Cover photo credit: from left to right, Stòffa , Suitsupply , De Bonne Facture
We all know this simple clothing rule: we wear the shirt
For example, Hast shows his pieces in exactly this configuration:
Dress shirt = in pants
Sweater = out of pants
Polo = out of pants
T-shirt = out of pants
However, if you take a closer look at certain outfits on Instagram or the looks offered by different brands and e-shops , you will see more and more stitches tucked into the pants.
And I'm not just talking about high-end. This is something we see on brands with affordable prices and styles:
The Pants do it...
... Tricot Paris too
This practice raises questions that we will answer in this article:
- Why tuck a stitch into your pants?
- If you want to get started, how to do it well?
What's the point ?
We can mention several reasons why we can consider wearing a tucked knit:
1. Show the belt
We find more and more pants with original, worked closures. Nicolò even devoted an entire article to these closures .
When you wear pants like this, you want the zipper to be visible. So even if you are in a t-shirt or sweater, you tuck it into your pants.
It's the same idea with a beautiful belt, in braided leather or western type for example, which we don't want to hide:
2. Balance or slim the silhouette
If you are not very tall or have short legs compared to your bust (this is the observation that Jordan made after undressing ), wear a knit that stops sharply at your waist. allows you to visually reduce the height of the bust to benefit the pants and therefore the length of the legs.
The idea is to appear a little more in legs than in bust .
Here is a good example of a balanced silhouette on a not very tall man:
On the contrary, wearing a knit outside of the pants will highlight the bust more to the detriment of the leg.
We see in particular this type of silhouette where the top takes up more space in streetwear outfits, the aim of which is not really to grow taller:
How to wear a knit in pants
Here is a list of points of vigilance and small rules to follow so that the result of a stitch tucked into pants is harmonious.
1. Cutting the mesh
Choose stitches that are at least fitted.
If yours is very loose, you will have excess material which will not look good once tucked into the pants.
A cut like this seems well balanced to me, for example, neither wide nor tight:
We can also mention the length: the longer your knit, the better it will fit in your pants. And conversely, a shorter knit will hold less well in the pants and will be more likely to stand out.
2. The thickness of the mesh
Choose fine or medium-thick mesh.
If the knit is very thick and/or textured, you will also have difficulty tucking it into the pants. Even if you succeed, the result will not be very happy.
A thick, textured, voluminous sweater like this is worn outside of pants. Inverallan
3. The height of the pants
Choose pants of medium height and above.
Don't tuck a stitch into low-waisted pants . Unless it is very long, your stitch will tend to stick out from the pants.
On the other hand, if you have pants with a mid-high or high waist , now is the time to put them on
The interest here being, as mentioned above, to mark the area around the natural waist.
4. To go further: a stitch more or less tucked in
There are two ways to tuck a stitch into your pants.
The first is quite obvious. The second is more unexpected.
Put the stitch completely inside the pants
When you wear a shirt in a formal outfit, you don't want it to peek out from your pants . It must stay well inside, without creating creases.
We can apply this same concept to meshes.
A first approach is to tuck your sweater or t-shirt firmly into your pants.
This allows you to:
- Make a clear demarcation between top and bottom
- Highlight the waist line
- Highlight the waistband of your pants
The waist line is very clear, the belt clearly visible
We see this type of rendering in particular in sartorial, dressy styles, where the knit takes the place of the shirt:
And also in more typical workwear looks, where having a very clear top/bottom demarcation can amplify and support a fairly raw style approach:
Let the stitch fall on the belt
This not very intuitive practice is nevertheless very interesting stylistically.
It's a style gimmick , a little connoisseur's trick.
Another way to do it is to tuck your stitch into your pants then bring it out slightly , so that it falls to cover all or part of the belt.
Doing this allows you to:
- Blur the line between top and bottom and give more continuity to your silhouette
- Emphasize the belt less, making this area less visible
I also find that it's a little less intimidating to do this because it's less obvious that you've tucked your stitch into your pants. The result is more discreet.
NN07 sweater, De Bonne Facture pants, Moonstar sneakers
The waist line is blurred, the belt is not visible
We can use this technique if we are aiming for a soft tailoring style, which puts aside very clean and structured lines in favor of more fluid silhouettes:
Another example from Suitsupply , with a polo shirt that stands out slightly and partially covers the zipper of the pants:
To go further, you can take a look at the following articles:
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