What a gentleman should know about tucking in his shirt
WHEN Yanis Varoufakis met Chancellor George Osborne for talks in Downing street last week, ill- thought- out and lacking in sophistication were two of the phrases which sprang to mind — and that was just the Greek finance minister’s outfit.
the midnight-blue shirt, worn without a tie and unbuttoned at the neck, seemed too casual for the occasion, but one faux pas stood out above all others — the minister’s shirt was (gasp!) not even tucked into his trousers.
As Dylan Jones, editor of men’s style bible GQ, points out, Mr Varoufakis has fallen for the biggest style trap of all for men of a certain age who think un-tucking their top half will help them look younger and hide their tummies.
‘nothing could be further from the truth,’ says Jones. ‘A man might think it will make him look thinner but in fact, he will look fatter.’
etiquette expert William Hanson agrees, insisting there is never an appropriate moment for a true gentleman to leave his shirt un-tucked — let alone when conducting the important political business of the day.
‘Any shirt with tails must be tucked in,’ he insists. For Hanson, polo and Hawaiian holiday shirts might look the exceptions. But he explains: ‘Just because something can be worn un-tucked doesn’t mean we have to wear it so.’
Clearly, the Chancellor’s visitor has stumbled into a sartorial minefield. Here, the Mail reveals everything he needs to know before he lets it all hang out in future.
WHEN SHOULD YOU UNTUCK?
SHIRTS made with a flat bottom hem are meant to be worn untucked. But if the shirt has visible ‘tails’ — rather than being even all the way around — it should always be tucked in.
Antonio Centeno, author of A Man’s Guide to Style, says: ‘ Wearing a shirt with tails untucked is not a forbidden look. But it is a juvenile one. it makes you look like a teen rebel at a grownup wedding.
‘Under a jacket or with a suit, being untucked makes you look like you’re trying too hard to be stylishly rumpled.’
TRADITIONAL TUCK
The first step to getting your shirt to stay easily in your trousers is to make sure you get the right length. the earliest shirts were knee length and worn underneath tunics and armour during medieval times.
But since the advent of the modern shirt around the 1850s, when Victorian men started to wear closer-fitting trousers, the length has been getting shorter.
Dylan Jones says: ‘ A good quality shirt will provide enough material to hang four or five inches below the belt line. Otherwise it will ride up.’
Most men who have not been taught a proper technique tend to pull their trousers up over their underwear, using their hands in a sawing motion to scrunch the shirt in. However, style experts say you are not only making creases this way, but the shirt won’t be securely fixed inside your trousers and you risk it riding up and over the top of your trousers later on.
instead, Jones says: ‘ Always smooth down the front of the shirt first to make sure you have a flat, smooth line. then smooth it down at the back to get rid of any bunched-up material. then gently pull up your trousers.
‘Done properly in the morning, a man should not have to tuck in his shirt for the rest of day.’
A well-tucked shirt should sit so that the shirt placket (the rectangle of fabric where the front buttons are found) lines up precisely with your trouser fly. the belt buckle and trouser button should be centred neatly in that same line.
As for t- shirts, whether to tuck or not depends a lot on the shirt, the belt, and the trousers. in general, advises the website the Art Of Manliness, don’t tuck in the t- shirt unless it’s a deliberate style statement.
BECKHAM HALF-TUCK
THIS particular style statement (where one half of the front of the shirt is tucked in and one left hanging out, pictured below) is one only a super- handsome former football star with a certain image can carry off.
Anyone else trying to mimic it over the age of 25 is guaranteed to look sad and foolish.
UNDERWEAR TUCK
it may not be sexy and carries the risk of your underwear riding up over your trouser waistband, but tucking your shirt into your boxer shorts does have its uses in order to keep a smooth line.
in fact, some men’s underwear is now designed with adhesive grips around the waistband to stop the shirt above looking blousy and bunched-up.
However, many style experts say it should only be used when you are wearing a t-shirt underneath an outer shirt to avoid an unflattering Michelin-man look.
William Hanson is firmly against the whole idea. He says: ‘While the tails of the shirt should cover the seat, tucking them into your underwear would be unhygienic. it would mean you would have to wash your shirt at the same temperature as your underwear and that would ruin the fabric.’
MILITARY TUCK
One sure-fire method to show off your attention to detail is the military shirt tuck. Developed over time by different armies, the basic principle works by pinching
in your shirts from the sides. Looking straight in the mirror, allow the shirt to hang loosely and make sure the buttons go in a straight line down from your top button to the zip at your crotch.
Then take hold of each side at the bottom, by your hips, and pinch the excess fabric outwards at the side seams. Then fold that fabric around your back, and hold it like that as you tuck it in.
Keep the arrangement in place by firmly tightening your belt at your waist. It will not budge for the rest of the day because it’s secured firmly at your hips.
ALWAYS BELT UP
ONCE you’ve committed to tucking in your shirt, it’s essential it stays there. Etiquette expert William Hanson recommends a slim-fitting shirt where possible for the smoothest look to avoid a billowy, wrinkled look at the back.
He adds that it’s not properly finished without a belt. ‘When you are tucking in a shirt, you must always wear a belt to keep the shirt in the waistband.
‘The only exception is when you are wearing a suit and then you wear braces. In fact, a true gentleman never takes his jacket off so the shirt is actually rarely seen. All proper shirts are designed to be tucked in. There is just no way around it. Having it hanging out, in any way, is just plain sloppy.’
Polo shirts, invented by the tennis player Rene Lacoste in the Twenties as an alternative to starched white shirts on court, may look like a temptation to be casual. But for a more business-like look, such as an office dress-down Friday, style experts say it’s wise to tuck the hem firmly in.
Carl Thompson, founder of Hawkins & Shepherd shirts, says: ‘I would say a polo shirt is better tucked in if it’s worn with a nice pair of tailored trousers or with a belt and shoes.’
TUCKING GADGETS
IF ALL else fails, look to gadgetry. Small garters which tug the bottom of the shirt taut beneath the trousers are favoured by several militaries and are also popular among sharp dressers.
Basically, the stays are just a pair of small, elasticised garters with clips at the ends that you attach to your socks. You then put your trousers on and pretend there is nothing more natural in the world than having elastic bands running vertically up your legs.