Each day most of us will go through a range of activities and motions like sitting, standing, bending, reaching, and getting in and out of the car.
Inevitably, our nicely tucked shirt is now disheveled, and we find ourselves doing the shirt retucking dance. Of course, this isn’t just a one-time thing – it reoccurs many times throughout the day.
Over the years I’ve been on the lookout for solutions that will help keep shirts tucked in, and I’ve compiled a list of them below. Before we dive in, however, let’s briefly review the questions I receive most often about how to keep your shirt tucked in.
What is a shirt tucker?
A shirt tucker can be one of two things, depending on how it’s used in a sentence. In one scenario, a shirt tucker is simply someone who prefers to tuck in their shirt. The alternate definition is a product that keeps shirts tucked.
What is the best shirt tucker product?
The most well-known and reasonably effective shirt tucker product type is shirt stays. However, there are many other shirt tucking products outlined in this article below that work as well as shirt stays.
13+ Hacks to Keep Your Shirts Tucked
1. Keep Your Shirt Tucked with Traditional Shirt Stays
Shirt Stays are probably the easiest to explain, as most people are familiar with them. They are also regularly used by officers in the military and armed forces.
How it works: One end attaches to the bottom of your shirt (front and back) via clasps and the other end is either looped to go around your foot, or equipped with clasps to attach to the top of your socks.
For more information, please see my Shirt Stays article that covers the best types of shirt stays and shirt garters.
Where to buy: Amazon
2. TCKYOU Shirt Stays Belt
This shirt stay belt is comfortable and easy to put on.
How it works: Just hook it up to the last button of your shirt (or skip if you’re wearing a casual top, like a polo) and wrap it around your waist. It’s easily adjustable to your waist size and is TSA-friendly.
Where to buy: TCKYOU website
3. PantsProp
PantsProp is a simple-to-use accessory designed to keep your pants up. Plus, it’ll keep your shirt tucked too!
How it Works: It attaches to the bottom of your shirt and creates a gripping point for the waistline of your pants.
Where to buy: pantsprop.com
4. Shirt Tuck Keeper / Lock & Ultimate Belt Shirt Stay
Think of this as a belt for the bottom of your shirt.
How it works: This device wraps around the bottom of your shirt, just below your waist, and when tightened, it essentially secures your shirt to your body.
Where to buy: Amazon & Ultimate-Belt.com
5. Hidden Tailor / Rubber Belts
Rubber belts are similar to the Shirt Keeper, but these shirt holders are made of a rubberized material with tiny fingers/knobs which are designed to provide more grip.
How it works: Wear the belt underneath your pants and directly against your shirt to hold it in place.
Where to buy: Amazon & Flexbelt.net
6. Magnetuck
This device is comprised of two small round magnets: one flat, and one in a half-sphere shape.
How it works:
- Place the flat piece on the inside of your shirt
- Place the half sphere/dome shaped piece on the outside of the shirt
- Ensure both parts clasp together
- Place one on each side of your body
Similar to the prototype undershirt below, the pants belt-line is raised above the two-piece assembly. When your belt is tightened, the Magnetuck stays in place under the belt-line.
Are they effective? This product has mixed reviews, so try it if you’re interested. These will not fully prevent your shirt from coming untucked, and some complain about the bulge it creates.
Where to buy: Amazon & Magnetuck website
7. Strapless Suspenders
The easiest way to describe strapless suspenders is to envision four elastic flat loops that slide onto your belt, equally dispersed around your waist.
How it works: A rubberized coating situated on the end part that you tuck into your pants provides the shirt-tuck gripping.
Are they effective? Amazon reviews are mixed, with a below-average rating of 2.8 stars. Personally speaking, I wouldn’t want to have the visible elastic loops on my belt.
Where to buy: Amazon
8. Tuck Your Shirt Into Your Underwear
Let’s not forget that you can also tuck your undershirts or shirt into your underwear if you’re so inclined. More about that topic here.
9. Shirt Tails
This product is also magnetic in nature, but it comes in a set of four and there is a rubber coating on one side of each of the four sets.
How it works: It attaches to the shirt similar to Magnetuck, where one magnet is on the inside of the shirt and the matching one is on the outside. The difference here is that Shirt Tails uses two in the front of the shirt and two in the back.
Are they effective? Ratings are pretty bad on this item, and I can understand why. These just don’t seem like they’d be that effective based on where you place the magnets.
