Written by The Strategy
Crop tops are an inevitable challenge that we all face at one time or another. “Yay or nay?” is the question that floats in our minds as we shop and try to piece together outfits that look both stylish and flattering. Which is where the crop top comes in and starts problems.
Though there are numerous and seemingly endless variations of crop tops, many of us just cannot seem to find the right way to wear one. Not all crops were created equal, and therein lies the secret to success.
What may be the right crop top on someone else, may not necessarily be the right crop top for you. Knowing your body is a huge part of which crop will work for you, and which crop will work against you.
For example, if you are more gifted in the chest region of your body, loose boxy crops are both a blessing and curse. With these, you have to find the right length of top to avoid a boob-tent scenario that makes you look shapeless in the bad way. If you’re smaller on top, however, strappy cropped tank tops can be too loose and result in constant adjusting unless you tape them down, and even then, the straps are always too long.
Then again, a good boxy crop goes so well with a midi skirt that it’s too difficult to give up. What else compliments the shape as well? And there’s nothing more freeing than a strappy top. The best days are the days you get to go bra-less, and strappy crop tops usually call for one of those days. Besides, crop tops don’t need to be tucked in, and there are few things more frustrating than trying to neatly squish the bottom half of a shirt down your pants.
And then there’s the whole issue of when crop tops are appropriate. Out and about? Yeah, of course. Work? Probably not. But what about all those dressier crops? Is it okay to wear one if it’s minimally cropped with a blazer over it? How about a cropped oxford button down?
Challenged as we all may be, there is a solution to some of the crop top problems standing in the way of your sartorial desires. One of the best ways to get around the issue is to simply fake it.
It goes something like this: boxy top+high waist bottom=crop top illusion.
It works well with any bottom as long as it’s got a waist high enough to disappear beneath the hem of the top, and with any top as long as it’s a little shorter than your average shirt. Put them together, and POOF…a crop top that doesn’t make you feel self-conscious, and it’s appropriate for most occasions.
