_headache: When I bother to go out and shop for clothes, even a SMALL is too big. Just to add, I haven't tried the younger/children's section yet... (I always get mistaken as some youngin'.)

Short guys FTW? .__.

Short guys FTW until we have to go shopping (which is unfortunate because I love shopping but I can never find guy clothes that fit me that I like. XD) For this reason, I usually buy unisex clothes.

My advice on the short-guy shopping dilemma:
At 5'4", I've had good luck with mens pants at stores like PacSun that carry skinny pants. (With a 29 waist and 30 inseam, anything that's not slim cut just accentuates my short stature.)
Shirts are tricky: you just have to find ones you really like and stick to them. I have one brand of mens v-neck undershirts that come in black, grey, and white - they've been a wardrobe staple for me for years. For button-downs try the boys/young mens sections in department stores - I'm a big fan of Polo Ralph Lauren boy's - they're designer quality and half the price of grown men's.
Finally, check out shortshrifted.com, it's a style blog for men under 5'8". It's a great resource.

You guys are lucky.  I've been out shopping a few times now (at thrift stores), and whereas today I found a really nice blouse, last time I saw this top I just HAD to have.  Till I went to try it on, and... it wouldn't even go over my shoulders!   >:(  And it was a Large, and looked like it'd fit.  At least men's clothing comes in sizes that make some sort of sense, not all over the map, lol...

@Colleen - I'll admit, there have been a few times where I've felt very lucky to be a guy, clothing wise. I can buy clothes based on inches, whereas women's sizes really don't make any sense. Not to mention, men's clothes are much more classic and simple - it doesn't take much effort to look good.
I'm biased though - I'm sure women's clothes have their perks, too.

I'm a Buckle/BKE guy - I'm 5'5" and wear their XS/S shirts and vests. They may be worth checking out for other short-ish guys. :)

Quote from: Colleen Ireland on September 17, 2010, 09:51:34 PM
You guys are lucky.  I've been out shopping a few times now (at thrift stores), and whereas today I found a really nice blouse, last time I saw this top I just HAD to have.  Till I went to try it on, and... it wouldn't even go over my shoulders!   >:(  And it was a Large, and looked like it'd fit.  At least men's clothing comes in sizes that make some sort of sense, not all over the map, lol...

Girls sizes have never made sense to me. Honestly, I like girls clothes (just not on me) and I love shopping, girls' clothes just don't look good on me because I'm a dude. :embarrassed:
As for your dilema, you could possibly try tops that don't have to go over the shoulders, like tube tops or halter tops. Maybe. Or just buy larger blouses.

Quote from: Aiden James on September 17, 2010, 10:35:45 PM
I'm a Buckle/BKE guy - I'm 5'5" and wear their XS/S shirts and vests. They may be worth checking out for other short-ish guys. :)

Thanks, man. (:

Some people think I'm lucky to be 5'7" and not 5'0" instead, but I'm also in that awkward size where sometimes I don't fit in boy's or men's. I've been having a really hard time finding pants that actually fit me.

Quote from: Lachlann on September 18, 2010, 01:25:03 AM
Some people think I'm lucky to be 5'7" and not 5'0" instead, but I'm also in that awkward size where sometimes I don't fit in boy's or men's. I've been having a really hard time finding pants that actually fit me.

Me too.  I'm too small for the men's clothes, but too tall for the boys' clothes.  It's frustrating.  So most of my clothes are just too big for me.  I don't want to pay for stuff to be tailored either (people suggest this to me) though because there's the possibility I'll go on T and I'd hate to end up not fitting my clothes after going to the trouble to get them fitted.

But yeah, I have that problem too. 

I have the same problem-especially with jeans/trousers, as my legs are short compared to my torso anyway, and I have a 27" waist, but my thighs (even moreso than my hips) mean that the smallest mens jeans I can get that don't cling horribly are 32", where even the 'short leg' ones are far too short, and they make my lower legs look like blocks...XD

However-for shirts and T-shirts can I reccomend Next (I don't know if they're international or UK) where an XS is too small for me (esp. in t-shirts-I'm 5'5", and have a fairly small frame (30-32" ribs-probs 32-33"ish at widest point when binding, and they're really tight-I have to get S or even M sometimes (yay!) so the XS would fit people shorter/slimmer than me) and Criminal Damage for their shirts (if you like their styling). In their lumberjack 'jack' shirt, I wear an M, and it fits well, not baggy at all. They can both be in the more expensive range, and I don't know if they're UK exclusive, but Next have brilliant sales periodically, and both can be found much cheaper on ebay, etc.

My shoulders are a little on the broad side relative to the rest of me, by standard women's proportions (though the rack o' doom comes into play when not binding, too), so to fit, stuff generally *looks* too big and baggy on me.  Unless it's really stretchy stuff, which is usually tight so accentuates body parts that I don't usually feel like sharing with the rest of the world unless they're going to take them off my hands entirely.

If I bind, and can find big enough boys stuff, tops fit better.  But then there's the hips, which one doesn't generally find that size on a boy my height!  Ran into this problem with a jacket I found the other day - shoulders fit, chest fit, sleeves the right length and not too baggy...yet real tight around the hips when I do it up.  Cargo pants are fine, at least, t-shirts and hoodies have no particular gender, but I would like more options in the fashion department than what'll get me read as a 15 year old skater...

My dad is not a whole lot taller than me, and not that much bigger build, though he can fit in smaller things by virtue of not having the chest and the hips.  He has no problems running off with *my* stuff, like dress shirts and shoes, and of course t-shirts and socks (haven't found him in my pants yet, but they're nearly all women's, and it's usually only the light colored laundry loads that sometimes get mixed), but it doesn't work quite so well if I try and swipe his stuff.  What's up with *that* one???

And hey, what *are* guys legs supposed to look like in jeans, anyways?  The only guys in jeans I tend to see IRL are hipsters in skinny jeans, those that wear them six sizes too big with the crotch around the knees, and dad-at-work jeans, which for all I know are the male equivalent of "mom jeans".

QuoteAnd hey, what *are* guys legs supposed to look like in jeans, anyways?  The only guys in jeans I tend to see IRL are hipsters in skinny jeans, those that wear them six sizes too big with the crotch around the knees, and dad-at-work jeans, which for all I know are the male equivalent of "mom jeans".

A fairly classic fit:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fckj.imageg.net%2Fgraphics%2Fproduct_images%2FpCKJ1-5662736v275.jpg&hash=2e56a2b2149f5340f46a5e636c23ace20c69f40f)
back:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fckj.imageg.net%2Fgraphics%2Fproduct_images%2FpCKJ1-5662736_alternate2_v275.jpg&hash=00fb40ee391fd9359f3582229e581cb8eb3307e6)

I always look on ebay for asian style clothing. These are in 'US S' but they're still smaller! Plus, they shrink a bit too.
Also, if you like Abercrombie clothing, their kids clothing are pretty much the same as the adult clothing but just smaller. Unfortunately I can't buy stuff from them since I live in Europe :(
H&M sometimes sells size XS. I fit in those and I'm 1.58 meters :)
For neat clothing, I just get them tailored.
I don't bind btw cause well, I'm flat anyway :P XS tops fit okay. Maybe XS in USA is bigger than here.

I always wear 28/30 jeans, but I also have a slim fit 26/30 :) I just wear a belt with my 28" jeans and they fit pretty well. Generally looking at the sites of the brands helps with finding jeans, because the models there don't drop their jeans off their crotch. I suggest sticking to skinny, slim, straight/regular fits for jeans if you're thin. Loose and comfort fit generally makes you look a bit disproportional if you're thin xD

The pic above is the bootcut, not many people wear it here anymore. Tapered (regular at the thighs, gets smaller at the bottom of the leg) and regular here are usually worn :)

It's actually a relaxed straight leg: http://www.calvinkleinjeans.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3462099&cp=3430140.3526643 (http://www.calvinkleinjeans.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3462099&cp=3430140.3526643)

The tapered and slim fit cuts are fine, but sort of trendy, so I don't like them as examples of how jeans in general should fit. And besides, if you have big hips and thighs, skinny jeans just accentuate them. They'll be gone in a year or two, the fashion people will switch to something else silly like flares or carpenter jeans or something.

what's just as bad as being short is being thin.  i'm 5'9'' and scale in at 120, and shopping in the men's department means putting everything back because it hangs on me and looks absolutely ridiculous.  even small t-shirts look huge with my stick arms, tiny neck, and narrow shoulders. 

definitely hoping that T helps!  :-\

Quote from: kyril on September 18, 2010, 12:04:18 PM
And besides, if you have big hips and thighs, skinny jeans just accentuate them. They'll be gone in a year or two, the fashion people will switch to something else silly like flares or carpenter jeans or something.

