tucking in dress shirts

Joffrey · Mar 4, 2008

All my tailored shirts still have some billowing. Granted, I haven't had darts put in, simply had the shirts taken in at the sides. Like Shrtmaven said, with a slimmer shirt it's not difficult to get a great seamless fit at the front or sides but the extra fabric would have to be at the rear. Plus, like teddieriley said, moving will make the shirt lose shape.

However, I just got a Polo Shirt in custom fit that I'm going to go all out on to see how slim I can get it.

danbachran2 · Mar 4, 2008

My Dad told me when I was younger about some special tucking technique he learned when he was in ROTC. I should ask him to give me another lesson

borderline · Mar 4, 2008

My dad was in the army, and he said that they do a fold on each side of the torso, so that there is no excess material in the front or back. This would create a "Z" fold on each side of your body.

Now, if you are wearing a coat I guess this would be OK, but if you are coatless, is this better or worse than putting all of the excess in the back?

danbachran2 · Mar 4, 2008

I feel like without a jacket it would be distracting to see these 2 huge folds on the sides of your body...

TheFoo · Mar 4, 2008

Originally Posted by borderline

My dad was in the army, and he said that they do a fold on each side of the torso, so that there is no excess material in the front or back. This would create a "Z" fold on each side of your body.

Now, if you are wearing a coat I guess this would be OK, but if you are coatless, is this better or worse than putting all of the excess in the back?

I tried that trick before; I don't think it's workable unless you have a shirt with a substantial amount of excess fabric. Ideally, your shirts won't have that excess in the first place.

I wonder how much of this tucking-in problem stems from people's expectations of how a shirt should look. These magazine and catalogue photos really warp notions of what makes a proper fit. Do you expect your shirt to be completely flush to your body in front? I tuck in my shirt so that the excess fabric is more or less equally distributed, with slightly more in back.

Coho · Mar 4, 2008

Besides a properly fitted shirt, I'll also suggest thinner undergarment, such as :

I'm a professional and this has helped maintained the trim appearance around the waste immensely.

Originally Posted by mafoofan

I tried that trick before; I don't think it's workable unless you have a shirt with a substantial amount of excess fabric. Ideally, your shirts won't have that excess in the first place.

I wonder how much of this tucking-in problem stems from people's expectations of how a shirt should look. These magazine and catalogue photos really warp notions of what makes a proper fit. Do you expect your shirt to be complete flush to your body in front? I tuck in my shirt so that the excess fabric is more or less equally distributed, with slightly more in back.

pauliodotnet · Mar 4, 2008

it is always slighty more so in the back for me at least, walking and such always pulls the shirt out some, i did not know if there was just something I was missing.

what are these dart things?

Always Suited · Mar 4, 2008

Originally Posted by ChicagoRon

Do any of you bespoke shirt customers get the "under the crotch button"?
When I lived at home and my Father purchased/chose my clothes. I always wore ones that buttoned between my legs. This kept your shirt from pulling out or bunching. I stopped wearing them when I moved out. Do they still make such a shirt?

cheessus · Mar 4, 2008

i tuck mine into my boxers. it doesnt prevent billowing, but it definitely mitigates it a lot.

Asch · Mar 5, 2008

Mafoofan's words are wise.

needshoehelp · Mar 5, 2008

Wait--dress shirts are supposed to be tucked in? Now you tell me.

mmhollis · Mar 5, 2008

So can a competent tailor make a shirt 'fitted" or slim fit?

FidelCashflow · Mar 5, 2008

Originally Posted by mafoofan

I wonder how much of this tucking-in problem stems from people's expectations of how a shirt should look. These magazine and catalogue photos really warp notions of what makes a proper fit. Do you expect your shirt to be completely flush to your body in front? I tuck in my shirt so that the excess fabric is more or less equally distributed, with slightly more in back.

+1, I experimented with MTM in search of the perfect fit like a magazine, and realized after a many shirts, I "over-shot" the perfect fit and ended up getting a shirt that looked great when I stood upright in front of the mirror, but was actually quite restrictive when I had to move around.

If you can prevent any big bags underneath your arms from the shoulders being too big, and can get the shirt trim enough so it isn't balooning out the back, you're already ahead of 90% of other people walking around.

The shirts you see in magazines look great if you're just standing there in front of the camera, not so great if you're actually trying to move around and do everyday stuff wearing that shirt.

pauliodotnet · Mar 5, 2008

Originally Posted by mmhollis

So can a competent tailor make a shirt 'fitted" or slim fit?

Absolutely, I tailor all my dress shirts and ask for slim fitted, she does a phenomenal job.

TheFoo · Mar 5, 2008

Originally Posted by FidelCashflow

The shirts you see in magazines look great if you're just standing there in front of the camera, not so great if you're actually trying to move around and do everyday stuff wearing that shirt.

I'd go even further and say that the people with skin-tight shirts in magazines look awful once you realize how shirt are supposed to fit. Some looseness, without bunching, allows the fabric to drape really nicely.

tucking in dress shirts

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