How to Tuck in a Shirt

Co-authored by Shelley Golden

Last Updated: October 3, 2022

The visual difference between wearing your shirt tucked-in and wearing it untucked can be quite striking. Even with no other wardrobe changes, it's possible to appear much classier with a tasteful tuck. However, a sloppy tuck can give you a puffy-looking midsection. Don't settle for anything but the best look for yourself — learn how (and when) to tuck your shirt to start looking great today!

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Doing a Basic Tuck

1
Pull your shirt as far down as possible. To start, put on your shirt and button it. Grab the shirttails and pull them down towards the floor. This gathers any extra material at the bottom of the shirt and brings the material tight over your chest for a professional look.
2
Pull your trousers over your shirt. If you haven't already put on your pants, do so. Pull them up to your waist and push the bottom of your shirt inside them. Pull up the zipper and fasten the button. The bottom of your shirt should comfortably sit inside the waist of your pants.

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3
Put on a belt. When you wear a tucked-in shirt, you almost always accompany it with a belt, even if you don't need one to keep your trousers up. When you fasten the belt, line the buckle up so that it sits in the center of your waist, just above your zipper.
4
Pull your shirt out a bit. Grab the bottom edges of the sides of your shirt and give them a light tug to bring some slack back into the shirt. Don't pull too much — aim for only about an inch or so of material. Doing this gives your shirt just a little "slack" so that if you turn or bend, you won't pull your shirttails out of your pants.
- It can help to do this part in front of a mirror. If you accidentally pull a little too much material out of your pants, you can be left with a "poofie" section of extra fabric at the bottom of your shirt that can sometimes look a little dopey.
5
Line up the buttons of your shirt with the fly of your pants. Finally, give yourself a quick once-over examination. For a good tuck, the line formed by the buttoned-up edge of your shirt should match up with the line of the fly on your pants. This is called the "gig line" and, while it's not always something you'll want to spend the time and effort getting just right, for the most professional look possible, it's indispensable.^{[1]
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- Since your belt buckle should be in the center of your body, your gig line should intersect it or else lie quite close to it.
- Try attaching a small rubberband to your bottom shirt button and your pants button to keep your shirt from coming untucked in the front.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Doing a Military-Style Tuck

1
Tuck your shirt in as normal and unbutton your pants. For most formal and semi-formal occasions, a standard tuck will work perfectly well. However, if you're having trouble getting that annoying "poofie" part of your shirt to go away, fear not — this tuck-in trick will work wonders. To start, get your shirt tucked as you normally would. Then, unbutton your pants. You'll be folding the fabric back in on itself, so you need a little slack in the pants to give us room to work.
2
Gather the fabric at the sides of your shirt in your hands. Put your hands down at your sides and grab the shirt material that's closest to them. Pinch it between your index finger and thumb on each hand. Pull the material away from your body slightly until the shirt is tight across your chest.
- Don't pull so hard that you pull your shirttails out of your pants. Your shirt should stay tucked into your pants through the whole process.
3
Fold the fabric back over itself. Now, push forward with your thumbs as you pinch the edges of the shirt between the sides of your thumbs and the fleshy part of your hand. The shirt material should double up on itself, forming a new "flap" of material. Fold this flap back over the sides of your shirt. The material should now be tight and fitted all around.
4
Pull the shirt tight and button your pants. Finally, while keeping your shirt tight, button your pants again. If done correctly, your shirt should now have a tight, sleek appearance all around your midsection with no extra "poofie" material. Note that this sort of tuck has a notorious reputation for coming undone, so you may want to practice the thumb motion used to make the military tuck so that you can keep things nice and tight!
- Some folks prefer keeping their pants buckled while doing the military tuck. If you do this, you won't have quite as much room to work, but you also won't need to deal with the hassle of keeping your shirt tight while you're fumbling with your pants.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Knowing When to Tuck

