Shirt tucked in or out?

[Tobus]

I'm with Tobus. I always tuck in my shirt with a kilt. An untucked shirt hangs down and not only looks sloppy, but throws off the proportions of the whole outfit, much the same way wearing a normal suit jacket looks wrong with the kilt. The kilt's higher waist really calls for a tucked shirt (and a shorter jacket when you wear one).

I do wear some shirt styles that are designed to be untucked with pants or shorts, such as Hawaiian shirts and bowling shirts. But I never wear these styles with a kilt. The two looks just don't go together, for the same reason I don't wear a kimono with combat boots or a t-shirt with a necktie.

Showing off the kilt belt is another good reason to tuck. For the sort of tactical, outdoors, and working activities these kilts are designed to do, a loose shirt would seem to get in the way.

I think the Utilikilt and its brethren can look very stylish. I even like the t-shirt, and boots look with them. But I would still tuck in the t-shirt.

Andrew

I suppose it must be said that the Utilikilt and many other non-traditional "utility style" kilts are made to be worn down at the pants waist, not the higher natural waist. For someone with a long torso, wearing a shirt that just barely hangs down that far, maybe an untucked shirt wouldn't be a proportional issue. I have a short torso and a higher waist than others (even when I try to wear trousers low on the hips, they ride higher than they seem to on most people), so I just can't seem to get away with an untucked shirt without it hanging down past my buttocks. On the bright side, I never seem to have issues with my shirt coming untucked in the back like a lot of folks, so I guess there's that...

On the subject of Hawaiian and bowling style shirts, it's funny that I never really seemed to take to this style until recently. I blame it on getting older and not tolerating the heat like I used to be able to. I've really come to appreciate a lightweight linen shirt, untucked when wearing shorts, for maximum airflow. I still prefer solid coloured shirts over patterned ones, but it seems that patterned ones are the easiest to find. A floral pattern or leaf pattern isn't too bad with shorts and sandals (love my KEEN sandals!), I suppose, but I don't think I could ever bring myself to wear one of those shirts with any sort of kilt. But a plaid flannel shirt, I'm OK with.

So for the time being, if I'm wearing a Utilikilt, I generally stick to something like this: