Johnny Bigg Review: Two Problems, Two Ranges

Big and tall is sold as one category and it is actually two completely different problems, which is why so much of the clothing in it fits badly.

A big man needs width in the chest, waist and sleeve with the length staying put. A tall man needs length in the body and sleeve with the width staying put. Most brands solve neither properly, because they take a standard pattern and scale it up uniformly, which gives the tall thin man a tent and the broad short man a shirt with cuffs past his knuckles.

So the first thing worth saying in this Johnny Bigg review is that the brand splits the two, and that structural choice matters more than anything else about it.

The size range, end to end

The brand's own FAQ states sizes run from XL through to 10XL. Separately, tall sizing is offered as LT, XLT, 2XLT, 3XLT, 4XLT and 5XLT, described as giving extra length in the body and sleeves.

Ten XL is unusual. A great deal of mainstream menswear stops at 2XL or 3XL, and a lot of what calls itself big and tall tops out at 4XL. A range reaching 10XL means the brand is serving customers who are genuinely not served elsewhere, and running six dedicated tall sizes alongside it means the length problem is being treated as its own pattern rather than as a consequence of width.

The practical consequence is that you should work out which of the two you are before shopping. If your problem is that shirts fit the chest and finish above your belt, you want the tall range. If your problem is that shirts fit the length and strain at the buttons, you want the big range. If it is both, the brand carries that combination too, which is the whole point of the structure.

The gap on the page

For a brand whose entire proposition is fit, one thing was missing from the page we read. Chest measurements were not shown. The page links to a size guide without including its content.

That matters more here than it would anywhere else. XL through 10XL is a label system, not a measurement, and the gap between one brand's 4XL and another's is often several inches. Nobody buying at this end of the market should be ordering from a letter.

So before you order, open the size range guide and work from your own tape. Chest measured under the arms at the fullest point, waist at the natural waistline, sleeve from the centre back of the neck over the shoulder to the wrist. Those three numbers against their chart will tell you more than any review.

What it costs

Prices on the page we read are in Australian dollars, which matters if you are shopping from the US, UK or Canada and seeing converted figures.

A 25% discount applied consistently across a whole category is worth reading for what it is. When a retailer discounts almost everything at the same rate, the marked-down figure is closer to the working price than the listed one. Plan around $67 to $90 AUD for a shirt rather than around the ticket price.

A newsletter signup also offers 20% off a next full-price purchase, which is only useful if something you want is outside the sale.

The fabrics, as far as they are published

The material filter lists bamboo blend, cotton, cotton blend, linen, linen blend and polyester. One shirt, the Resort Relaxed Fit, is described as 100% linen. Beyond that the FAQ refers to breathable fabrics without giving compositions, and several shirt names include the word stretch without stating what provides it.

1. Linen and linen blend are the two worth seeking out at this price, since they are the fabrics that handle heat and are hardest to find in extended sizes.
2. Bamboo blend in menswear is normally viscose from bamboo blended with cotton or elastane, which is soft and drapes well but is weaker when wet than cotton. Confirm the composition if that matters to you.
3. Stretch in a shirt usually means a small percentage of elastane, and the percentage determines whether it recovers its shape or bags out. It was not published on the page we read.

Shipping and collection

Free shipping applies on orders over $125, and free two-hour Click and Collect is offered, which tells you the brand has physical stores.

That is the detail worth acting on if you are near one. At this end of the size market, trying a garment on is worth a trip, because the difference between a 4XL that fits and a 4XL that does not is not recoverable from a product photograph. The returns and exchange terms were not shown on the page we read, so a store visit also sidesteps the question entirely.

Frequently asked questions

What sizes does Johnny Bigg go up to?

The brand's FAQ states XL through to 10XL, with a separate tall range in LT, XLT, 2XLT, 3XLT, 4XLT and 5XLT for extra body and sleeve length.

What is the difference between big and tall sizing here?

Big sizing adds width. Tall sizing, marked with a T, adds length in the body and sleeves. They are separate ranges, so pick by which problem you actually have rather than buying the largest number available.

How much are the shirts?

On the page we read, mostly $89.99 marked down to $67.49, with some at $99.99 down to $74.99 and a linen shirt at $119.99 down to $89.99. Those are Australian dollars.

Can I return an item?

Returns and exchange terms were not shown on the page we read. Check the returns page before ordering, and if you are near a store, the free two-hour Click and Collect lets you try before committing.

Where are the chest measurements?

Not on the shirts page we read. They sit in a separate size guide. Open it and measure yourself rather than ordering from a letter size, because X sizes vary considerably between brands.

Who it suits

Anyone above about 2XL who has run out of options at mainstream retailers, and in particular anyone tall who is tired of buying wide to get long. A dedicated tall range going to 5XLT is a genuinely useful thing and very few brands offer it.

It suits a first-time buyer less well if you are ordering blind from overseas, simply because fit at this end of the market is hard to get right remotely and the returns terms were not published where we looked.

The verdict

The structural decision is the product. Splitting big from tall, running to 10XL on one side and 5XLT on the other, and carrying both at once is a better answer to this market than scaling a standard pattern up and hoping.

The close of this Johnny Bigg review is to do the one piece of work the page does not do for you. Measure your chest, waist and sleeve, open the size guide, and order against your own numbers. Then check the returns terms before paying, note that the prices are in Australian dollars, and use Click and Collect if a store is within reach.

Do that and this is a sensible place to buy. Order from a letter size and a photograph and you are guessing, which is the thing the brand's whole size structure exists to stop you doing.