Want to look sharp in hotter temps but prefer not to sweat it out in a suit or collared shirt? Just tuck in your T-shirt.
Yes, after decades of letting it all hang out, stylish men are now channeling their inner Steve Urkel, stuffing their casual tees, pullovers and even sweatshirts into their pants.
“Tucking in your T-shirt is something that keeps coming in and out of style,” says fashion stylist Allison St. Germain. “But I’ve been seeing it a bit more these days. I think with the weather getting warmer and spring happening, it’s just a great way to dress up a look.”
Outkast’s Andre 3000 kicked off the trend last summer, stepping out at Coachella wearing a retro Fila tee tucked into a pair of belted, faded jeans. Dapper rapper A$AP Rocky often rocks a tucked-in T-shirt, worn under a flashy bomber jacket with slim pants — and showed up at the Met Gala this month in a tucked-in turtleneck. Brooklyn Beckham dressed up his threadbare undershirt during a recent red carpet event by shoving it into a pair of pleated olive wool trousers. And Virgil Abloh, the designer behind the Kanye-approved label Off-White, even tucks in his sweatshirts.
“It sends a good message. It says, ‘I’m casual, but I didn’t just roll out of bed in these clothes,’ ” says Esquire fashion director Nick Sullivan, adding that for shoots he’ll often style models with “half-tucked” shirts for that extra bit of offhand ennui. “It’s like wearing very clean, white sneakers. Tucking in is part of that whole aesthetic.”
But would normal guys dare to tuck their casual cotton crewnecks?
“Never,” says Andrew Holland, a 35-year-old accountant based in Jersey City. “I thought it was OK on Zack in ‘Saved By The Bell’ . . . but in general, when guys tuck in shirts, [the pants] are often hiked up too far, they’re usually showing off ugly belts and even if there’s no belt they’re showing off unflattering jeans.”
Charles Griemsman, an editor at Harlequin, also says he wouldn’t be caught dead with a tucked-in pullover, but for a different reason. “Lately, I’ve put on weight [from] stress eating,” says the “middle-aged” Williamsburg resident. “I don’t want to be more of an assault on the eyes than I need to be.”
Sullivan agrees that dudes with beer bellies should proceed with caution. “Guys who work out are more likely to tuck in because it accentuates their waist,” he says, adding that the very ripped opt for shorter or rolled up sleeves to further flaunt their “guns.”
“It’s trend-conscious but very body-conscious, too.”
David Lada, a 59-year-old art director based in Westchester, does think that his trim figure allows him to indulge in the trend without looking ungainly. “I exercise a lot. Especially since I had back surgery, I have to work on my core,” he says. “To me it looks cleaner. I hate the baggy look.”
For some guys, being able to tuck in your shirt is not embarrassing or dorky, but aspirational.
“I’m not even sure [a tucked-in tee] looks better,” says 39-year-old Jens Larson, a journalist and translator based in Vienna. “But I know that for the short periods of time where I have hit a state of trimness that allows tucking in, I’ll be damned if I don’t show it off!”