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From the football pitch to the street: studded shoes are shaking up fashion
by Stephanie Vinzens
Do you front tuck your shirt? That means you’re old, according to Gen Z
18/10/2024
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Fashion has always divided generations. The current point of contention? The front tuck. For zoomers, it’s a clear sign that you were born before the turn of the century. But what are the youthful alternatives?
For many millennials, this hack has become a fashion reflex. Any loose hemlines are automatically tucked into the front of the trousers. Zoomers, on the other hand, find the look outdated and mockingly refer to it as the millennial tuck. Naturally, this riles Generation Y.
Most French tuckers stand by the hack
Numerous videos on the subject, made by millennials themselves, are going around on social media at the moment. In them, they make fun of their love of this hack, rant about the mockery they’re faced with, ask the younger community for fashion advice or swear eternal loyalty to the French tuck without batting an eyelid.
In the comments, most people agree that the front tuck’s both timeless and flattering. Tucking in your top emphasises the waist and balances the proportions, especially with wide cuts. But this in itself is a very millennial idea. After all, zoomers attach less importance to flattering silhouettes and have no qualms about wearing baggy clothes from head to toe.
Millennial tuck alternatives
In the eyes of countless millennials, a loose top without a front tuck simply looks unfinished. So the big question is, where to put the hem? Gen Z would probably say: just let it hang. And yes, this can actually look very good – as long as the length and cut of the top suit your look and body.
The most classic option is to neatly tuck the shirt in all the way around. But even that doesn’t always look ideal. If your top’s very long or wide, the fabric will bunch up around the waist and look unsightly. A better option for oversize blouses is to only do up the top few buttons, leave the bottom open and let the shirt cover your body loosely.
Alongside the French tuck, there are numerous other, somewhat more contemporary options for partially tucking your top in. There’s the side tuck, for example, where you only tuck your T-shirt into the left or right side of your bottoms. The asymmetrical look feels modern and is likely to be just within the comfort zone of most millennials.
The back tuck – the opposite of a front tuck – is also very popular with Generation Z. It involves only tucking your top into the back of your bottoms. Another option is the bra tuck. Instead of tucking the top into your pants, you tuck it into the front of your bra to create a belly-baring look.
Old-fashioned today, trendy tomorrow
Ultimately, the discussion about the millennial tuck isn’t really about style. It’s more to do with the natural tendency of generations wanting to set themselves apart from the previous one. There’s no way around it. Something that’s long been considered commonplace will eventually be perceived as old-fashioned. Until it’s so old-fashioned that it looks stylish again.
So tuck away as you wish – at the front, back, side or not at all. After all, by the time Generation Beta’s old enough to broadcast its opinion to the world, the millennial tuck may already be the latest throwback trend.
Header image: Launchmetrics/Spotlight
Has endless love for shoulder pads, Stratocasters and sashimi, but a limited tolerance for bad impressions of her Eastern Swiss dialect.
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