Leather jacket length and untucked shirts..

[mowgli222]

Recently I was able to try out an Aero Teamster and that jacket at 27in back length was perfect to wear with a shirt untucked and jeans without the shirt showing below the jacket. Since I am actually finalizing my Aero Sheene, I was just wondeing what the general consensus is wearing jackets like the Sheen or a Cafe Racer with shirts untucked. Is it even acceptable for the shirt to show below the jacket? My Sheene is going to be 26in in length and it would probably show an inch or two of my shirts (mostly GAP and Gustin OCBDs) and I mostly wear them untucked on jeans.

 

[Edward]

I should imagine that folks' reactions to this will depend as much as anything on whether they ifnd untucked shirts acceptable at all. Me, the only shirts I wear untucked are Haiwaiian, designed to be worn so... I don't like the look, otherwise.

 

[pak]

Tucked, shirts not below jacket if untucked.

 

[nick123]

If you found yourself comfortable with a 27" length, at least you know you're safe there. Going shorter could make for a better looking jacket, but on the flipside could leave you very disappointed. I'd go 26.5" and pray.
It's not the end of the world if your shirt sticks out a hair under your jacket, for those styles especially. But it would look odd with a Teamster.

 

[Big Man]

I should imagine that folks' reactions to this will depend as much as anything on whether they ifnd untucked shirts acceptable at all. Me, the only shirts I wear untucked are Haiwaiian, designed to be worn so... I don't like the look, otherwise.

Exactly.

 

[Jägernaut]

Shirts no more than 2 in below hem would be acceptable for me.

 

[Monitor]

At exactly 6 feet, I wear Perfecto's and CR's that are 24.5 or 25 tops - To hell with the long sizes! I have already wasted too much time in jackets that were too long, because I didn't have the guts to wear what I wanted. And no more untucked shirts or T-shirts, definitely not when I wear the MC jackets. Hawaiian shirts being an exception, of course.

 

[Grayland]

I'm 50 years old and ex-military and I usually tuck my shirts, but the vast majority of the generations younger than me would never tuck their shirt. I see plenty of guys wearing leather jackets with the shirt tail exposed and while it isn't for me, it doesn't look out of place.

 

[Mark]

I have a not so disimilar problem in that all my sweat shirts/t.shirts hang below my Highwayman, i don't like it but what can you do ( i am a short guy who takes a size S). It's a look to be avoided really and even more so with an A2 i think as its meant to be a smarter looking jacket the look of which is ruined with clothing hanging too low, in my humble opinion of course.

 

[Doctor Damage]

I have a not so disimilar problem in that all my sweat shirts/t.shirts hang below my Highwayman, i don't like it but what can you do ( i am a short guy who takes a size S). It's a look to be avoided really and even more so with an A2 i think as its meant to be a smarter looking jacket the look of which is ruined with clothing hanging too low, in my humble opinion of course.

Something about having knits at the bottom of a jacket makes the jacket look worse with an untucked shirt, whereas no knits but plain leather hem goes easier with an untucked shirt.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Age doesn't have much to do with it. I'm about the same age as Grayland but I have not tucked in a shirt since the early 1980's. My shirts hang about 3 to 4 inches out the back of some jackets and I couldn't care less. I tend only to wear black which possibly neatens up the look a bit. I don't think I have ever tucked in a t-shirt. I'm not a big Bruce Willis fan but this is a good photo of the look so many people here don't seem to like.

 

[Sloan1874]

I would learn to love the tucked-in look. The Sheene is essentially a Cafe Racer with a collar - sort of - and is a very slim fit, so to have yer shirt tails flapping around kinda spoils the look, imho. I used to favour the untucked look, but once you realise how much better your reflection looks with everything hidden away, you start to feel 'wrong' if you don't do it.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Another egregious example.

 

[BJC88]

I'd say it depends on the shirt that is worn with the jacket. If it is a regular t-shirt or Hawaiian, I would not tuck it.

 

[ProteinNerd]

Shirt or T-shirt untucked to me is simply a more casual way of dressing, its not right or wrong. I do both at different times but probably untucked more often.

 

[Superfluous]

Great thread and posts.

Outside the office, I always wear my shirts untucked. As such, I have contemplated this issue in depth.

IMHO, having an inch or two of shirt showing below the jacket is fine. Conversely, having several inches showing below the jacket line starts to look odd.

Certain jackets are intended to be worn longer, and look appropriate longer. Someone above mentioned the Teamster . . . that is a jacket that can be worn long enough to cover almost any untucked shirt. This is precisely why I purchased the Himel Canuck in brown and black . . . to have jackets that are intended to be longer, and will therefore cover almost any untucked shirt. The Maxwell and Mulligan can also be worn longer.

For me, the confluence of untucked shirts and jacket length is most challenging with moto/halfbelt/shorter styled jackets. My prior LVC jackets were all less 25 inches long (back length) . . . one was approx 23.5 inches. I am 6'-6'1''. Jacket backs less than 24.5 inches tend to reveal more shirt than I prefer (for all but the shortest shirts). That is one of the reasons why I sold these jackets. On the other hand, I think that certain jackets (e.g., Cafe Racer/moto styles) can start to look odd if cut too long. There are a myriad of factors that go into jacket length, including in particular the height and proportions of the wearer. That said, I have seen Cafe Racer/moto style jackets approaching the length of a Teamster and it doesn't work for me.

I recently tackled this precise issue when deciding the dimensions of my forthcoming Plainsman and, as Carrie can attest, I agonized a great deal about the appropriate length. I wanted a jacket that covers untucked shirts, but is not so long that it loses its intended lines/cut/appearance. After reviewing countless photographs of other jackets (coupled with info regarding the wearer) -- TFL is an unbelievable resource in this regard -- I decided to error on the conservative side and, given the moderate drop of the Plainsman, I went with a 26.5 inch back. My fingers are firmly crossed.

 

[Cyber Lip]

I think ANYTHING tucked into jeans looks lame. It reminds of of Bob Sagat on Full House. It's all about balance though. If you always wear shirts tucked in, go shorter on the jacket. If you always go untucked, add an inch or two.

 

[Sloan1874]

Another egregious example.

View attachment 15320

Damn sloppy if you ask me.

 

[Benny Holiday]

I was raised with this simple principle of dressing: if a shirt has tails, then it is to be worn tucked in. If it has a straight hem, like a Hawaiian shirt, it can be worn out, however you simply don't wear a shirt hanging out with a jacket. Jacket always = tucked in shirt.

 

[Sloan1874]

I think ANYTHING tucked into jeans looks lame. It reminds of of Bob Sagat on Full House. It's all about balance though. If you always wear shirts tucked in, go shorter on the jacket. If you always go untucked, add an inch or two.

I don't know how it works in the US, but in the UK, the untucked shirt is often used as camouflage to hide a burgeoning middle-age spread.