Bonobos Slim Fit Shirts vs. Bonobos Standard Fit Shirts
Bonobos has built much of the foundation of their business around better fit. It started with their pants, and they would later go on to help lead the way in terms of shirts that don’t fit like circus tents. Their standard fit shirts have been labeled as “not boxy and not too slim. Comfortable across the shoulders and chest with a slight taper through the waist” forever. And they fit great for plenty. But last month they released a slim fit line, and the measurements, at first glance, look much different:
Graphic via Bonobos. Thankfully, less lines than a Jeffy goes wanderin’ Family Circus comic.
Shoulder Width: Slim is 1/2″ smaller than standard
Chest Circumference: Slim is 1″ smaller than standard
Waist Circumference: Slim is 2″ smaller than standard
Bottom Sweep: Slim is 1/2″ smaller than standard
Armhole: Slim is 2″ smaller than standard
Muscle: Slim is 1/2″ smaller than standard
Elbow: Slim is 1 1/4″ smaller than standard
Whoa. 2 inches smaller in the arm hole than standard? That might be a tight fit if you’ve got deltoids. 2″ smaller in the waist might be a tight fit if you have a big lunch. Maybe. There’s one way to find out… let’s put a size medium of each, in oxford and poplin, on a 165-170 pound, 5-10″ frame.
Bonobos Slim Fit “Ging Crosby” Poplin in Navy – $78 | Standard Fit Poplin in Navy – $78
Gingham overload! Left: Slim Fit. Right: Standard Fit. Both shirts are size medium.
About the Fit: Whoa. Yep. These fit a lot closer. Feels like they’ve been to my tailor, and there’s not gobs of space between my torso and the sides of the fabric. But it still moves well. I’m not fighting against the shirt. Arms are noticeably slimmer as well. And there’s enough room to get a decent sized shoulder in there. None of the seams are being stretched.
About the Shirt: Nice fabric and construction. Collar is medium in size, and it’s lined on the interior with a lighter blue oxford-like cloth. There is a button on the back of the collar (some guys care one way or another) and this one has side pleats instead of a center box pleat on the back. Both of these were made in Malaysia. A nice basic. If you’re willing to throw almost $80 at a nice basic.
Bonobos Slim Fit Oxford in Mint Green – $78 | Standard Fit in Mint Green – $78
Left: Slim Fit. Right: Standard Fit. Both shirts are size medium.
About the Fit: The first place you’ll notice the difference is in the arms. If you spend any time in the gym, you might feel like your arms are in socks. Comfortable, oxford cloth socks, but there’s not a ton of room from the arm pits down to the wrists. Which is more than fine. The sides seem a little more sculpted, but not wildly so. Maybe it’s just the way the oxford cloth lays, but the closer body was much more noticeable on the poplin gingham than the OCBD. (And no, the top photos aren’t transposed. That really is the slim fit on the left. Not sure why it looks a little wider than the standard on the right.)
About the Shirt: Another great OCBD from Bonobos… but these aren’t made in the States anymore. These two shirts were made in India. Collar does have a button on the back. Box pleat on the back. Fabric is thicker than say, the jcp OCBD, and it feels like it’s constructed a little better, but is it $53 better compared to the jcp version? Probably not for most of us. Especially since the fit of the jcp seems to be inbetween the standard and slim fits from Bonobos… and leaning towards the slim side too. Unless you’re looking for a specific color (like this mint green) or you’re fiercely loyal to Bonobos, the jcp might win out.
The Bottom Line:
The inclusion of the slim fit is a nice evolution to the Bonobos line of shirts. Guys with a similar frame to mine might want to lean towards that fit, since the shirts fit real close but still moved well. But almost eighty bucks? Damn.
Meanwhile, I have never, ever been called skinny (nor do I have any plans to), the very trim guys out there should be happy with the new fit, but they still might have lots of fabric at the sides.
