Petite Untucked

I have another question relating to work wardrobes. I think I have absorbed too much of my mother's own classic style for my own good. (You know, the things like matching belts and purses and shoes, wear slips with all skirts/dresses, no white after labor day....) My dilemma is whether or not it is appropriate to tuck shirts in. When wearing casual clothing, I never tuck things in because I feel it makes me look stumpy. I'm very petite, and am slim, but somehow tucking shirts in makes me look truncated. The problem with many dress shirts is that they are too long on me to leave untucked or they have shirt-tails, which I feel is a bit too casual to have hanging down in an office setting. I'd love to wear classic dress shirts, but I've yet to find any that look good untucked. Should I just give up on the idea of dress shirts and stick to knit pieces? Thanks!


The problem is proportion, not Mom. You probably feel "stumpy" in the tucked casual shirts because the position of your natural waist doesn't create proportions that are pleasing to you. If you would like to wear dress shirts untucked, they must end exactly at the sweet spot on your hip. And, a long shirt tail isn't going to look polished. So, look for some shirts that are made to be worn untucked. They have straight hems. Then, have them shortened to create the correct proportion. If you wear them with a jacket, be sure that you try the jacket on, too. If you feel insecure about this, try a wrap shirt. The wraps are made to be worn untucked, and look very dressy, too.
Here's a dressy shirt that has good presence; I like the texture in the front and the straight hem (the Ruffles may be a bit much.)
What's really nice is the set-in waist that's very obvious.

So, for work, look for a shirt that has a straight hem, a defined set-in waist, and maybe some dressy texture, and have it shortened to do the job. Shirts that are created to be worn untucked, especially the wrap top, are a good place to start. Petite Untucked