# Kamakura Shirt Fit



## Hullabaloo (Nov 11, 2008)

Several months ago I visited the Kamakura store in NYC. I wear a 16/34 OCBD but the saleslady recommended getting a 16.5/35.5 in their shirts. That struck me as odd but I went ahead and picked up three shirts. I like the shirts very much but even after washing them a number of times they are too long in the sleeve and looser in the neck than necessary.

Anyone know whey they would have recommended such a larger size? I should have asked more questions at the store but I figured there was something unusual about their sizing. I will be back in NYC in a couple of weeks but is it too late to bring them back for an exchange?


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## Eric W S (Jun 6, 2012)

Hullabaloo said:


> Several months ago I visited the Kamakura store in NYC. I wear a 16/34 OCBD but the saleslady recommended getting a 16.5/35.5 in their shirts. That struck me as odd but I went ahead and picked up three shirts. I like the shirts very much but even after washing them a number of times they are too long in the sleeve and looser in the neck than necessary.
> 
> Anyone know whey they would have recommended such a larger size? I should have asked more questions at the store but I figured there was something unusual about their sizing. I will be back in NYC in a couple of weeks but is it too late to bring them back for an exchange?


It's on their website. They suggest a bit of room to accomodate for future wear and shrink.


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## straw sandals (Apr 14, 2010)

My understanding is that the shirts shrink about .25" in the collar and .5" in the sleeve after washing and machine drying. The sleeves are cut super long because they button tightly around the wrist, which prevents them from slipping down over one's hands. I don't know about returns, but you can certainly ask. They're very service oriented.


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## jddillard3 (Jun 7, 2013)

Which model shirt did you get? NY or Tokyo? Regular or Slim? I'm considering purchasing as well and have near identical sizing as you.


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## Hullabaloo (Nov 11, 2008)

Thank you for the feedback. I understand allowing room for shrinking but going from a 34 sleeve to a 35.5 seems extreme. Especially since I take a 34 in Brooks/Press OCBDs, which presumably shrink as well. The sleeves don't slip over my wrist while buttoned but without a jacket on they look odd because of the extra length. 

I have the NY regular cut shirts. I do like the material and the feel of the shirt but they are already roomy so getting the larger size seems unnecessary to me.


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## Eric W S (Jun 6, 2012)

Hullabaloo said:


> Thank you for the feedback. I understand allowing room for shrinking but going from a 34 sleeve to a 35.5 seems extreme. Especially since I take a 34 in Brooks/Press OCBDs, which presumably shrink as well. The sleeves don't slip over my wrist while buttoned but without a jacket on they look odd because of the extra length.
> 
> I have the NY regular cut shirts. I do like the material and the feel of the shirt but they are already roomy so getting the larger size seems unnecessary to me.


Take it to your tailor. Should not be that much to shorten the sleeves...


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## Hullabaloo (Nov 11, 2008)

Thanks, I meant to ask whether this was something a tailor could easily fix.

And for those considering Kamakura shirts, I now realize that they don't make every size, so the 16.5/35.5 was the closest thing to a 16/34 they offer. Still, they are nice shirts at a good price.


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## benjclark (Mar 14, 2012)

I have to admit, I absolutely love my NY Regular fit Kamakura shirts -- they hit me perfect in the kinda between 17-17.5 neck size I have, and the long arms, and, for me at least, perfect in the body, being 6' 2" ish and a very nearly athletic 240 lbs. (For me, 17 in Brooks Brothers is great, 17.5 everyone else, but 36 arms can be hard to find...) 

I will likely post my Kamakura Vintage Ivy shirt in XL to the exchange -- I've worn it three times now and it's just too small. It's so close, and I'm still working on losing weight, but the fit in the shoulders is too snug, and the arms are just a bit too short, especially compared with how much I like the fit of the NY Regular OCBDs. Also, the tails were a bit short for me, but I know I'm a shade taller than the average aimed for in letter sized shirts.


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## StephenRG (Apr 7, 2005)

I accidentally fell into Kamakura's Madison Avenue store today. (Yes, it was accidental - I was walking down Madison Avenue briskly, noticed a window display, looked up and saw it was Kamakura, which I had intended to visit at some point, and went in.) I'd forgotten the pleasure of browsing in a good B&M store. I thought it odd and mildly annoying that their regular fit 16.5" was not available in a 34" sleeve, but the sales lady said that they had 34" sleeves in slim fit - and I guessed that if they'd made any concession to American shapes, the slim would be a better fit. She gave me a try-on shirt, which fitted very well - better than some MTMs - so I happily bought two shirts, a plain white very fine twill (the collar said "Xinjiang 100" fwtw), and a good English-type blue stripe. We'll see what they're like after I take them to my local laundry, but on handling and inspection they seem very well made and decent value at $79 apiece.


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## tigerpac (Jan 23, 2014)

If there's a better shirt for 80 dollars I haven't found it yet.


