Shirts Tucked Into Jeans: Are We Really Doing This?

jeansLuckily for me, at both of my post-collegiate jobs, the dress code has been very relaxed. Jeans are acceptable, if not the norm. In fact, at my currently job, many of my coworkers wear shorts and t-shirts on a daily basis.

I actually like dressing up–I like the look and feel of dress pants and a dress shirt. However, I mix it up and wear jeans and either a polo, sweater, or button-down shirt a few times a week.

For as long as I can remember, the normal way to wear polos and button-down shirts with jeans has been to not tuck them in. For some reason this has never looked too casual for work–it’s simply the standard way to wear shirts. You don’t tuck them in.

A year or so ago, I started seeing the occasional male tuck his polo or button-down shirt into his jeans. I considered it an anomaly, a hipster thing that would never catch on. It didn’t make any sense, and it didn’t look right.

But as time has passed, I’m starting to see it more and more. It’s to the point where it’s starting to make untuckers like me look more ragtag and casual than we really are. This is a problem.

This issue came to mind tonight when I was watching Brooklyn 99 (which I’m actually enjoying quite a bit). Andy Samberg’s character was wearing a button-down shirt tucked into his jeans. And it hit me: If Andy Samberg, the epitome of a casual, laid-back guy, is now wearing shirts tucked into his jeans, what does that make me? Am I more casual than Andy Samberg? That can’t be.

I never thought the day would come that I would consider tucking shirts into my jeans, but that day has arrived. After all, I’ve been wrong before–I used to think that Western-style plaid shirts looked ridiculous, and now I own several.

But are we really doing this, men of the world? Are we really going to start tucking our shirts into jeans, of all things?

Let me know what you think of this monumental, life-changing decision.

13 thoughts on “Shirts Tucked Into Jeans: Are We Really Doing This?”

  1. No, if you are wearing jeans then you do not tuck shirts into them. Unless you are doing a very specific hipster style look while wearing a skinny tie and an odd haircut then you will always look like a mega dork for tucking your shirt into your jeans.

    Reply
    • I just realized in my FB pic (at this time) I’m wearing a skinny tie with a leather style jacket that’s really a hoodie, slacks and leather hi-top boots. >_> At least my hair’s not that funny.

      Reply
  2. My husband always tucks his shirts in, t-shirts, polos, button downs… he tucks them into slacks, jeans, shorts, or even Carhart’s work pants. I’ve found it bizarre for over a decade, but he looks good 🙂 the only thing he doesn’t tuck his shirt into is pajama pants! He says it’s just how he was raised to do it

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  3. *Sighs audibly* I’ve been wondering about this for a while as I’ve seen this supposed trend over the past couple of years. I say “supposed” intentionally, because I wonder if it’s actually an age thing that we’re just noticing more and more as the people we see regularly age. Like lemmings compelled to leap from a cliff, for some reason, men approaching 30 seem more and more compelled to tuck shirts into just about anything. At this point, on the other side of 30 and more than halfway to 35, you might as well be tucking your shirttails into your socks.

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  4. I’m not sure there’s any clear rule of fashion that states you need to tuck shirts into jeans now, but certain styles of shirt, especially when paired with a nicer jean definitely look better tucked in.

    I do want to point out that on Brooklyn 99, Andy Samburg’s character–under the influence of a new captain who tries to enforce a strict adherence to the dress code policy– is the one wearing the shirt tucked into jeans, and not necessarily Andy Samburg in real life, so there’s that… 🙂

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  5. These are varied responses. Luke, you’re saying not to tuck. Angie, you say you like the way your husband tucks. Trev, you seem to sense the inevitability of the tuck. And Katy, you say that the tuck depends on the style of shirt.

    I don’t know what to do with this information. We need a tiebreaker.

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  6. A dress shirt tucked in: If the jeans are exceptionally good and you throw on a belt to finish the look, it works. Hotly, even.
    A polo shirt tucked in: Maaaaybe. Maybe-ish. Again, with good jeans, a belt, and no potbelly, I can stand behind this trend.
    A T-shirt tucked in: Ridiculous. Without fail, it always looks like one of those baby outfits layered over a onesie. Onlookers find themselves wondering if it’s a proper shirt, or a weird adult-sized bodysuit. So if you’re tucking in the T-shirt, Jamey, you may as well go for the full look: Cotton onesie, burpy cloth, pants with an elastic waistband and snap-closed-legs-for-easy-diaper-changes. Perfect.

    Reply
  7. Interesting point of view considering I ALWAYS tuck casual button downs into my jeans. I personally think it makes a person look more put together and clean/cut looking. T-shirts and polos I would never tuck in, but a nice button down tucked into a nice pair of solid dark denim jeans with a nice belt cannot be beat. Depends on where you live too…..I live in Upstate NY so it’s pretty standard. NYC on the other hand…meh

    This is my style…minus the cuffing.

    https://cdn3.ledbury.com/assets/homepage/595/dd1e17922b4e2232c2100f655bdfdfc3/original/30_Days-6.jpg?1382371855

    https://cdn0.ledbury.com/assets/homepage/607/f9cb9ddf2a2517f68a1aceee967596b2/original/30-Days-18.jpg?1382374426

    https://cdn1.ledbury.com/assets/homepage/617/c35bc748a14e7362745b0d3e358935b2/original/30-Days-28.jpg?1382374953

    https://cdn3.ledbury.com/page_images/attachments/000/008/888/original/Day_26.jpg?1382787133

    https://cdn1.ledbury.com/page_images/attachments/000/008/717/original/Day-23.jpg?1382528685

    https://cdn3.ledbury.com/page_images/attachments/000/008/622/original/20.jpg?1382269264

    https://cdn1.ledbury.com/page_images/attachments/000/008/395/original/Day-10.jpg?1381404948

    https://cdn2.ledbury.com/page_images/attachments/000/008/607/original/Day-18.jpg?1382095776

    https://cdn2.ledbury.com/page_images/attachments/000/008/946/original/Day_31.jpg?1383219818

    https://cdn.propercloth.com/images/bias/1_63cd4d7c2827a330436e8c60ea10b516.jpg

    https://cdn.propercloth.com/images/bias/10_ee696e4872e8f4dcf8543b4fc86d0da2.jpg

    Classic and timeless casual gentleman style. Cannot be beat. Not that it really matters, but I’m 20 years old myself so it’s definitely not for “older people”.

    To each his own!

    Reply

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