Only Gamblers Leave the Tuck to Luck

In or out? It’s a question a lot of guys have regarding short-sleeved sport shirts. Tuck it in and you might look like you need horn-rimmed glasses held together with tape to complete the outfit. Leave it out and you have a bit of the grunge look, with strangers asking you for Soundgarden tickets.

“The general rule is that if it doesn’t have a finished, squared-off bottom, it needs to be tucked in,” says Mark Schell of Mark Schell Designs for Men in Corona del Mar. “That is, unless your goal is grunge.”

Many sport shirts are squared-off and have small slits on the side, a minor fashion detail that tells you that the shirt can be worn out if you prefer. If it’s a squared-off and finished shirt, and you still can’t decide, remember, when in doubt, leave it out.

Talk about a revolution: He’s been gone almost 14 years, and he’s still making fashion statements. Those round, John Lennon-style sunglass frames continue to be hot sellers.

“They sell very quickly,” says Rick Castillo of Strictly Sunglasses in Brea. “They’re popular with people of all ages.”

Like jeans of the ‘80s, sunglass chic is determined by the label you buy. If you’re out to make an impression outdoors, resist the temptation of cheap, drugstore-brand shades. Investing in a good pair of sunglasses is good not only for your image, but your eyes as well, because you’ll likely get better UV protection.

If the Lennon look isn’t for you, the aviator, or highway patrolman-style shades are still popular, as are the plastic horn-rimmed and the horn-rimmed/metal combination.

Look for arms that open and close evenly; if they’re even slightly off they’ll look crooked.

Sweating it out: They’re comfortable, and in this age comfort and convenience are in. That’s got to be the explanation for so many people wearing sweats all the time.

“About the only place you don’t see sweats is at a cocktail party,” says clothing designer Ellen Corcoran of Yorba Linda. “You’d think some people work, play, eat and sleep in the same pair.”

These utilitarian athletic wear can be worn outside the gym with prejudice. Grocery store, the mall, movies, fine. The key is to set aside a pair that are your “public” sweats and a pair that only you and a few chosen people see. Keep your public pair clean and periodically check them to see if they’ve become stretched out.

The “in” sweats now are the ones that look like they’re used to build a sweat--grays, navy, green--all plain and baggy.