Where to buy: Amazon
10. Men’s Shirt Stays Underwear
Men’s Shirt Stays Underwear is essentially a boxer brief integrated with gripping components that are designed to keep your shirt tucked. They are a more efficient alternative to traditional shirt stays since the mechanism is part of the underwear.
How it works: There are silicone dots on the inner side of the waistband, and a security button hole to secure your shirt to. There are no clips and no elastic bands around your thighs or feet. Getting dressed requires no extra effort or accessories.
Just put on your underwear like you normally would, fasten one button, and off you go.
Where to buy: Amazon | TELALEO (Amazon) | CROPAL (Amazon)
11. Tukz
Tukz is another brand of underwear made with gripping components built-in. They have options for both men and women.
How it works: Shirt stays or clasps are integrated into the design of the underwear.
Are they effective? I’m a bit skeptical about this product because if you pull on your shirt, it seems like you’d pull up the legs of your underwear. Also, it’s hard to tell if this company is still operating & actively selling this product.
Where to buy: Amazon & Website
12. Boxstays Underwear Shirt Stays
Boxstays are conceptually similar to Tukz because, again, the technology is integrated into the underwear.
How it works: Boxstays Underwear Shirt Stays utilize auto-adjusting clips that attach to two places on a reinforced thigh band.
Learn more: Boxstay Underwear Shirt Stays
13. Style Stays Gripping Dots
Think of glue dots for your clothing.
While the website shows a couple of product usage examples such as keeping your collars and tie in place, I would assume these could also be used to help keep your shirt tucked.
How it works: Try applying one of these anchors to the inside of your waistline and voila, a greatly improved shirt tuckability.
Where to buy: Amazon
BONUS IDEA: Prototype Undershirt To Keep Pants Up (& Shirt Tucked)
A while back, an inventor contacted me to share news of his invention that kept his undershirt tucked, and pants up.
How it works: A couple of inches from the bottom of the undershirt, there is a channel that wraps around the perimeter of the shirt. Within that channel is a soft tubular rod, possibly made of foam.
To use, raise the pants belt line slightly above the channel. The raised channel stays in place under the belt-line, as you tighten your belt.
Learn more: Keep Pants Up Shirt. Inventor Seeks Licensing Deal
Do You Know How & Why To Tuck In Your Shirt?
If you’re in search of more information about how and when to tuck in your shirt, my buddy Antonio over at Real Men Real Style wrote an amazing article on the Art of Manliness about the topic.
How Do You Keep Your Shirt Tucked?
Do you have a special way to keep your shirt tucked?
Do you know any other products designed to keep your shirts tucked?
If so, tell me about them in the comments section below.
I’m thinking of altering my husband’s dress shirts to be like body suits women have worn in the past with the snaps at the crotch, except I’d put the snaps higher in the front, like under the front belt line.
I have been reading about this looking for a solution and the most promising I’ve come across is sewing a button onto the inside waist band of your pants and a small hole in the shirt below the visible level
heya kelsie, thanks for stopping by and sharing your solution to keeping shirts tucked!
fastening your shirt to your pants by way of a button on your inner pants waistline and button holes on your shirt is definitely one option to consider.
off the top of my head, the only downsides i can see are:
i did know one person who used large safety pins to accomplish the same thing. if i recall correctly, it was jose from the teaching men’s fashion youtube channel who mentioned that as an option.
so, you may want to try that first, and if works well for you, then maybe consider implementing your idea to make a more permanent position.
thanks again for sharing your idea — i really appreciate it (:
or maybe snaps?
I’ve tried a couple of the above with mixed results and none of them really do the job, plus some of them are real hassle to put on etc. I would put my vote for the Style Stays Gripping Dots or similar products, these are relatively seamless easy to apply and have a strong hold. However its important to emphasize that the issue starts at the shirt itself, if it doesn’t fit you well, you can try everything it will just look sloppy….
good points anon! thanks for stopping by (:
I always tuck my shirts inside my underwear including my dress shirts and the waistband of my undies is usually showing above my pants and I like having my undies showing and they are always showing, too.
Oh, wow. You all have amazing ideas, I just normally double up on the underwear, sticking and pinning my shirt to the outer layer of underwear. It stretches my shirt out horribly, but it normally stays in place.
I use a version of 2 and 3 however mine comes with no cost.
When a pair of underwear is at its end of usefulness, simply remove the elastic from it, discard the rest LOL. After the shirt is on and before the pants goes on, pull the elastic either head down (best) or feet first on over the shirt just to the point where the side cuts are.
Pull shirt tight and it should be good. It may loosen up slightly, but that can be rectified during a visit to the bathroom.
