The most versatile button up shirt can be worn both tucked in and untucked. But with different lengths and cuts, it can be hard to tell if a shirt fits untucked.
Back to untucked button up shirts — You’ve mentioned how long they should hang in the back, but what about in the front? – Ali A. (a concerned wife)
The quick and easy answer is that it should be the same length as the back of your shirt which as we’ve discussed earlier should fall no lower than the bottom of your back pocket. Dress shirt hems should come in the same length in the front as they do in the back to ensure uniformity.
One exception to this is the polo shirt. Original polo shirts came with a longer back hem than front hem. The difference between polos and dress shirts is that polos come with a flat bottom and are designed to be untucked. Dress shirts come with a curved hem and are designed to be tucked in. Somehow over the years this has been reversed (at least in America). The longer back hem of the polo shirt is intended to cover the rear when untucked and keep the shirt in place when tucked.
We thought we’d bring in another expert on the matter so we asked Mr. Eric Powell of Ratio Clothing his opinion. Ratio makes custom shirts, and Eric had this to say:
“The large majority of dress shirts or button-up shirts these days will hang to the same length in the front and back, or be very close. For the overall length, my general rule of thumb is mid-back-pocket on the length for a short worn untucked.
And, while we’re on the topic, I think the most overlooked factor in wearing a shirt untucked is how big around the shirt is in the hips and waist area. If you have a shirt that is much bigger around than your waist, it’s going to look bad untucked even if you nail the length (imagine a poncho). Look for a good slim-fit option that fits snug, but not button-popping tight, through the torso and you’ll be in good shape.
If you really want to get into the minutiae of a great looking untucked button-up, the shape of the shirt tails can make a difference too. We opt for a shallow curve on our shirts so that the length on the sides of the shirt is long enough to fall past the belt-line without the front and rear tails hanging like a dress.”
About Grant Harris
Grant Harris is Owner & Chief Style Consultant at Image Granted; a Washington, DC based Image Consulting Company dedicated to solving the complex image, style & fashion issues of today's professional man. He has a healthy obsession with socks. Follow him on Twitter & Facebook.
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10 People had something insightful to add, but we're missing your voice! Continue the conversation with a comment.
Cameron
Great article, I’ve been wondering about this myself, as I tend to wear shirts untucked more often when going out, but I try and go for slimmer fitting ones
Dec 26th, 2011
Rich
Does those same rules apply if you are not tall ? lol
Dec 26th, 2011
Andrew
Absolutely. Rules of fit are pretty universal.
Dec 26th, 2011
chris
sucks if you are less than about 68″ tall and thin though, as pretty much all shirts will be too long, much too baggy in the torso, and if you’re athletic, too tight in the chest in a small.
Gap smalls are really bad for this. Seems it’s impossible to get slim fit short length shirts that fit a more athletic chest and neck.
Dec 26th, 2011
Rich
Being 5’6 and a gym rat I fall under big and small lol. It’s always cut here,shorten here, alter here. Super pain in the ass lol
Dec 26th, 2011
Bryan
So what are some examples of some brands that make shirts that are a good length? What is the blue gingham shirt that’s approved?
Dec 26th, 2011
Andrew
Chris, Absolutely understand. You may want to look into an online Made to Measure shirt company, most of them are between $30-$90, which is the going rate for a shirt at a place like Gap or Banana Republic, except this one will fit!
Dec 27th, 2011
Andrew
Bryan,
Unfortunately a brand that works great for me may not work great for you due to different body types, fit preferences, etc. I’ve had good luck with Lands’ End Canvas, I have two shirts from them I wear untucked. It also has to do with what the shirt is intended for, for example, most shirts labeled as a dress shirt will be too long to wear untucked.
The gingham shirt is from Lands’ End Canvas, but isn’t available any longer. They have something close:
http://canvas.landsend.com/pp/HeritageBuffaloCheckPoplinShirt~217664_-1.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::KL4&CM_MERCH=canvas-search-_-The+Heritage+Check+Poplin+Shirt&origin=search
Dec 27th, 2011
Keith
You should check out untuckit.com. They designed shirts from the bottom up to be worn untucked. The shirts are awesome and a perfect length. Can only buy online.
Jan 11th, 2012
Your awesome ideas go here: