Clothes you can move freely in

Short answer: Raise your arms over your head and sit down before you decide the garment fits. If you cannot do both, it is too small somewhere. Those are two simple tests that show more than a measurement on a piece of paper.

The two movements

Lift your arms straight up and then sit down. If the garment rides up at the stomach when you raise your arms, the armhole is too small. If the waist tightens when you sit, it is too narrow. The two movements take under a minute and reveal most fit problems, which otherwise show only after a full day.

When the garment rides up

If the garment rides up when you lift your arms, it is usually because the armhole is cut too low or too narrow. Then the whole top follows the arm upwards, and you can see and feel it. It does not improve with time, so it is worth noticing before you cut off the label.

The armhole

Armhole and shoulder width are fixed in the cut, and they are the first measurements to stop a movement. If the armhole is small, you notice it when you reach for something or pull on a jacket. See bamboo t-shirts for men, and always test the arm lift in the size you are considering.

The shoulder width

Shoulder width decides where the garment rests and whether the sleeve sits where it should. If the shoulders are too narrow, it pulls at the upper arm, and you feel it with every movement. If they are too wide, the sleeve hangs down over the arm. Check where the shoulder seam ends compared with your own shoulder.

The fabric

Knit fabric with a little elastane gives in all directions and lets go again. That is why a knit garment feels freer than a woven one in the same size. The fabric can help, but it cannot correct a cut that is too tight. See bamboo sweatshirt for men and bamboo clothing for women.

Knit against woven

A woven fabric with no stretch does not follow you when you move, and it can quickly feel like a restriction. Knit fabric is more forgiving and lets you move more freely. If you want clothes to walk, sit and reach in all day, knit is therefore a good starting point.

Can a small armhole be fixed

No, it is a measurement that cannot be changed afterwards. If the garment has an armhole that is too small, the only answer is another size or another cut. That is why it is wise to test the movement straight away, while the garment is still new.

Try more movements

Lift your arms, but also reach forward, twist your upper body and bend down. Those are the movements of daily life, when you take something from a shelf, drive a car or tie a shoe. If the garment feels good in all of them, it probably suits the rest of the day too.

What matters most for movement

The armhole matters most, and the stretch of the fabric comes next. If the armhole is right, the fabric can do the rest. If it is wrong, no fabric helps. So when you choose clothes to move freely in, check the armhole and shoulder width first, and then look at the material.