Fashion Makeover Myths | How to Wear Crop Tops, Stripes, & Graphic Tees After 40
Here are three tops you won’t be able to resist wearing after I explain these fashion makeover myths. I’m breaking down how to wear crop tops, stripes, and graphic tees. If you trust me watch then try this.
HOW TO WEAR A CROP TOPS WITH A TUMMY
I’m lucky that most days I have a flat stomach, but even on my best days, the skin is soft around my middle. Most women are the most self-conscious of their stomachs, but I’m here to give you permission to wear crop tops too. This style is here to stay for a while and actually can be really flattering.
How to Wear a Crop Tops Like a Haute Mama
Crop tops look the best on body types that are longer on their top half in proportion to their bottom, and are especially flattering if you are small-busted. A crop top visually draws the eye up creating a waistline above your natural waist, where most of us are smaller. It also starts your legline there, creating the illusion of long legs. If you have a tummy then the challenge is finding a bottom that meets and greets the cropped top, holds you in, and helps hide your tummy.
High-Low But All Cropped
The Best Bottoms To Wear With Crop Tops
I’ve tried or own all of these pants. I’m 5’4″ and long in my upper half. These pants all come up over my belly button. The first two joggers have a stretchy wide-waistband that holds you in. The vegan leather style has a 12.34″ rise which works great, but you may want to size down so they sit closer to your natural waist.
These skirts all look good with a crop top too. The rushed style I’m wearing with the oversized graphic tee shirt below is on sale, and really holds you in and hides a tummy. You’ll find more long jeans skirts like mine from Fidelity in my First Look at Fall Capsule and THIS POST with jean skirt outfit ideas.
How to Wear Crop Tops if You Don’t Have Room on Top
Get the Look
If you have long legs, a short waist, or big boobs you can still wear a crop top. Instead of wearing high-waisted bottoms that infringe on the little space you have on top try layering a crop top over a button-up and slim pants. If you like the look with a skirt opt for a monochromatic top and bottom.
Monochromatic Meet and Greet
Get the Look
GRAPHIC TEES FOR GROWNUPS
Get the Look
Graphic Tees are one of my favorite things to buy and wear. There are so many stylish ways for women over 40 to wear them. It all boils down to what you when them with. You can make a $12 T-shirt look expensive by wearing it with designer shoes and accessories or elevated basics like leather pants or a Veronica Beard blazer. Use my stylist tips to get the look with my high-low mix of retailers and brands.
Veronica Beard Blazer and Target T-Shirt
A Graphic Tee With a Blazer
Give your favorite navy blue blazer a cool update with a vintage country club-inspired graphic tee.
A Graphic Tee With a Skirt
A skirt helps by mixing a traditionally casual piece with a traditionally dressy one. Both of the skirts I’m wearing are under $75.
The Secret to Styling Oversized Graphic Tees
Watch these videos for some simple styling solutions that keep your proportions in check when you’re wearing an oversized tee and also keep you from looking like a middle schooler. Don’t forget to style your sleeves. Also, oversized T-s with a dark background instead of light ones are more slenderizing.
Oversized Under $20
Anine Bing
Get the Look
These premium graphic tees are sought after and hard to find. Here is a recent round-up of some of the best styles, including my tiger tee and bald eagle on soft black.
Get the Look
MOTHER Tees
Mother makes more than just good jeans. Check out the MOTHER brand graphic tees from Nordstrom.
Daydreamer
Daydreamer always has a good selection of vintage-looking band tees under $100. Their graphics look more like art and less like a screen print photo. Their fabric is soft and distressed in all the right places, like at the neck at sleeves. You can shop their tees at Nordstrom but Free People usually has the best selection.
More From Free People
If you are not a fan of graphic band tees but like the vintage vibe try a top like this with your jeans and Western boots instead.
HOW TO WEAR STRIPES THAT FLATTER YOUR FIGURE
Stripes often get a bad rap. There is a myth that unless your thin and tall stripes aren’t flattering, but I’ve been making fabulous outfits with striped tops for women of all shapes and sizes for as long as I’ve been a stylist.
Stylist Tips From a Haute Mama
Not All Stripes Are Created Equal
This is a good thing. When matched to a monochromatic bottom, an uneven stripe with more of one color than the other can have a slimming effect. Try one of these tops with ivory or black jeans.
Move in the Right Direction
Not all stripes are horizontal. There are lots of fun striped tops that have slimming verticle or horizontal stripes.
Striped Sweaters
If you have broad shoulders look for a striped sweater with a solid space at the top. It will help balance your top-heavy proportions.
Horizontal stripes can be slimming. Try a cardigan over a fitted head-to-toe outfit in a solid color. You’ll see how the perfect little black dress or slim black pants along with a striped cardigan can shave off inches.