Answer Angel: Tuck trend

Ellen Warren, Tribune News Service on May 27, 2025

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Dear Answer Angel Ellen: My question: What's with the tucking in of the front of your shirt, but leaving the back flapping out?? That looks ridiculous!

--Linda M.

Dear Linda: This is a look popularized by Tan France on the Netflix show "Queer Eye." And you’ve described it well — although the back untucked part of the shirt is supposed to stay put, not flap around.

Earlier this year, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was sporting the French tuck with her long sleeve white T-shirt (no flapping on this one) in a visit to a maximum security prison in El Salvador where some men deported from the U.S. are currently incarcerated.

The look is designed to be casual but more put together than an untucked shirt for both men and women. Over the years, the popularity of this style has diminished somewhat but I still see it a lot. Like you, I’m not a fan. It seems a little contrived but on the list of bad fashion choices, I see a lot worse every day.

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: Several years ago your column addressed the problem of unwanted visible bra straps and summer tops. The best answer was to dump the bra altogether and get tops with the bra already built in. On your recommendation, I went straight to H&M and purchased two perfect tops, which I’ve now been wearing for (too?) many summers. I need to replace them, but of course they have been discontinued. Can you help me find tops with the following criteria?

1. Built in padded bra

2. NOT clingy around the stomach

3. Cotton (or mostly cotton). This is SO hard to find!

Any kind of straps are fine.

--Laura S.

Dear Laura: It seems that every garment and cosmetic we love is either discontinued or will be soon. But, you are in luck. Shirts with a built in bra — which you no longer found at H&M — are still available and meet all three of your criteria. They won’t be identical but, maybe — I hope — other versions available elsewhere will be even better.

What I found online: sleeveless, spaghetti straps, camisole, tank top, V-neck, scoop neck, square neck, boat neck, flowy, backless, short sleeve, three-quarter sleeve, long sleeve, floral, striped, stars, half-buttoned at prices from $4.49 (amazon.com) to $80 (theclassicshirt.com) to $90 (huit.com—they’re French.) (From Ellen: Readers, since I didn’t personally try these shirts, if you have a favorite for price, comfort and/or style please let me know.)

Angelic Readers 1

Susan H. writes: “To piggyback on the comments from readers about what to pack in a flight carry-on: I am a perfectly healthy person who has three times been admitted to the hospital for extended stays after going to the emergency room: broken bone, burst appendix, etc. I now keep a small bag in my closet packed with:

*dry shampoo

*hairbrush

small hairspray

mascara and eyebrow pencil

makeup remover wipes

ChapStick

*hand cream

*deodorant

chargers for watch, phone, iPad

underwear

*slippers or slides

yoga or pajama pants

sweater

(From Ellen: That is a comprehensive list, Susan! I’ve starred items on your list that hospitals often provide—plus a razor and shaving cream—all of which are of predictably minimal quality.)

Angelic Readers 2

Ambitious suggestions from DIY-ers for Kris I. on how to hide her bed’s ugly metal legs and conceal the stuff she stores under her bed (which does not have a box spring to keep bed skirt in place)...

From Gail B.: “I buy a regular bed skirt that has the right length. Then I cut away all the excess fabric in the center and serge the raw edge (if you can), which is just a few inches away from the actual skirt. I buy double-sided tape and run the tape on the top edge of the metal frame and stick the skirt to it. Begin at the corners at the bottom of the bed. When you need to wash it, pull off the tape and re-apply new tape. Cheap and easy and stays in place!”

Carol says: “I wanted a custom fabric bed skirt and I sew, so I used sticky one-inch Velcro on bed frame and opposite sew one-inch Velcro on fabric. I made a separate piece for each side and one end of the metal bed frame. That way, there’s no issue with tuck in. That has worked well for 17 years. I did use quality fabric and lined the three pieces to hang well.”