When to Tuck Your Shirt In and When Not To.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 100 times… outfits are made (or broken) in the details. The nuance happens when a collar is popped, or a sleeve rolled. Or when the necklace hits just so. And then there’s the mac daddy of outfit details, tucking in a top. When to tuck your shirt and when not to - that is the question.

It should be straightforward - DO tuck in this situation, and DO NOT tuck in this situation. But, alas, it is not that easy. And that kind of sucks. But I’ll do my best to break it down and lay out a guide for you…But first, a little background.

Often people think about what is in style and what is out of style. While trends may come and go, clothing dimensions typically change in bits and pieces. Hemlines here and shoulder pads there.

And it happens over a 5-10 year period. When the clothing proportions change, it’s not just one piece that is altered. The proportional change has a ripple effect on all of the elements of an outfit.

Think About It…Historically

Think about a poodle skirt compared to a pencil skirt - the difference in volume is extreme - and a really good visual to support my point. Saddle shoes are/were the perfect pairing for a poodle skirt. They’re chunky and sturdy and helped ground the poodle skirt’s immense volume. On the other hand, a pencil skirt outfit would look odd with such a flat and round-toe shoe. The longer, slim pencil skirt needs a pump to harmonize its outfit proportions.

Proportions: 2000 vs. 2020

For the first two decades of this century, tops were barely tucked in. Probably because the pants, at this time, were riding so low. And, the belts we previously wore to fit our waists couldn’t work with the low-rise pants. So our belts collected dust for almost twenty years. And waists were somewhat irrelevant. And we all forgot how to tuck in shirts, thus the need for the current blog post.

The Early Aughts

Back in the early aughts (i.e., 2000-2009), when ultra low rise jeans reigned supreme, there was not a lot of shirt tucking happening. Do you remember the outrage over thong panties showing when girls sat down wearing low-rise jeans?

The Twenty Tens

Then came the skinny jeans craze in the 2010s. And because they were well… skinny, shirts were left untucked so they could cover the bum. It took some adjustment to get used to this new silhouette. I was already styling clients then, and I vividly remember one client telling me she would NEVER wear skinny jeans - they were like wearing tights out in public! BTW, she totally changed her mind a few years later.

The Roaring Twenty’s (2020s)

We’ve been dealing with a pandemic and mostly wearing sweats for the first two years of this decade. And as we are emerging, the new proportions for clothing seem even more confusing. Likely, because we’ve been so out of practice.

Skinny Jeans are Not Dead, But…

Relaxed denim is taking over in popularity. According to The Business of Fashion, Skinnies have officially been dethroned and replaced with wider leg styles. And with this shift (meaning wide vs. skinny on the bottom), waists are becoming more important.

What’s The New Proportion?

Pants are getting wider, so tops are getting shorter. And/or need to be tucked in to highlight the waist and give the wearer some shape. The new proportion is more hourglass and waist centric. Think prominent shoulders, highlighted waist, and width at the bottom.

Now is the time to TUCK

With higher waists and wider pant profiles, shirt tucking is essential. And not a half-tuck either - full, all-around waist definition is essential to balance an expanded bottom.

1. Full tucks work well with bottoms that are culotte, wide leg, and trouser style.

2. Shirts can be left untucked with these styles of wide pants if they hit above the hip bone.

3. Half tucks are best with skinny pants because they offer some waist definition and cover the back.

4. Half tucks rarely work with wider, relaxed-style pants because there is too much visual bulk around the bum.

Check out my Instagram Reel for tucking tips!

1. Tuck in the top all the way around.

2. Then stretch up to the ceiling with both hands (like you’re reaching something on a very high shelf.)

3. If the top is silky, it might be bloused the perfect amount.

4. If the top is cotton it might need some adjusting.

5. To adjust the amount of untuck - use this visual: 

   1. At least ½ of your pant button should be covered by the blousing of your top

   2. Do not blouse further than your waistband - let that 1-2 inches be your untuck/blousing guide

Pieces from header photo & photo of me and Maggie: