UK Edition
John Humphrys: an untucked shirt is great on Meghan Markle but not on men
When Meghan Markle made her first public appearance with Prince Harry, her half-tucked white shirt was hailed as a fashion moment.
For John Humphrys, it was also a sign that gender equality can never be truly achieved because a man with his shirt tails hanging out is regarded as a slob.
Explaining that women and men are “equal but different”, Humphrys said: “I have four words to support that view. The first two are ‘French tuck’.
“That, I’m told, is the latest fashion trend - wearing your shirt with one half tucked in your waistband, and the other half hanging free.
“When men do it, it’s because we are basically slobs and we don’t even notice. When women do it - ok, some women - it’s because they want to appear fashionable. Apparently Meghan Markle does it, and so does Cate Blanchett - and you don’t get a greater endorsement of a fashion trend than that.”
Writing in Waitrose & Partner’s Weekend magazine, Humphrys added: “The other two words are ‘ripped jeans’. And with that, I rest my case.”
The trend for tucking in the front of a shirt but not the back has been popularised on the Netflix makeover show, Queer Eye, and is intended to flatter the male physique.
That show’s British fashion expert, Tan France, explains: “It’s called a French tuck. It’s going to balance your proportions and help you look taller and leaner.”
He said recently: “I actively try to push it because I think it is a great styling tip. I was in New York for a week and a half and I passed hundreds of people who were doing it, and almost everyone stopped me and said, ‘Tan, I’m doing the French Tuck.’
“It feels amazing to know that the information I’m giving on the show is actually translating into real life.”
Female style influencers have been modelling the look for some time - it can also be applied to sweaters and T-shirts - and it is a regular feature of Instagram. Tucking the shirt in on the left but not the right is also popular, particularly with David Beckham.
The trend has now gone mainstream. One of Britain’s best-known and most traditional shirt brands, Thomas Pink, relaunched this week with an advertising campaign that features models with their shirts untucked.
Now known as Pink Shirtmaker, the brand has brought out a vintage-inspired collection with prices starting from £165, aimed at younger men.
However, some agree with Humphrys that tucking your shirt in is a basic requirement of looking smart.
Lee Kynaston, a male grooming expert, said: “I laugh every time that guy on Queer Eye suggests the French tuck. He makes it sound like a sartorial magic trick every man should know, which clearly it isn’t.
“Personally, I’m not a fan. It’s handy if you’ve spilt soup on the bottom of your shirt, of course, but John Humphrys is right - it does look slovenly and isn’t office appropriate.”
If you attempt the French tuck in the hope that people will consider you effortlessly casual, it is likely to backfire, Kynaston said. “They’re more likely to think you’ve been to the loo and forgot to tuck in the back of your shirt after pulling up your pants.”