Something else worth noting at least in my experience was that the size S slim appeared a good bit shorter than standard. The fit was pretty good but the original small fit was pretty good too. I swapped my slim back for a standard mostly attributed to the length and arms.
The only thing I didn’t like about Bonobos shirts are the arm pleats. Even on the slim fit, my wrists (and your’s too) looked larger. Doesn’t look right with a slim silhouette. J.Crew seems to get this right, although I think Bonobos’s quality is better.
Joe you look good with the slim fit. Make you have a much more defined V torso. I vote HAWT.
Thanks so much for this review. Even though I’m not slim, but with a 18″ neck, and a 42″ chest, this is exactly what I need to get an off the rack that fits. Regular XLs fit OK in the neck, and billow elsewhere with sleeves that resemble glider wings, and bodies that resemble sails. I’ve found that Ben Sherman which makes everything for skinny guys fits me if I size up, and now I can see Bonobos slim fit will probably work as well!
Oppa Gingham style!
Merona at Target has a mint green OCBD with a button on the back of the collar, too. 😉
I look at the standard, mint green OCBD picture tucked in, and it just looks like it doesn’t fit you. Ok in the shoulders, poor fit through the chest, chest pocket slumping to the side, baggy and wrinkling around each elbow, sleeves a bit too long…
In my experience, slim fit isnt slim enough by most standards. If you are thin or athletic, the drop needs to be bigger. Every shirt I’ve every tried bunches up like crazy when trying to tuck in and it’s due to the fact that the waist is always too big. If I had the money, I’d have my waist brought in 2-3 inches on all my clothes.
I’m looking at the oxford, looks pretty good. Is that ropedstructured shoulder look due to it not being broken in/washed or a result of the dimensions of the slim fit?
Also – would you say these shirts are worth the price tag when compared against something like a uniqlo shirt taken to the tailor (total cost $50ish in my area)?
I donated all my pants to my brother in favor of Bonobos. Tried on a standard fit shirt at Nordstrom and hated it. Decided to try out one of their new slim fit shirts and I absolutely love it. They are a bit pricey, but I love the quality. Thanks to this site, my closet will be full of Ratio and Bonobos shirts. I’ll have less dough, but I’ll look a lot better!
Do they have the slim fit shirts at Nordstrom?
I’m curious how a slim fit Medium would compare to a standard fit Small. I’m 6’1 165; lean but athletic and I have a Target Merona summer plaid in standard Small that fits like a dream (little short on the body and arms but I wear the shirt casually and roll the sleeves up).
Joe, can u please clarify which fit u would choose – thanks
I’ve felt the Bonobos standard fit was boxy because of the arm holes. I’m going to give another Bonobos shirt a try after sending the last attempt back.
I was referring to Bonobos
No, they don’t have the slim fit shirts, unfortunately.
New stafford fitted gingham over that any day. The best option for a shirt that doesn’t look baggy when tucked in if you’re a slim guy.
Even with slim fit shirts, i still have to take them in to my tailor to work the arms and still bring them in on the sides or get them darted. Joe, just like how you ignore shirt sizes (S,M,L)… ;-p
Nice shirts but damn, $80….I dunno. I generally go for Staffords Gingham from JCP. Affordable ($12-$15) and they always fit me so well.
Sleeves were a bit too long on the standard. I’d prefer the slim in each, but the price is pretty steep. Meanwhile, I doubt anyone would notice this on the street. We live in a world now where every fit picture is critiqued like crazy. And when something is still, inside of a frame, on a flat screen, it’s just so easy to pick stuff out. But yes, I’d prefer the slim.
No poly on the bonobos though. Fabric is a big step up. But so is the price. Hugely.
Still gotta size down on those? Sizing down on the merona OCBDs were just a touch too tight on my frame. Great to know that they have a light green.
I bought the Lime Rickey in the slim fit – the fabric is fantastic and the color really pops. I’ve gotten a ton of compliments on the shirt.