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## halbydurzell (Aug 19, 2012)

Bought a chambray vintage ivy shirt last week in NY large and it fits great. It's snug around the neck and chest but not at all constricting. I'd compare it to the Uniqlo ocbd I have in Medium in that regard. I'm 6'4" around 200 lbs (normally wear a 16/34) and the shirt stayed tucked in all day yesterday (granted I was wearing higher waisted chinos) which has never happened before with all the standing and sitting I do. I'm going to wear it a few more times and if the fit and feel remain the same, I may take some of my other ocbd's and have them tailored to the measurements of this shirt. Or throw them out and buy all new Kamakura shirts.


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## Reuben (Aug 28, 2013)

halbydurzell said:


> Bought a chambray vintage ivy shirt last week in NY large and it fits great. It's snug around the neck and chest but not at all constricting. I'd compare it to the Uniqlo ocbd I have in Medium in that regard. I'm 6'4" around 200 lbs (normally wear a 16/34) and the shirt stayed tucked in all day yesterday (granted I was wearing higher waisted chinos) which has never happened before with all the standing and sitting I do. I'm going to wear it a few more times and if the fit and feel remain the same, I may take some of my other ocbd's and have them tailored to the measurements of this shirt. Or throw them out and buy all new Kamakura shirts.


Are you sure your sleeves are long enough? I'm just asking because 34" seems a little short at 6'4". I'm 6'1" and wear a 36"


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## halbydurzell (Aug 19, 2012)

Reuben said:


> Are you sure your sleeves are long enough? I'm just asking because 34" seems a little short at 6'4". I'm 6'1" and wear a 36"


Yep, I mean, most of my shirt sleeves don't hang to the middle of my thumb when unbuttoned (the Kamakura one does, however), they usually end a bit past my wrist. But I've never had to repeatedly yank them down when wearing a jacket or anything. I've also found that 16/34 means anywhere from 15/32 (older Brooks shirts) to 17.5/37 (Gant) depending on brand.


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## peterc (Oct 25, 2007)

tigerpac said:


> If there's a better shirt for 80 dollars I haven't found it yet.


BINGO. Any you won't either, not for 3 times the money in my opinion.


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## tigerpac (Jan 23, 2014)

Picked up a couple more shirts yesterday as a matter a fact. Sized down to a 16.5/35.5 as I didn't find they shrunk as much as advertised. Fits very well with just a bit of extra neck and arm length so hopefully they end up spot on.


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## West Coast Clothes Fan (Dec 10, 2012)

I have recently become a big fan of Ledbury shirts. Their slim fit fits me very well. On sale I have picked up the shirts for around $70-$90. Anybody own both or compared the two in quality since the price point is the same?


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## Spex (Nov 25, 2012)

I just received two more Kamakura shirts, this time in their Tokyo slim fit.

Back story - my first purchase consisted of a NY slim fit OCBD in 16/36.5. I usually wear a 15.5/35 but they suggested I size up. After washing, the neck is great and the sleeves do not seem overly long. However I am very skinny and this fit was still too blousy, so I had it slimmed by my tailor.

My Vintage Ivy in NY fit M fits great although if the collar shrinks I may be in trouble. Cold washing only at this point.

The Tokyo slims just received are a 16/35, and even though the sleeves are supposedly 1cm longer than the Vintage Ivy I own, they are actually shorter. They could stand to be anywhere from 0.5 to 1 inch longer...and this is counting on no shrinkage.

I love everything about these shirts except for the fact that there does not appear to be a size that works perfectly for me...(FYI, I'm 6'2", about 165 lbs).


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## Uncle Bill (May 4, 2010)

Quick question, comparing Kamakura's New York Classic Fit to Brooks Brother's current shirt fits where would it fall? Regular or Slim?


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## Adjudicator (Apr 16, 2014)

Eric W S said:


> Take it to your tailor. Should not be that much to shorten the sleeves...


Defeats the whole object of buying the shirt in the first place though?


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## Eric W S (Jun 6, 2012)

Adjudicator said:


> Defeats the whole object of buying the shirt in the first place though?


Not really. Kamakura has odd sleeve lengths designed to accommodate shrinkage. I'd skip all the nonsenses and just get a Mercer

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Adjudicator (Apr 16, 2014)

Are the Mercer's worth the money?


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## Spex (Nov 25, 2012)

Spex said:


> The Tokyo slims just received are a 16/35, and even though the sleeves are supposedly 1cm longer than the Vintage Ivy I own, they are actually shorter. They could stand to be anywhere from 0.5 to 1 inch longer...and this is counting on no shrinkage.


Update - we just figured out that these shirts had their sleeves shortened by 5 cm, which accounts for their shortness. It was a mistake on our part, as my wife thought she was ordering the length of the body to be shortened. So as it is, this size would probably have been perfect for me...

If anyone is interested in a Tokyo Slim fit or two (one white broadcloth spread collar, the other a light blue royal oxford spread collar) with the dimensions of a size 16-35 but with arms that are a 33 instead, PM me! The material is great! I can also send photos.

Here's their size guide:


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