Yeah hehe I hate skinnys. And the jeans really look like bootcut like this one http://enaor.com/allpro/3-trousers/jeans/man-long/true-religion/189-1034.jpg (http://enaor.com/allpro/3-trousers/jeans/man-long/true-religion/189-1034.jpg) but if the site says so :p
I don't think tapered would look good when dropped and have not seen many people wearing them either, most just wear regular ones. Slim fit for me is just a bit like regular but thinner so it fits better :)
I hope flares don't come back... hate how they look, personally.

Quote from: kesenaie on September 18, 2010, 12:33:16 PM
Yeah hehe I hate skinnys. And the jeans really look like bootcut like this one http://enaor.com/allpro/3-trousers/jeans/man-long/true-religion/189-1034.jpg (http://enaor.com/allpro/3-trousers/jeans/man-long/true-religion/189-1034.jpg) but if the site says so :p
I don't think tapered would look good when dropped and have not seen many people wearing them either, most just wear regular ones. Slim fit for me is just a bit like regular but thinner so it fits better :)
I hope flares don't come back... hate how they look, personally.

xD There's a guy at my college who wears flares....I'm personally partial to guys who wear pants that cling to their thighs and butt and the slightly flare (kind of like women's bootcut jeans) from the knee down.  I've got a pair of boot-cut jeans that fit me like the picture that Kyril showed, though, and I love them.

Don't worry, I also have  problems in finding pants that actually fit. My waist is too small and my bottom is too big to fit in regular jeans. Because of this I always need to wear a belt to prevent them from sliding down a couple of centimeters.

I kinda have this problem with mens(which is all I wear) but it's not that the clothes are too small.  I can find jeans to fit, but the max that most jeans go in magizines are 38waist, I need a 42. As for shirts I have a horrible time with shirts. A extra large can fit in waist but not in the shoulders. I need to wear a 2x and sometimes bigger because my shoulders are too big. There not really broad there just big around and armpit holes don't fit.   
Don't want to sound rude or anything but I would rather have clothes to big then to small. If I could fit a medium shirt and a size 36 in mens I'd be happy. Uhhh, I need to go on a diet.
I dont know where you guys wear your jeans but I wear mine very low, like an inch or 2 below the crack so my butt fits in them.

I could wear boy's clothes pre-T...try looking there. Clothes are also cheaper there. I'm 5'8" but I could at least wear a boy's XL shirt. A men's small used to dwarf me.

now since T, I can wear a men's M to L in shirts, and only men's jeans cause boy's shorts are far too little now. It's not that I gained weight either but my shoulders broadened out and my waist structure changed. So don't lose hope. It does change with T and time.

I'm short and chunky. My hips are much wider than my shoulders so it's crazy hard to find clothes. Sleeves are too long, shirts I have some hanging, everything is too tight in the hips and there's always too much fabric in the armpit area. It's also hard to find jeans with a 26 inch inseam that fit.

I did, however find a website that tailors clothes for you which seems to be pretty darn good if you know your measurements. I'm thinking about buying a suit from them. Investing in getting clothes tailored might be good for you, plus it'll fit better than anything off the rack!

Oh, dear god, me too. I'm short and narrow.. I wear XS womens, so there's exactly zero chance of finding anything small enough in the mens. I seem to find pants  in the boys that fit fine, but shirts are a nightmare. Anything long sleeve will be too short in the arm if I make it fit my shoulders, or ridiculously wide in the shoulder and body if I get the sleeve length right. I used to fix it up on my sewing machine, but unfortunately it didn't follow me when I last moved house. One day I'll get around to buying a new one...

Quote from: springsprong on September 19, 2010, 02:15:47 AM
...sleeve will be too short in the arm if I make it fit my shoulders, or ridiculously wide in the shoulder and body if I get the sleeve length right.

I, too, have run into the boy's shirt sleeve dilemma. Unless it's terribly cold, I've found that cuffing the sleeves of shirts a few times helps disguise that they're too short. This works best for buttondowns. Sweaters and other long sleeves can be pushed up. Sometimes, you have to get creative.

