If you lift, standard size charts will not work for you. They are built for a proportional body — same ratio of shoulder to chest to waist. The moment you have broader shoulders than average, the chart starts lying to you. Here is how to actually size for your frame.
🛑 VEE'S #1 RULE: SIZE FOR YOUR SHOULDERS. EVERYTHING ELSE IS FIXABLE.
A shirt pulling tight at the shoulder seam cannot be styled out. Extra fabric at the waist can. Always size up for the shoulder and work backwards from there.
Why Standard Size Charts Break for Lifters
Most Indian brand size charts are built around chest circumference. You measure your chest, you find your size. Done.
The problem is that chest circumference and shoulder width do not scale the same way on a frame that trains. Your chest might measure M on a chart while your shoulder width needs a L or XL to sit correctly. If you order the M, the seam digs into your shoulder joint. If you order the XL for the shoulder, the chest and body hang loose.
Neither is a good option. But one is fixable.
The Shoulder-First Rule
How to Measure Your Shoulder Width
You need a soft tape measure and ideally another person.
Stand relaxed, arms hanging loose at your sides. Have someone place the tape at the bony point at the very top outer edge of your left shoulder — the hard bump where the shoulder curves down into the arm. Pull the tape straight across your upper back to the same point on the right shoulder. Keep the tape horizontal. Do not let it dip.
Take that measurement three times and average the numbers. That is your shoulder width.
Now look at the brand's garment measurements — specifically the "shoulder" column on their size chart. Match your measurement to the garment measurement, not the body size column. Indian brands do not have a standardised sizing system. A medium from one brand and a medium from another can have shoulder widths that differ by two or more inches.
When Your Shoulder and Chest Suggest Different Sizes
Order the size that accommodates your shoulder. Every time.
Extra fabric at the chest drapes. Extra fabric at the waist can be managed with where you tuck it or how you wear the piece. A shoulder seam that sits pulled and tight off the bone looks wrong in every direction and can't be fixed without tailoring.
With streetwear's oversized aesthetic, the extra room in the body of the garment reads as intentional. The shoulder seam sitting correctly is what makes it look like the fit was chosen, not forced.
Drop Shoulder vs Regular Shoulder — What Actually Solves the Problem
There is a structural solution that removes the problem entirely.
On a regular cut tee, the shoulder seam sits at the very top of your shoulder bone. That is where the tension concentrates on a broader frame. The wider your shoulders, the more that seam pulls outward.
On a drop shoulder tee, the seam is placed several inches down the arm. There is no seam sitting on your shoulder at all. The entire problem disappears because the cut is designed differently — not just sized up.
The honest note: Drop shoulder on a broad frame does widen the silhouette visually. The relaxed seam placement adds apparent width. If you want to look wider, it works in your favour. If you are already concerned about looking too wide, a regular shoulder tee in the correct size — sized for the shoulder — is the cleaner option.
Indian Brand Sizing — What Changes for Broad Frames
India does not have a standardised sizing system. Every brand sets its own measurements, and they vary significantly. This matters more for broad frames than for average proportions because the gap between shoulder size and body size is already at the edges of each brand's grading.
Two things to do before ordering from any Indian brand you have not worn before:
First, find the garment measurements — not the body measurements — on the size chart. The garment measurement tells you how wide the actual piece is at the shoulder. Body measurements tell you what body the brand claims that size fits. These are not the same number.
Second, compare the shoulder measurement of the garment to a piece you already own that fits correctly at the shoulder. If those two numbers are within about half an inch of each other, you are in the right size.
If the brand does not publish garment measurements, email them and ask. Or assume you need to size up.
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