Are you still doing the French tuck? Your answer probably says a lot about your generation: Generation Z or, well, not. After almost ten years of dominance, this one style trick – where you only tuck the front of your shirt into your pants and leave the back out – passé, at least according to a vocal section of the youth.
Instead, oversized, relaxed silhouettes have come into fashion, something Gen Z absolutely hates, according to countless videos on Instagram and TikTok. Once the symbol of casual style, tucking the front of your shirt into your pants has now been renamed the ‘Millennial Tuck’a cringeworthy addition to an outfit.
Millennials’ favorite styling trick
“Aren’t we being shamed for putting things down our pants now?” asked Alexa Chung in a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “I have to say the other day I was trying something on and it felt weird putting it in my pants. I tried it immediately, instinctively. Then I thought, ‘Oh no, wait, that feels weird.’ It changed in an instant. We put it in on Wednesday, but not on Thursday.’
It used to be simple: you either put it in or you didn’t. Tucking was neat and tidy. Not tucking in your pants was more relaxed – even sloppy, according to some. In 2013, the street style scene embraced something in between: the half-tucked version, where one half of the shirt front hung over the pants. It was an easy way to style a piece of clothing that most of us already own. Then came the French tuckwhere only the front of the shirt is tucked into the pants and the back hangs loose.
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Katie Holmes with the Half Tuck in 2021
The origin of this look is difficult to trace. Some say Demna’s Vetements did it first; others claim it was a French street style trend. But the French tuck only really became mainstream when Tan France van Queer Eye introduced it to the general public. When the show was revived to great success in 2018, the stylist used the styling trick to give the Fab Five a subtle, sophisticated look. It became so ubiquitous that Brie Larson gave Oprah a brief explanation at the 2019 Women in the World Summit. The technique was deliberate, but relaxed. And most importantly, it accentuated your waist without looking forced.
“The French tuck is very flattering, which is why it was popular for so long,” says Miranda Almond, fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar UK. ‘It gives a clever illusion of longer legs and a slimmer waist, giving an outfit more shape. As a styling trick it is still very useful. It has been used in countless fashion campaigns, partly because of that, but it also adds a touch of effortless cool, that indefinable French style what we all long for.’
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Olivia Palermo French tuck in 2022
“There’s something so artfully casual about it,” agrees personal stylist Anna Berkeley, whose own clients have since switched to a fuller front tuck, with the back still hanging loose. “That ‘I quickly put this on and left’ attitude.” The French tuck was pretty easy to master, and anything with the word ‘French’ in it must be cool, right?’
Is the French tuck passé?
But that’s the way it goes in fashion: the wind has changed, and the French tuck has had its impact. What once felt fresh and modern is according to Generation Z, now a symbol of middle age. As a society we are still getting used to the idea that age does not automatically mean irrelevance or a mandatory old-fashioned look, but the younger generation tends to question the style choices of the older generation.
For young people, dressing like your parents has always been the height of uncool. As style coach Therese Bassler says, “Every generation wants to make its own mark in some way.” She emphasizes that her teenage daughter likes to borrow clothes from her wardrobe, although fortunately she is not yet convinced by her boucle set from The Row.
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Alexandra Lapp practices the French tuck in 2023
“It’s natural to write off the generation above you, right?” says Berkeley. ‘You think you know better, when in fact it would be much more useful to try to discover what you like and don’t like about the style of that generation. Don’t be critical, but curious.’
Since dress codes reflect the world we live in, there’s something to be said for that Generation Z’s preference for oversized shapes reflects a more progressive view on gender – and perhaps there is something to be learned from their more personality-based, individual way of dressing. “Generation Z is much more gender fluid than previous generations,” says Almond.
“It’s not about making yourself overly feminine.” (Read: Defining Your Waistline.) “I find they are more eclectic in style and much more drawn to second-hand clothing. They deviate from prescribed looks. For example, the idea that you have to put something in your pants. I like to follow what they think is cool and how they wear things. I’m really keeping an eye on it because I think they can teach us a lot.”
For those interested in the oversized, absolutely untucked trend, it’s all about controlling volume relative to your figure. Berkeley, who created the body shape styling app Think Shape runs, says that understanding your proportions is essential. ‘Wearing a belt with oversized jackets, shirts and sweaters helps control the bulk of looser silhouettes – as does rolling up sleeves,’ she explains. “It looks good, but you need to know your leg length and where to place that belt on your body so you don’t ruin your proportions.”
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Andie McDowell and the
‘Never out of fashion’
Not everyone will have the French tuck give up overnight. One of the benefits of growing older is that we get to know ourselves better and, with a bit of luck, have more self-confidence than we did in our twenties. We know what suits us, no matter what’s trendy. At Recollection, Bassler’s chic vintage pop-up shop series (the latest of which is now open in Notting Hill), she expects more customers to style their layers this way.
‘A French tuck never goes out of fashion – it’s more about defining the shape than a trend,” she says. ‘Let’s not forget that Generation Z is still in the discovery phase when it comes to fashion, and it takes a while to distinguish between what is temporary and what really suits you. Most of my customers are well into their thirties or forties and are still discovering the latest fashion. Nothing needs to change if it works well for you.’
