The model is a specific size and height
Most editorial models are considerably taller than average and narrow through the waist and hip. The same body length that lands at a model's hip bone lands lower on a shorter frame, and a chest measurement that drapes loosely on narrow shoulders sits closer on broader ones.
None of that is deception. It is one data point being presented as though it were the garment itself. The useful information is what size the model wore and how tall they are — and if a brand publishes neither, the photograph is decoration rather than information.
Studio shots are styled, and styling is invisible
Standard practice in apparel photography includes clipping fabric at the back, pinning a hem, steaming out every fold, and shooting from a height that lengthens the body.
A shirt clipped at the back reads as fitted through the chest from the front. Unclip it and the same garment reads relaxed. Nothing in the image tells you which one you are looking at, which is why a photograph is a poor instrument for judging fit.
Fabric behaves differently on a still body
A model holds a pose for a fraction of a second. You wear the shirt for fourteen hours.
Weight and knit matter enormously here. A lighter single jersey drapes and moves; a heavier fabric holds its own shape and reads more structured. Both photograph well. They feel like different garments by lunchtime — and no still image will tell you which you are getting.
Use the flat measurements instead
The reliable move is to ignore the photograph for sizing and compare four numbers against a shirt you already own and like. Lay yours flat and measure:
- Chest — armpit to armpit, across the flat garment.
- Body length — high point of the shoulder straight down to the hem.
- Shoulder — seam to seam across the back.
- Sleeve — shoulder seam to cuff.
Two centimetres of difference in chest is noticeable. Two centimetres in body length moves the hem out of the window where it works. Compare to a garment, not to your body measurements — clothing is measured flat, people are measured round.
Where Tarsah lands
The Grand Tee is a regular fit that drops straight from the shoulder and sits at the hip, in eleven colourways for men and eight for women.
We would rather you bought it on the measurements than on the photograph, which is why the flat numbers matter more to us than the styling. If anything on a product page leaves you guessing, that is a fault on our side, not yours.
Measure the one you already like
The best sizing tool you own is the shirt in your drawer that fits. Everything else is comparison.
