Lipstick, Lettuce & Lycra

How to Wear a Crop Top

—

by

Retro Chick
in

Gasp! Two outfit posts in a row!

I almost never do that! Well, the fact is that I had planned to write something else for today, probably something deep and meaningful about shoes, or possibly spring jackets. I am, however, in a hotel with the suckiest WiFi in the world. It is WiFi so sucky that I couldn’t even face waiting for pictures of shoes to load as “research”, so instead I took a photo of the outfit I wore out to dinner yesterday evening and I’m posting that instead.

I’m lucky I’d planned a vaguely interesting outfit because I have been shopping, and didn’t just slope off to Wetherspoons in the same old T-Shirt and black skirt that I wear all the time.

This outfit is actually kind of noteworthy, because it must be the first time I’ve worn a crop top in public in AT LEAST 10 years, very possibly 15 or 20, though if I say that no doubt some photo of me in 2000 in a crop top will appear on my Facebook feed and then I’ll feel like a liar.

sunglasses and pencil skirt

This particular cropped top is part of my recent ASOS haul. I’d been eyeing them up for ages. I kept seeing people in outfits with crop tops and they looked so cute, but I was unconvinced I would have ever have the guts to actually wear one out of the house. Then I needed to buy something else, because I needed to spend over £20 to get free shipping (obvs) and thought “hell, lets give it a go!”

The key thing I realised is that this is not 1998 and I am not J-Lo. I do not have to wear my cropped top with low rise flared jeans. Cropped tops worn with nice high waisted skirts actually only show a tiny sliver of flesh between skirt top and top bottom.

At least that’s what I thought, that sliver looks more like a slice in some of these photos, but I love this outfit and it’s definitely getting more outings this summer!

retro chick

The skirt is from Collectif and it’s suitably slinky and very high waisted. They don’t have it anymore, but I have just found about 3 other skirts on there that I think should be worn with my cropped top!

I feel a bit like I should be in Cry Baby in this outfit, hanging around with boys on Motorbikes, rather than going to eat steak at a Wetherspoons.

pout

Collectif Pencil Skirt

Look, it’s those shoes again as well! The ones I said on Monday that I would hardly ever wear because my sprained ankle was still weak, but have now worn twice in a row. They’re actually surprisingly comfortable on flat ground, because the platform means they’re not as high as they look, though walking across the grass behind the hotel to take these photos that make it look like I’m in the middle of the country instead of standing next to a back up generator at a hotel near the M6 required a little concentration.

shoes

So that, as the title promised, is how to wear a crop top. Buy crop top, wear crop top. Oh, and if you don’t want to flash too much flesh wear it with a high waisted skirt.

♥ Cropped Bardot Top – ASOS ♥ Pencil skirt – Collectif*♥ Shoes – Debenhams*♥

Comments

102 responses to “How to Wear a Crop Top”

  1. Emma Youens avatar
    Emma Youens

    I always eye up the crop tops too, there are so many available on the high street but I am yet to take the plunge and actually buy one! Looks fab with the high waisted skirt though, maybe this summer my stomach will get an outing! haha 🙂 x

    1. Gemma avatar
      Gemma

      Do it! It’s not as scary as you think!

  2. Sandy avatar
    Sandy

    I’ve found some brilliant kind of crop tops in Primark. They’re gypsy style but fully shirred, cost a fiver and come in black, red or a navy print.

    1. Gemma avatar
      Gemma

      Ooh, I think they had something similar a few years back, but I hadn’t decided crop tops were for me yet! Will have to go take a look!

  3. Megan Maude avatar
    Megan Maude

    I bought a crop top during the fall, and I intended to wear it with a high-waisted pencil skirt like you did. However, I haven’t been able to make myself leave the house in the outfit, despite putting it on a number of times. Your post makes me want to do it though. You look unreasonably stunning!

    1. Gemma avatar
      Gemma

      Wear a cardigan over the top the first time to make it less scary!

  4. Lori Smith (@lipsticklori) avatar
    Lori Smith (@lipsticklori)

    Amazing outfit and, dear god, I love the way you write! Makes me smile so much 😀

    1. Gemma avatar
      Gemma

      Aw, thank you! That makes me smile! 😀

  5. Rubi avatar
    Rubi

    Love this! I only wear crop tops with high waisted trousers/skirts. I’d be way too nervous to wear a crop with something low rise.
    Rubi | Instagram | The Den | http://www.the-den.blogspot.com