Recently, a reader commenting on one of the fashion blogs that I follow suggested that the blogger consider tucking in her blouse because, in her words, it would reduce the "frump factor". The blogger took exception to being told that she looked frumpy and responded by devoting part of her next post to the topic. She pointed out that tucking tops in doesn't necessarily work for everyone and that many very stylish women choose not to tuck. That post resulted in a lengthy discussion amongst her readers and inspired me to write today's post. So, with apologies to Shakespeare, to tuck or not to tuck, that is the question!
I very rarely tuck my tops in. The quality of the photos isn't great, but I'll let them speak for themselves. This is just a simple jeans and t-shirt outfit that I'd wear around home, but I think it's sufficient to make my point.
For me, to tuck or not to tuck has a lot to do with body type. I'm tall and thin, but I have a boyish figure with a wide waist and narrow hips. To top that off, as is true of most women who are midlife or beyond, I have some extra me around the middle. Leaving my top untucked tricks the eye and makes that less noticeable. To see what I mean, look at the line between my t-shirt and pants in the photos. When my top is tucked in, your eye is drawn to my waist, the area that I don't want to emphasize, but leaving it untucked draws your attention away from that area. An important key to making this work is to choose a top that drifts over the body instead of clinging to it and showing every bulge.
When I do tuck in my top, I usually wear a third piece over it as I'm doing in this photo from a recent post. This actually has a narrowing effect as only a small portion of the line between my top and pants shows.
When it comes down to it though, to tuck or not to tuck is a personal choice. There is no right or wrong answer. That's why we call it "personal" style.
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