Keep it tight and tucked.

The clothing requirements at my workplace are pretty casual. Normally I go in with a t-shirt and jeans. The big requirement is that workers need to have closed toe and heel shoes. People who work up in the admin offices dress a bit better so I thought I’d take it up a notch since I’m there for the majority of my day. Also, since the wedding is in the next month, I decided to take out the shirt stays and give them a test run.

I’m willing to bet that you don’t know what a shirt stay is. You know how when you are wearing a dress shirt and then you sit down and get up repeatedly, the shirt tends to get untucked? Well a shirt stay is a device that keeps the shirt pulled down and tight. There are three or so models. Two of the three involve an elastic strap that attaches to the shirt and sock. The third attaches to the shirt but at the other end is a loop that wraps around the foot.

The shirt stay was one of the first accessories that I got for my uniform back in my freshman year. Keeping a proper military tuck can be hard. And despite warnings of possible testicle slaps and leg hair removal, I went ahead and wore them—and liked them. They work.

If you want to try them out, good luck trying to find them in any regular civilian store. The easiest way to get them is probably to get them online through a military surplus store. I’ve already checked AAFES and they don’t have them available through the net.

Other than the fact that I don’t wear dress shirts to work, I haven’t worn my shirt stays because they are missing the rubber fasteners. There’s a good way to get past that by using a coin. It’s the first time I tried it and it works pretty well.