button down shirts: tucked or untucked?

do you tuck in or out your button down shirts?

I want to tuck in mine (for work) but my pants go up so high on my waist that it looks like a weird shirt to pants ratio when my shirt is tucked in.  Is it how it's suppose to be?! 

 I'm female; 20 years; 5'4 & 127 pounds

thanks :)

Depends on your gender, profession, and possibly the pants.

But if your pants are so high on your waist, maybe you need pants that sit lower?

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Depends on your gender, profession, and possibly the pants.

 

 and the cut of the shirt.

It really depends on the style of the pants, the shirt, and how long your torso is.

I typically buy just below the waist slacks, so the proportions turn out fine when I have a shirt tucked in.  High waisted slacks would definitely make this proportion look off, not to mention I look awful in high waisted pants (IMO, very few people do).

However, there are button down shirts, like weskit style blouses, that are meant to not be tucked in at all.

I've avoided tucking in a shirt for most of my life.  I don't like how it feels and I've always lookes scruffy so it just doesn't fit. 

But thats just me.  :P

I'm Female (20 years old), and right now I have an internship.

I have the HARDEST time finding professional looking pants.  Well, a hard time finding jeans too, but I don't mind if my jeans drag on the ground a little bit.  However, I don't think it looks nice to have professional pants dragging on the ground, which makes finding a pair to fit me sooo hard.  I'm too tall for petite and too short for normal. I usually try to look for 'short', but it's slim pickings out there, so I had to opt for some that were meant to go higher on the waist.

I always tuck in my shirts when I'm wearing a suit jacket (so they dont hang below the jacket), but I don't always tuck them in if I'm not wearing one

Oh, I never tuck in my shirt - it makes me look awful.

I have a few long sleeve (j crew, i think) and several short sleeve (ann taylor) button downs that are pretty much straight at the bottom (they don't come up on the sides, or have the extra flap at the bottom) so they don't look like they need to be tucked in. I also wear them over camis, so that I don't have to button them all the way to the top - again, fits more with untucked.

My dress pants (ann taylor or at loft) - if they are too long, it's worth getting a tailor to take them up - it shouldn't cost too much (although it can be frustrating if you are losing weight to have to keep re-tailoring/re-buying pants).

What does it mean if the bottom of the shirts come up at the sides? Does it means it is suppose to be tucked?? I'm not sure if mine do.. if they do it's pretty slight.  How would they coming up at the sides help with tucking?

just wondering

I was just trying to describe the overall shape - pretty typical with men's shirts, and some women's shirts - it isn't that the coming up at the sides helps, it's that the back swoops down a lot so that it stays tucked when you sit, and the front panals swoop down (I'm not sure why).

The result is a wavy bottom edge taht looks weird untucked. If your shirts just come up a little on the sides, but are basically flat, I don't think it'll look weird untucked.

But it does depend on the environment - I work in science, and the dress code is quite casual. If I worked at a law firm, my style of dress wouldn't fly.

A very good question. After I gained a lot of weight I hated how I looked with my shirt tucked in. With my shirt out it helps me to cover the fat. With that said though I am in the US Navy and my working uniform is a shirt that must be tucked in. To be honest it looks more professional. And it certainly helps motivate me to loose weight when I have to see myself like that. I can be pretty self conscience though and taking my personal feeling out of it, I still think tucked in looks better.

I prefer shirts out. Seems more relaxed.

tucked for men, flexible for women.

i know lots of people prefer untucked if they have a belly, but it doesn't help.

I find untucked shirts look really unprofessional on me, but that may be because the length/cut is poor. Tucked shirts look weird on me because the waist of my slacks are too high. To look right, they'd have to be like those low-rise jeans, which means they could fall off an any minute.

So do people expect lawyers to tuck in their shirts? This is gonna suck. 

Jacket+camisole combo works great though.

Untucked, not because of my belly, which is under control, but because tucked just makes my entire torso look boxy.

Original Post by sauvignon:

So do people expect lawyers to tuck in their shirts? This is gonna suck. 

For men, yes.  Business = tucked. 

For women, it depends on the cut of the shirt.  Essentially, if it's a blouse that can't be tucked due to the cut, don't tuck.  Otherwise, tuck.  (Again, talking about businesswear.)

If you don't like where the waistline lies with a tucked shirt, wear a jacket over it.

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Depends on your gender, profession, and possibly the pants.

But if your pants are so high on your waist, maybe you need pants that sit lower?

 ^ What she said!

Original Post by pgeorgian:

tucked for men, flexible for women.

i know lots of people prefer untucked if they have a belly, but it doesn't help.

Now I just have to add, it's not a belly thing. It's a guy in an untucked shirt looks casual and fun,sexy, a guy in a tucked shirt looks stuffy and more corporate.(Unless he's working a retro thing, that's sometimes intriguing.) I have the same opinion on nice relaxed jeans vs. khakis, really.

Original Post by pgeorgian:

tucked for men, flexible for women.

i know lots of people prefer untucked if they have a belly, but it doesn't help.

 Yes it does. It spares the general population from having to view one's unappealing waistline.

meh - one's waistline is usually only unappealing if one's clothes don't fit

I know it`s professional and elegant and whatnot, but tucked in shirts are a personal pet peeve of mine. No idea why.

I like untucked over tucked on women. I really love the buisness "look". I always have. But one thing I always disliked was when they tuck in their shirt.

Example: Third outfit from the left.

If you absolutely have to tuck because of dress code, a nice jacket will make you feel more comfortable. Just hope it's not warm in the office. :0