Cover photo credit: from left to right, Stòffa , Suitsupply , De Bonne Facture
We all know this simple dress code: wear a shirt tucked into the pants and the knitwear (t-shirt, sweater, polo shirt) out of the pants.
For example, Hast shows his pieces in exactly this configuration:
Dress shirt = tucked into pants
Pull = out of pants
Polo = out of pants
T-shirt = out of pants
However, if you look more closely at some outfits on Instagram or the looks offered by different brands and e-shops , you will see more and more mesh tucked into the pants.
And I'm not just talking about high-end. This is something you see on brands with affordable prices and styles:
The Pants do it...
... Knitting 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 do you do it right?
What is it for?
There are several reasons why you might consider wearing a tucked knit:
1. Show the belt
We are finding more and more trousers with original, elaborate closures. Nicolò has even dedicated a whole article to these closures .
When you wear such pants, you want the zipper to be visible. So even if you are wearing a t-shirt or a sweater, you tuck it into your pants.
It's the same idea with a nice belt, in braided leather or western style for example, that 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 what Jordan noticed after undressing ), wearing a knit that stops short at your waist allows you to visually reduce the height of your bust to show off your pants and therefore your leg length.
The idea is to appear a little more in the legs than in the bust .
Here is a good example of a balanced silhouette on a not very tall man:
On the contrary, wearing a knit outside the pants will highlight the bust to the detriment of the leg.
We see this type of silhouette in particular, where the top takes up more space, in streetwear outfits, the aim of which is not really to make you look taller:
How to wear knitwear in pants
Here is a list of points of vigilance and small rules to follow so that the rendering of a stitch tucked into pants is harmonious.
1. Cutting the mesh
Choose knits that are at least a little tight.
If yours is very loose, you will have excess material that 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 fit less well in your pants and will have a greater tendency to stick out.
2. The thickness of the mesh
Choose fine or medium-thick knits.
If the mesh 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 chunky, textured, voluminous sweater like this is worn outside of your trousers. Inverallan
3. The height of the pants
Choose pants that are mid-rise and above.
Don't tuck a stitch into low-rise pants . Unless it's very long, your stitch will tend to stick out of the pants.
On the other hand, if you have pants with a mid-rise or high waist , now is the time to put them on. .
The point here, as mentioned above, is to mark the area around the natural waist.
4. To go further: a stitch more or less pulled in
There are two ways to weave a stitch into your pants.
The first is quite obvious. The second is more unexpected.
Put the mesh completely into the pants
When you wear a shirt in a formal outfit, you don't want it to show through your pants . It should sit nicely inside, without any wrinkles.
We can apply this same concept to meshes.
A first approach is therefore to tuck your sweater or t-shirt firmly into your pants.
This allows:
- Make a clear demarcation between top and bottom
- Highlight the waistline
- Highlight the waistband of your pants
The waistline is very clear, the belt clearly visible
We see this type of rendering in particular in sartorial, dressy styles, where the knitwear takes the place of the shirt:
And also in more workwear-style looks, where having a very clear top/bottom demarcation can amplify and support a fairly raw style approach:
Let the stitch fall back onto the belt
This unintuitive practice is nevertheless very interesting stylistically.
It's a style gimmick , a little connoisseur's trick.
Another way to do this is to tuck your knit into your pants and then bring it out slightly , so that it falls to cover all or part of the waistband.
Doing this allows you to:
- Blur the line between top and bottom and give more continuity to your silhouette
- Less emphasis on the belt, making this area less visible
I also find it a little less intimidating to do it this way because it's less obvious that you've tucked your knit into your pants. The result is more discreet.
NN07 sweater, De Bonne Faiture pants, Moonstar sneakers
The waistline is blurred, the belt is not visible
This technique can be used if you 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 trouser closure:
To go further, you can take a look at the following articles:
Does the PERFECT CUT exist? – Sapristi #15
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