This summer the crop top is back with a vengeance. It is shorter, boxier and lower cut than ever for the most part. For those of you not familiar with a crop top it is a top that is cut just at the rib cage so that the abs are exposed. This means getting your abs in shape because they need to be wonderfully sculpted if you are going to wear this look.
Crop tops were originally invented in the forties to be worn on hot days with Capri pants. Nowadays they are worn with just about any type of bottom including pencil skirts, flounced skirts and ballerina style skirts. The skirt does not have to match the pattern on the crop top. In fact it s very fashionable to shake up how you match the top and the bottom just a little bit. Whatever you do choose a bottom with a very fitted waist or you might look sloppy.
The designers Edun and DKNY are making crop tops that look more like sports bra but with a bit of a tight fitted military inspiration. Edun’s top was super skimpy and done in khakis with lots of straps and paired with a sleeveless chiffon overshirt. DKNY’s is very fitted like a swimsuit top and paired with a circlet of fabric that goes just below the knee. Khakis, browns, tans and military greens were seen in a lot of crop top designs so far.
Some of the crop tops expected to show up in stores this summer are quite sexy and feminine. Many have spaghetti straps or inbuilt bras with pretty details that make them seem like a short camisole or even like a bra. The designer Chloe and Rochas presented very feminine looks like this on their runways this Spring. One big trend is going to be wear two thin lingerie look tops with one over the other with a pair of low slung baggy military style pants.
Boxy shaped cropped tops that are reminiscent of the eighties are also back in style. These tops have sleeves or not and are cut loose across chest. The best way to describe them is truncated Mandarin style tops.
Boob tubes is an old term that refers to a strip of cloth that fits around the chest area that does not have straps and exposes the belly. Versace has done a series of glitzed up versions of these made out of lace, studs, netting and black leather that are fit to wear out to a ball.