The 5 Most Flattering Shirts You Never Need To Tuck In
Getting too old to tuck.
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by Audie Metcalf
We wrote another article about shirts you don’t have to tuck in, and it nearly crashed our site.
There is something about entering perimenopause that means I just don’t want to futz & fiddle over my clothes at all anymore. I can’t do it and I won’t do it. Everything in my closet that kind of has a weird fit or shirts that get too blousy throughout the day when they’re tucked in or pants that ride up and give me a camel toe—these are things I simply do not wear anymore.
In this spirit, I love a shirt you don’t need to tuck in, but that still looks crisp and tidy and flattering and not like some big, stupid bag.
It must have a perfectly flattering end point on the waist so that it nips you in just so, and it must feel like once you put it on in the morning, there is nothing to adjust and readjust throughout the day With all of my shirts, the only thing I want to think about is how utterly gorgeous I look in them. That’s it.
I found five such shirts and they all look great with jeans (especially with jeans in fact) and most of them are very well priced. The last one isn’t but once you see it, you’ll forgive me for including it because it is sheer perfection.
Let’s begin.
1. Maeve Market Day Shirred Long-Sleeve Top
First up, this wildly flattering shirt from Anthro—it’s shirred or maybe ruched is the word. Oh, also a warning, I will be wearing the same exact shoes, pants and hat, in all of these photos so that the shirts are really the star. And the shirts, TO BE SURE, are the star.
Ok. So. The arm holes here are slightly blousy so if you have a thicker arm like me, it won’t be skin tight, but it will accentuate your waist—even if you have a pooch, it will accentuate your curve in a gorgeous way. I think it’s also spectacular on the boob and definitely has enough room if you have a bigger bosom like me, though it would also be stunning on a more modest tit.
Price: $88
2. Pilcro Ribbed V-Neck Henley Tee
So. For this shirt, really zoom in on that curve around the hip—also creates a gorgeous line if you have a pooch. You really do want to highlight your shape and your waist whenever possible, but if you don’t love the idea of something cropped, this sort of “elevated” long sleeve t-shirt is a dream. Also, the material is so thin and so soft, it kind of feels like you’re wearing nothing at all—also the dream. And yes, I should’ve moved that crap in the background that really ruined the otherwise fine composition but what can I say. This is real life!
Price: $54.50
3. Pilcro Cotton Blend Stitchy Stripe Polo Tee
Now let’s move onto my backyard where I’m laughing at nothing, and my ping-pong table reveals some of my private interests to you all, which I know you’ve just been clamoring for. I actually had a ping-pong table brought in for my wedding—it’s that much of a passion for me, and if anyone lives in LA and loves ping-pong, I’d love to get together. Say the word. But but back to the shirt in question. When I said zoom in earlier, I actually meant take a screenshot because I’m sure you’re on your phone and when you try to zoom in to any site that serves ads, the site kind of explodes. So take a screenshot, go to your photos and zoom in there.
Look at that beautiful collar and please address yourself to the shape of the polo quality of the shirt—that permanent V which, for bigger boob gals, like us, is a great hack to making everything look balanced. And ribbed material always has a magic way of making a boob shape absolutely top-notch. And this shirt also has really generous arm holes, so I don’t feel constricted, BUT it nips in the waist for a gorgeous overall silhouette. Also it’s profoundly comfortable.
Price: $78
4. Aritzia
Golightly Cardigan Wonder Yarn
Oh, look! We’re back on the street again. Does that mean I can call this “street style?” Guys, I’d love to take photos on beautiful tree-lined streets with brownstones or in the middle of a bustling city, but the truth is I work from home and I’m just too lazy to have a big company-move fashion shoot for you—but I am risking my life and limb on the street, so I hope that counts for something. So let’s discuss this flattering striped sweater that I’m sure you’re afraid of because all of our moms told us we would look huge and unlovable in horizontal stripes. But as you can see, I still look quite lovable in a horizontal stripe!
And this particular shape is so so so gorgeous and flattering—I am immediately going to buy it in four other colors and patterns. I will say I also see that puckering on the button and I do feel strongly that it will go away if I just get one size up, (I bought it in store in a size small without trying it on) and I think the pulling and stretching is from the aforementioned heaving bosom, but a size up (medium) will immediately rectify that issue. Of all the shirts on this list, this one might be classified more as a sweater, but it’s still that perfect midweight so that you can wear it all day and not feel like you’re suffocated—especially if you deal with overheating. And the truly oversized arm on this one not only gives us room to breathe on our fluffy upper arms, but it also creates this beautiful upside down triangle shape, where it highlights the waist and gives us a lovely shoulder. I cannot passionately recommend this shirt enough.
Price: $118
5. Theory Elastic Hem Silk Button-Up Shirt
And lastly, the shirt I spoke of in the intro with a price you will not like because I also did not like it. This shirt has solved such a huge dilemma for me with my love of a silky button-down shirt but my quite firm boundary around not being willing to fight with tucking and re-tucking all the live long day. And silk blouses truly represent the nadir of the overbloused retuck, as I’m sure you are all too familiar with. And so, as you can see, this silky blouse has this elasticized bottom hem that nips in ever so slightly, so I just don’t have to think about it and yet, I get the look of a silk shirt. The elastic doesn’t pinch in too tightly so it doesn’t cling to my waist fat—it merely skims and meets the top of my jeans perfectly.
I do have to tell you that I have never gotten more compliments on a shirt than when I wear this shirt, and again, I do apologize deeply for the price. I believe it also comes in white*, which I will be purchasing toute de suite, but I think the navy* with jeans, especially, is a very crisp look.
Price: $365
Audie Metcalf is the Editor-in-chief of The Candidly, and lives in LA with her family. You can find more of her articles here.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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