The wife knows when I have used them, because she doesn’t need to tuck my shirt in.
yo cf — good to hear from you and thanks for stopping by and sharing your hack to keep shirts tucked!
man, you’re a genius in using the old waistbands of underwear to keep your shirts from coming untucked.
it’s similar to some of those shirt keep belt solutions, but a lot more pocket friendly.
if i were to use that technique, i’d probably first try using the waistband of tighty-whitey briefs, because those waistbands are not as pronounced or thick as the exposed waistband on some boxer briefs.
are you using the waistband from boxer briefs, or regular briefs?
man, you’re idea is so logical & practical, i may just add it to body of the article!
I use those from from the regular briefs. In the winter I also use them help hold up my long johns because the elastic is too loose and the seat hangs too low.
This a year after my first post. LOL
heya cf, thanks for stopping back by and sharing your additional thoughts!
i’ve updated this article several times in the last year, so you may want to poke through it again to see some of the new ideas (:
Any reason no one sews velcro onto shirt tails, and then on inside of pants?
(I guess I’m not sure silicone or rubber would clasp so well)
heya russell — thanks for stopping by and posting your idea!
i think the velcro idea has merit, but it may be a little tricky to install it on all your shirts, and all your pants.
also, you’d have to position it just right.
if you install it too low, it would likely result in it pulling up on your pants. install it too high, and you don’t get the proper hold.
there’s a newer shirt tucking solution in the works that utilizes silicone, and the company making them is about to send out a bunch of samples to get feedback from users.
it won’t fully prevent untucking like shirt stays, but it will keep them more secure.
do you want to be on their beta-tester list?
Sure, I’ll beta. Curious to see what they’ve got.
I tried one of the rubber “shirt belts” and didn’t get much out of it, seemed like too little tool for the task.
Velcro:
I’ll agree with you that the positioning might involve some experimenting, but once the sweet spot is detected, you’re done. And from then on, no fussing with extra pieces or stays.
(I’m obsessed with this to the point where I’m thinking of getting some 2″x2″ velcro squares stiched on my tails.)
I would love to be a beta tester for this product!
I just found your website today looking for solutions because I am a crafty person and I was trying to figure out how to sew a strip of silicone (like what is in headbands and in various other items to keep the edges gripped down flat)
I know certain military uniforms have a type of gripper in the edge of the trousers to help keep a shirt tucked in I’ve heard.
They make an elastic band with silicone gripping already on it you can buy by the yard (Amazon) and sew it into the waistband of any pants.
That helps but I was looking to see if there was other options before I did this project.
heya lori – thanks for stopping by!
i just emailed you with a link to the beta test.
good luck!
I thought exactly the same thing.
Actually, I wondered why people don’t sew extra buttons on the shirt tail and put button holes in their pants so they could button their shirts into their pants? But then, deciding that would like odd, I moved to the velcro idea.
You can buy wide velcro tape (2″) which would give you a lot of room to adjust the pants height/shirt depth, etc.
The shirt stay/suspender products look clumsy and seem like someone you’d constantly be feeling throughout the day.
I saw a pair of slacks with a “keep tucked” rubberized band inside the waist band of the pant that was made to grip your shirt. I thought it was integrated into a Haggar Cool 18 slack product, but have not been able to locate them again.
Maybe you are aware of this pair of slacks being available?
Thanks,
Rick
heya rick — good to hear from you buddy and thanks for posting that suggestion!
yeah, i’m definitely aware of pants that have the silicone/rubberized stripe inside the waistband.
in fact, i have a couple pair of bonobos pants that have that very thing.
the only reason i didn’t include it in this article, was because i didn’t want to suggest that people had to go out and get new pants (:
that said, people can buy that gripping material/strips from amazon or a store like joanne fabrics, and just sew it into their existing pants inner waistband.
thanks for sharing that recommendation!
Good idea with the sew in rubber strips. But why not get the iron on hem tape that comes in different widths? That should hold those rubber strips in place, which would eliminate the Betsy Ross approach.
heya ted — yeah, i’ve seen a couple shirt gripper products that use either the stick-on or iron-on method.
for those that want the permanent solution put into their pants, an iron-on shirt gripper applied to the inside waistband of the pants would be a reasonable approach.
with that said, and generally speaking, the inner-waistband shirt gripper solutions i’ve seen so far still require that the person wear a belt, worn fairly tight, to work reasonably well.
even so, the shirt is still prone to come untucked with moderate movement, but they do add more gripping/friction than without any form of shirt gripper.