The Button-Down Hack That Shows The Right Way To Tuck In Your Shirt
When worn properly, a tucked-in shirt screams sophistication. Although there's still a place for an oversized loose button-down, wearing your shirt tucked in creates a cleaner, more refined silhouette that lends itself towards officewear, academia fashion, and even quiet luxury trends. The only problem is button-down shirts aren't the easiest pieces in the world to tuck in.
If you've struggled with the "bulge" that appears around your lower belly when you try to tuck a button-down into your pants, you aren't alone. Particularly if you're on the shorter side, the excess material of the shirt can create a not-so-cute scene as you try to hide it. However, that doesn't mean you can't tuck in your shirts at all. TikTok user @thenewyorkstylist has revealed the perfect hack to get your button-downs to sit nicely inside your pants, and it's simple enough for anyone to pull off. This trick just requires you to roll up the edge of the shirt in the right places so there's not so much excess material, and then tuck it in carefully.
The tuck-in hack
In the video, which has received more than 50,000 likes since being posted to TikTok, @thenewyorkstylist demonstrates how to conceal the extra material on any shirt before tucking it. Take the edge of the shirt at the front of your body and fold it or roll it (depending on how much material you have) then pin it against your stomach. Once you have it securely in place, take the fold or roll you created and tuck into your waistband. Note that you don't want to tuck your shirt in all the way around — just at the front.
Then take the back edge of your shirt and twist it to create a tail. Take the twist and tuck it into your pants. To create a natural look, pull out the material of the shirt above your waistband just slightly, so your shirt isn't so tight.
The sides of your shirt won't be tucked in, but they will be rolled in and pulled up because of the fold and twist you created at the front and back. Using this hack, the entire shirt will appear tucked in, and the people around you will be none the wiser!
Can you leave your shirt untucked?
The biggest benefit of tucking in your shirt is creating an hourglass shape, and The Wardrobe Consultant explains that this is especially important when you're wearing more voluminous bottoms. While a loose shirt might look fine with skinny jeans, it can end up concealing your figure too much or overwhelming you when paired with a flared skirt or mom jeans. So even if you don't subscribe to a more formal style, it's still a good idea to master the tucking in hack!
If you just can't make the tucked-in look work for you but you also don't want to be swimming in the material of your button-down, you can find a happy medium with what's known as the "French tuck." As fashion blog Miss Malini explains, this only requires you to tuck in the front of your shirt, leaving the back loose. The contrast creates a cooler, less formal look than the traditional tuck, and is ideal for those who prefer a more flowy silhouette but don't want an oversized shirt to consume them.