Quote from: RaeLikesTea on September 19, 2010, 10:20:34 AM
I, too, have run into the boy's shirt sleeve dilemma. Unless it's terribly cold, I've found that cuffing the sleeves of shirts a few times helps disguise that they're too short. This works best for buttondowns. Sweaters and other long sleeves can be pushed up. Sometimes, you have to get creative.

Yeah, I tend to roll or push up all my sleeves. It doesn't just help disguise sleeve length discrepancies, it also just seems to look better on me. Even with my little tiny bony forearms.

We totally need a stuck post just on clothes! It's come up a lot and I think it would be cool to have all the clothes stuff in one post.

Btw, wearing button down shirt with rolled up sleeves myself today.

Quote from: insideontheoutside on September 19, 2010, 08:08:38 PM
We totally need a stuck post just on clothes! It's come up a lot and I think it would be cool to have all the clothes stuff in one post.

Agreed completely. I'm pretty sure there's an mtf board on fashion - whose to say us guys shouldn't have one too?
All in favor?

Quote from: RaeLikesTea on September 19, 2010, 09:44:48 PM
Agreed completely. I'm pretty sure there's an mtf board on fashion - whose to say us guys shouldn't have one too?
All in favor?

I am. I love fashion. (How girly, huh?)

Who do we need to pester for a guy fashion board :)

When it comes to shirts I have a choice of buying one that's a tad too small around the torso (because I bind) or the sleeves end up being too long and it looks awkward on my shoulders. Pants are a nightmare for me, and not even because of my hips, per se, but more because of my ass... I take forever when I go shopping, trying on three different sizes of each shirt, shorts, and pants within a specific size range. ]x

Quote from: Noah Scott on September 20, 2010, 02:24:25 PM
When it comes to shirts I have a choice of buying one that's a tad too small around the torso (because I bind) or the sleeves end up being too long and it looks awkward on my shoulders. Pants are a nightmare for me, and not even because of my hips, per se, but more because of my ass... I take forever when I go shopping, trying on three different sizes of each shirt, shorts, and pants within a specific size range. ]x

got the same, so for pants, i just stick with one style and buy it in countless colours... not much problems with shirts, thankfully.
BUT, since i finally managed to lose some weight, i'm planning to ditch the jeans+bandshirt thing partially for something more, uhm, dunno, classy(?), since i think i can get away with it now^^ that's gonna be one hell of a fight ::)

Just curious:  is it as weird for you guys to switch to guy shirts that button "backwards" as it is for me to switch to blouses?  Dunno if I'm ever going to get the hang of it...

I hit up a mod about sticking a clothing post in this forum :)

@Colleen Ireland - honestly I don't find it that weird. 'Course I have mixed clothing too so many that's why ... I'm just used to both?

Quote from: Colleen Ireland on September 20, 2010, 05:13:41 PM
Just curious:  is it as weird for you guys to switch to guy shirts that button "backwards" as it is for me to switch to blouses?  Dunno if I'm ever going to get the hang of it...

I have a bit of both, so I really never notice which way the buttons run. It's usually the chest space on woman's shirts that bothers me..

Quote from: insideontheoutside on September 20, 2010, 05:29:23 PM
I hit up a mod about sticking a clothing post in this forum :)

@Colleen Ireland - honestly I don't find it that weird. 'Course I have mixed clothing too so many that's why ... I'm just used to both?

Awesome, thanks. I hope they add one soon.

Quote from: RaeLikesTea on September 20, 2010, 06:46:07 PM
I have a bit of both, so I really never notice which way the buttons run. It's usually the chest space on woman's shirts that bothers me..

This probably isn't what you're talking about (because I have no clue what you guys mean by buttons that run backwards) but I've noticed something weird. I still own two woman's polo shirts and several men's polo shirts. When I bind and wear the men's shirts I get a nice, flat chest... but when I slip on a women's polo I can see my binder underneath and it looks like I'm wearing a bra or something. Both polos were relatively loose, for lack of a better word.

That just... confused me. So much.

Quote from: noαh on September 20, 2010, 06:50:44 PM(because I have no clue what you guys mean by buttons that run backwards)

On men's shirts, the buttons are on the right half, the holes on the left.  I grab a button in my right hand, and push it through the hole on the left.  On women's blouses, it's the opposite - the buttons on the left, the holes on the right.  Damn difficult to switch when you've been doing it the "wrong" way all your life, lol...

