Let’s reflect on the staple of the past few seasons: the crop top. As girls all over the east coast begin switching out their summer skirts for skinny cords, we can definitely expect a reappearance of the crop top.
First rule of thumb, never ever wear a crop top with low, or even mid-rise, bottoms. It’s too much midriff. Period. You can’t even get away with a look like that at the dimmest-lit of frat parties, so don’t try.
Second rule of thumb, don’t wear a crop-top to class or to work, unless you can cover whatever skin you’re showing with an unassuming slouch. Still, bad posture is not a worthy sacrifice to the crop-top cause. Just don’t do it; your professor/boss does not need to know if your belly button’s an innie or an outie.
Before I divulge more, its important to clarify the qualifications of a crop top. A crop top is not synonymous to a bralette or a bandeau. Those are undershirts; you cannot get away with ever wearing them as otherwise. A crop top should cover your chest entirely and stop just above—but could even cover—your belly button. This is merely a rough outline of what a classy crop top should look like, but anything skimpier can cross into questionable territory, so be careful.
Crop tops are not meant to be worn in the winter, the exception being the long-sleeved crop top, although the practicality of that is certainly debatable. Classy girls do not wear crop tops in the winter, unless it is with very high-waisted paints and underneath a warm sweater. Even then, comfort over everything, Collegiette, and a frostbitten belly button is neither cute nor comfortable.
Crop tops are shirts that can—dangerously easily—go from haute to heinous. So make sure that before you throw on your next crop top, you consider where you’re going, whom you might see, and most importantly, whether or not your shirt is actually a shirt.
Photos courtesy of Beautyismyduty.com.