Why talk about something so elementary like tucking in a shirt?
Is there really a need to teach guys something most of us have been doing since we were 5?
Well, yes, really.
Just glance around.
How many guys do you see sporting a wavy, unkempt-looking shirt?
Or what about that man giving a presentation who carelessly re-tucked his shirt three times during a 5-minute speech?
Most men probably have no method for tucking in their shirts.
Just cause you do something doesn’t mean you are doing it accurately.
The aim of this article is to show you a few tactics that might eradicate the annoyance of a un-tucked or awkwardly tucked shirt.
So let’s get started on ways to tucking in a shirt
What Is the Right Way to Tuck in a Shirt?
The Basic Slack Tuck
This way of tucking in a shirt is where most guys start and end their shirt-tucking learning — shirttails inside the slacks but over the underpants, shoved straight down all the way around the abdomen. It’s the no-thought approach to do it, and it’s the most simple as a result.
Here’s the simplest way to do this one. And you’ve probably performed it a million times unless your father showed you a different approach from a young age. Put your undergarments on, then put your shirt on and fasten it up, and then finally pull your slacks on, clasping them closed over the shirttails.
Your shirt ends up pinned underneath your slacks with no trouble on your part. It just got there by the form you did things. And as long as your pants aren’t too baggy, the shirt will presumably stay there. Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean this is a lousy tuck.
The Military Tuck
This is how the armed forces are instructed to tuck in their uniform shirts. It creates a couple of folded creases, which are then pinned flat by the slack waistband for a crisp, stiff tuck.
- Have your trousers on, but unfastened. You’ll need to close them up fast over the shirt once you’re finished with your folding.
- Press each of the shirt’s side stitchings between a thumb and forefinger. Drag down to tug all the material taut.
- Fold the seams rearward toward your rear end, creating a crease that wraps over any free stuff in the sides. Use enough force to pull the shirtfront even and stretched across the front of your chest.
- Button your slacks up and belt them to hold the creases flat on your body. Depending on how much excess stuff the shirt had. The pleats should sit somewhere behind your buttocks, under the end of your armpits.
The army tuck can take time and effort, getting the pleats straight and even, and it serves best in stiff, soft stuff that can hold the fold well. Use it any time you’ve got extra fabric around the waist and sides of the shirt.
The Underwear Tuck
No, we are not speaking about tucking your dress shirt into your undergarments.
Although this approach is practical, it can backfire when your puppy dog boxers sneak up past your waistline.
No, the underwear tuck points to the need to correctly tuck your undershirt into your undies. To make sure the dress shirt is between your undies and slacks (vs. your undershirt and formal shirt sitting between your underwear and pants).
Believe it or not, this tiny difference has a significant impression on how your shirt stays tucked in throughout the day.
Shirt Stays – The Ultimate Shirt Tuck
A way with some extra guidance: small straps tug the base of the shirt taut under the pants.
The expression “shirt stays” is sometimes adopted to point to collar stays (the level tabs inside the tips of some dress shirt collars). Still, it also relates to a specialized sort of fastener. These are used by various militaries around the globe and are also common among chic dressers.
Basically, the supports are just a pair of tiny, elasticized stays with clips at the ends. You put your shirt on first and fasten it up, clipping one end of the stays to the end of your shirttails (the supports come in sets of two, one for each shirttail/slack leg). Then you wear your socks on, and attach the below clips to them, adjusting the fasteners until the shirt is kept straight but not stiff.
So that was our few tips on tucking in a shirt for men.