The same flannel questions come up every fall. Tuck it or leave it out? Is performance flannel the real thing? Will a big plaid make a big guy look bigger? Here are the straight answers, with the big & tall flannel shirts we would start with.

Is performance flannel actually flannel?

It is flannel in look and hand, built from a different fiber. Classic flannel is brushed cotton. Performance flannel uses a synthetic blend brushed to the same soft, fuzzy face, then adds stretch and moisture-wicking. The Peter Millar Cannon is 65% polyester and 35% viscose, light enough to wear indoors all day and built to manage the swing from a cold parking lot to a warm office.

Cotton or performance: which should I buy first?

Buy for the place you will wear it most. If the shirt lives at the office, on a flight or anywhere you move around a lot, go performance. If it lives at the cabin, the tailgate and the Saturday hardware-store run, go cotton. All-cotton flannel breathes well, softens with every wash and has the heavier, broken-in feel most guys picture when they hear the word.

Will a big plaid make me look bigger?

Scale is the thing to watch, and it works in your favor. A tiny check on a broad chest turns busy and reads smaller than the frame wearing it. A medium to large plaid sits in proportion with a bigger body. Keep the colors close together, like navy and green or brown and cream, if you want the pattern to settle down. Save the loud buffalo check for the weekend.

Tucked or untucked?

Both, depending on the hem. A shirttail hem (curved, longer in back) is cut to tuck and still looks fine loose. For untucked wear, the front should land around the middle of your zipper and fully cover your belt when you lift your arms. Tucked, it should stay put when you sit down and stand back up. If a shirt passes both tests, you own a shirt that works with dark denim on Saturday and chinos on Monday.

How do I know the sleeves are long enough?

Button the cuff and reach forward like you are grabbing a steering wheel. The cuff should stay at your wrist bone. If it slides up your forearm, you need a tall size. At Westport, tall sizes (LT through 4XT) add length through the sleeve and body, and big sizes (2XB and up) add room through the chest and waist.

What is a shirt jacket, and do I need one?

A shirt jacket is a heavier flannel cut to wear open over a tee or another shirt. It covers the weeks when a sweater is too warm and a real coat is too much. The Westport Lifestyle Firepit Hooded Shirt Jacket is a wool-poly blend with a drawstring hood and a contrast plaid lining, and it runs up to 5XB.

Will it shrink in the wash?

Cotton flannel can shrink a little if it sees high heat, so wash cold and dry low or hang it. Performance flannel holds its size better and dries fast. Either way, the dryer's high setting is what flattens the brushed nap over time. Our fabric care guide covers the rest of the fall rotation, sweaters included.