1
In general, tuck in button-up dress shirts. Though there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to fashion, the vast majority of dress shirts are designed to worn tucked-in. Because of this, if you want to look as good as possible, you'll usually want to have your dress shirt tucked in with one of the methods above. While there are plenty of casual situations where it's just fine to wear an unbuttoned, un-tucked shirt with a tee underneath, it's hard to look better with this approach than you would by simply tucking your shirt in.
- ’’Always’’ tuck in dress shirts that hang past your hips. In these cases, the extra material can make your shirt look a bit like a flowing nightgown or even a dress, which will rarely be the sort of impression you'll want to make.
2
In general, leave polos and tees untucked. Just as most dress shirts are made to be worn tucked, most polos and tees are meant to be worn un-tucked. When properly-fitted, these sorts of shirts should hang right up against your belt or the waist of your pants. You can tell this by looking at the way the bottom of a polo or tee differs from the bottom of a dress shirt — most will have a flat bottom edge, rather than long shirttails in front and in back.
- The exception here is when you have to wear an exceptionally-long tee or polo. In these cases, tucking the extra material in usually makes you look a little better. You can tuck in normal-length polos and tees as well, but this can sometimes give them an overly-tight appearance.
3
Always tuck in your shirt for formal occasions. When you're wearing a dress shirt, there are certain situations in which it's always advisable to tuck your shirt in. For instance, leaving your shirt un-tucked at many formal events or celebrations can be seen as a breach of etiquette bordering on disrespect. Below are just a few examples of the types of situations where you'll always want to have your shirt tucked in:
- Weddings
- Graduations
- Religious ceremonies
- Funerals
- Court appearances
4
Tuck in your shirt for most business occasions. In the business world, some situations will almost always call for a tucked-in shirt. Some of these situations are unique to certain jobs that demand formal behavior, but some, like job interviews, are things that almost everyone will encounter. Below are just a few examples of when you may need to tuck in your shirt:
- Job interviews
- Meetings with new or important clients
- Meeting with strangers
- Serious work events (layoffs, new hires, etc.)
- Note that for many jobs, normal working days require tucked-in shirts or even suits.
5
Tuck in your shirt for events that require class. It's worth noting that some events which aren't exceptionally formal and aren't connected to work can still demand a tucked-in shirt. In these cases, an un-tucked shirt may not be seen as disrespectful, but may be a bad idea all the same. In these situations, you may want to look as nice as possible either to make yourself attractive or to show that you're taking things seriously. Here are just a few ideas for when you may want to keep your shirt tucked in:
- Visits to fancy nightclubs or restaurants
- First dates
- "Serious" parties, especially when you don't know many people attending
- Art exhibitions and sit-down concerts
6
Leave your shirt untucked for casual fare. It's important to remember that you definitely don't always have to tuck your shirt in. For instance, if you're staying in for the night, heading to a close friend's house, or just dining at a casual restaurant, there's no need to tuck in your shirt (or, truthfully, even to wear a dress shirt in the first place). Casual hangouts and other events where you won't be judged on the way you look have no need for tucked-in shirts, so unless you just want to look great 24/7, you can usually skip them.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Avoiding Tucking Mishaps

1
Be careful about tucking your shirt into your underwear. You can tuck your shirt into your underwear to stop it from coming untucked. However, any sort of motion that would normally pull some of the shirttail material out of your pants (like bending or twisting) may cause your underwear to ride up and others could see it.
- Some people like tucking their undershirt into their underwear because it keeps their actual dress shirt from becoming un-tucked as easily.^{[2]
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2
Don’t tuck in your shirt without a belt. Always wear a belt when you wear a tucked-in shirt, even if you don't need it to keep your pants up. Dress shirts are generally meant to be worn with belts and look most professional when paired with them. Leaving a belt off can make the waistline look somewhat naked and exposed, especially when you're wearing a shirt that contrasts greatly with the color of your pants.
- If you really hate wearing a belt, there are alternatives. For instance, suspenders and side-tabs accomplish the same purpose of keeping your pants up.^{[3]
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3
Don’t un-tuck after having your shirt tucked in. Once you make the decision to tuck your shirt in, don't turn back! Tucking your shirt in ruffles the material at the bottom of the shirt as it's stuffed into your trousers. When you're wearing the shirt tucked-in, this is impossible to see because your trousers in the way. However, as soon as you un-tuck your shirt, these wrinkles become visible. These can be quite visually unappealing, especially on light-colored shirts, so keep your shirt tucked in.
4
Shy away from half-tucks. If you're going to tuck in your shirt, tuck it all the way in. Don't stop halfway through! Tucking your shirt in completely in the back but leaving one of the front shirttails deliberately un-tucked won't usually make you look "delightfully disheveled" or "convention-defying". Instead, it will usually make you look like you've forgotten to tuck it in properly or you're trying to get attention. Unless you're a teen on their way to the skate park or you truly want to stand out at the cost of looking less put-together, stay away from the half-tuck.
- Don't take this article's word for it — most adult fashion resources will give you similar advice. Some, however, will give this fashion choice a pass in casual situations.^{[4]
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Community Q&A

Question

How do I wear something long?

Community Answer

Wear leggings under it; this will set off the shirt and make your legs look taller. Tying a side knot with a hair tie helps.