Quote from: Colleen Ireland on September 20, 2010, 07:49:17 PM
On men's shirts, the buttons are on the right half, the holes on the left.  I grab a button in my right hand, and push it through the hole on the left.  On women's blouses, it's the opposite - the buttons on the left, the holes on the right.  Damn difficult to switch when you've been doing it the "wrong" way all your life, lol...

Really? How the hell did I not notice this?! (I also feel silly for going into my closet to see for myself) I...I guess I just sort of switched without even realizing, damn.

Quote from: noαh on September 20, 2010, 08:40:59 PM
Really? How the hell did I not notice this?! (I also feel silly for going into my closet to see for myself) I...I guess I just sort of switched without even realizing, damn.

Great, thanks for making a girl feel REALLY spaz, lol...  :D

first to Colleen, I never wore womens clothes so no it didn't affect me. To you young guys, this was done from the days when (genteel) women did not dress themselves and the buttons were made for it to be easier for the person dressing them.

Quote from: Colleen Ireland on September 20, 2010, 07:49:17 PM
On men's shirts, the buttons are on the right half, the holes on the left.  I grab a button in my right hand, and push it through the hole on the left.  On women's blouses, it's the opposite - the buttons on the left, the holes on the right.  Damn difficult to switch when you've been doing it the "wrong" way all your life, lol...

And a bit of theories on buttons: http://ask.yahoo.com/20031205.html (http://ask.yahoo.com/20031205.html) just for fun ;)

Quote from: LordKAT on September 20, 2010, 09:30:55 PMTo you young guys, this was done from the days when (genteel) women did not dress themselves and the buttons were made for it to be easier for the person dressing them.

Ooohhh.... now THAT could be fun!  Gonna have to get me something like THAT.  Heehee!  ;D

On Friday, I decided to go out and get myself some more male clothing for work. I managed to find some things that fit me okay, but... trying on pants was really terrible. Finding women's pants that fit me is hard enough, but with my (@#&$^ female hips and thighs, finding men's that fit and don't make my legs look like... elephant legs... was very, very difficult. The dysphoria was really bad. I managed to find two pairs (in three hours...) that I need to get hemmed since they're too long, but what I thought was going to be a liberating and enjoyable experience turned out to be really depressing.

Oh well. At least I got a nice tie. (And when it's inevitably too long, I'll just tie it into a full Windsor. Hah.) I know I'm going to have to go back soon, because at least going through that dysphoria is worth it for the ability not to feel forced into dressing like I'm a woman.

I'd really like to expand my wardrobe to be more fully geek chic (or rather, 'intentionally dorky academic'). Too bad sweatervests in my size are really hard to find.

I don't have any problems finding shirts that fit me...pants on the other hand..
I can find a good pair of jeans but they are usually the more expensive ones. I have
been on T for almost four months now and I am definitely noticing that my pants are fitting better (fat distribution?).
I don't know..my build is more like a football player. My shoulders are wide and I just kind of have a sporty guy build. So I
think that makes it easier for me to buy clothes.
And i'm with Brainiac on having to hem the pants. I swear they are almost all too long, and I believe i'm an average height.  ::)

My jeans will forever drag on the ground... (I'm still holding onto a small shred of hope that I'll grow a little taller)

Haha yeah. I know that feeling. Its pretty nice though that
a lot of brands make different length pants...so it makes it easier to find
pants that fit width and lengthwise for ya.

i totally relate to this post as I always seem to find clothes that I like which i have absolutely no chance of fitting into. I wouldn't say I'm short at 5"6 but I do have a rather slight/slim frame which means mens clothing (even size small) drown me. I generally wear boys in shirts and tees but mens pants with a good belt, even though they're a bit baggy I'd rather that to wearing womens clothes.

I wish I had that problem of being too small for a small xP I'm only around 5'4 but I have really broad shoulders and decently sized hips. I mean I'd like to wear guys pants but I feel like most of them make my hips even more noticeable. Cause I wear around a 36 but I like to wear it on my hips and so most of the leg lengths are too long or the crotch reaches my knees... For the most part when I go out I wear girls skinny jeans because they fit my height and they normally have a stretchy material and the crotch isn't completely off base. I'm pretty ok with shirt sizes and all that. I normally wear a medium but I just have to be careful the material doesn't cling to my curves yadda yadda all basic stuff.