I’ve worn both the standard and slim OCBDs from Bonobos. I’m not sure on how the sport shirts such as their ginghams fit in this new option. However, the OCBDs in slim fit are a vast improvement over their standard fit. The quality of the fabric in my opinion is better than before and the shirt seems to be quite a bit sturdier as well.
I have the standard fit gingham crosby and I had it altered to where it looks similar to Joe’s fit on the pictures now. I used to always ship back every purchase of shirts when it came to Bonobos except for the crosby. Now, that has changed with the introduction of their Gentleman’s shirts and the Rhodes Collar Slim fits. They also seem to be higher quality than what J.Crew uses in their regular OCBDs.
Yeah, they’re supposed to be a trim fit, but I’d definitely size down, or maybe consider a tailor. The sleeves on the Merona are a bit narrow for the size of the torso, so a tailor might be a better bet, anyway, even if it is a relatively cheap shirt.
Joe- thanks for the write up.
Curious to know if you feel the slim fit is tight on your upper chest?
My problem is that I have a large chest (yeah, I’m a gym guy, but it’s also just a big ribcage), and slim fit shirts usually can’t fit either my chest or my shoulders comfortably. I’m also 6’2″, so … a lot of them are also too short and constantly pull out of my pants during the day, giving me a sloppy look. Man, I wish I could try before the buy.
“If I had the money, I’d have my waist brought in 2-3 inches on all my clothes.”
I don’t think its hard to do yourself. Might want to try on some cheap shirts first.
A year ago my girlfriend bought a sewing machine on a whim. She’s into crafts. I guess she thought she’d make her own dresses or something. Whatever. The desire passed. After a two month hunt for this thing it still sits in my living room closet, unopened and abandoned.
I don’t know shit about sewing, but every time I think about getting my pants hemmed or tapered, sleeves cut shorter, or the sides of a shirt brought in, that sewing machine calls to me. “Fuck gender roles. Learn how to use me!!!”
So far all I’ve done myself is replace two buttons on a pea coat I bought last season. But I’m getting there. I’ve bought a number of long sleeve shirts that I think would make nice short sleeve button downs for the Florida summer. This is how it begins…
Do a comparison of slim vs straight Bonobos chinos! Thanks
i might suggest taking a look at frank & oak. Their shirts are the slimmest standard fit shirts ive come across and i’ve personally love the fit.
I know this has been done somewhat here but can we get an ultimate slim fit shirt comparison? Bonobos slim fit, express modern fit, express extra slim, slim jcrew, etc.
what’s your drop?
…You know they do free shipping both ways, right? “Return anything, any time, any reason.”
I almost fell out of my chair looking at that first photo set. Still kinda dizzy…
When you tuck those shirts in, how many buttons are below your waistline? 2, 1, or 0?
I’m 5’10” and weigh 205. I wear 42-44r. I’m a pretty dense guy, and bigger now than I once was, but even when I was 185 as a teen (and wore 40r) I couldn’t get a large shirt to close around the neck.
Brooks brothers extra slim is the real deal.
http://www.brooksbrothers.com/mens/dress-shirts/0203,default,sc.html?prefn1=fit&prefv1=Extra%20Slim%20Fit
the bonus…. two suits for 899! holy sh!7
wish i had a $30k semi annual budget for brooks suits. best you can get without jumping out into kiton, oxxford, and corneliani type turf…
I’d try a large slim fit if you’re 6’2. I’m just under 6ft w/ 43in chest and 33 in waist (at belly button). Weigh 170lbs The medium was great everywhere but my chest. Just too extra medium. Try a large slim fit – it should be money. And like Drew said (typed), couldn’t be easier to return the stuff.
I typically buy 35 or 36 in sleeves in dress shirts and the medium slim and standard Bonobos shirts fit fine.
18.5″ Shoulders, 40.5″ Chest, 33″ Waist (So 7.5″ from chest to waist)
Thanks for all the advice. I had never thought about learning to fit clothes since it sounds intimidating (but I could definitely see myself learning to make minor alterations like a waist taper on a shirt or a hem on pants).