Cropped

This summer brought back the continuing evolution of the crop top. No, I don't mean tight, spandexy tops a la Clueless...

(Although, Cher and Di were, of course, fabulous in their own time. Oh yes, I had the Amber Barbie doll.)

...but I mean these more flowy, asymmetrical tops. You can wear them with your high waisted shorts to lessen the amount of midriff that you show. What made it ok to wear these again? Do we not giggle and shake our heads at 90s Spice Girl fashion?

The important thing is that the very word “crop” has changed. It no longer means “stops an inch after your bra ends.” Now crop can mean long enough to still cover the top of your pants. The other important change is that these tops aren't skin tight anymore. On the contrary, they have become more loose than a normal t-shirt. They even occasionally using the term “swing tee” because of the way that the loose fabric can swing around your body.

(Urban Outfitters)

All in all, the crop top has actually become more conservative. The silhouette is completely different from its 90s proceeder.

I was curious to see how this summer trend would carry over to sweater season, or if it would at all. I checked out the sweater section at Nasty Gal and found the crop still going strong. Although they were all styled with shorts. If you leave in a location where it gets cold and snowy, that's not feasible at all. But I agree with them, I like how the tops look with shorts over long pants. The point of having something short and swingy is so it can blow in the breeze. That doesn't mean the 10 degree wind chill that's plastering you with sleet and snowflakes.

   

But when has interesting fashion ever been about practicality? It depends on what pains you're willing to go through to look chic. Personally, I liked the summer crop. It felt awesome on a hot, breezy day. Cropped sweaters for winter? I'm not sure I'm a fan yet.