It’s warm. It’s sunny. Now’s the time to free your midriff, let your belly button breathe. That’s where crop tops come in.
Crop tops have been a Thing for decades. In the 50s, they came paired with high-waisted shorts, skirts and pants. In the 60s, Summer of Love participants wore groovy, colorful halters. When it came to the 70s, Elie Tahari made a name for himself buying and reselling tube tops. In the 80s came the Flashdance-fueled aerobics craze and Madonna’s mesh Lucky Star look. In the 90s, there were tiny-strapped, navel-grazing tanks. And in the early 2000s — the veritable Golden Age of the Crop — everyone who was anyone had a shrunken shirt for every day of the week. Think Christina Aguilera in her teal-fringed Genie in a Bottle days, Scary Spice and her silky halters, Cameron Diaz circa The Sweetest Thing, TLC and their teeny graphic tube tops.
The abridged pieces made their most recent comeback several years ago. And defying all odds, they’ve managed to stick around. Of course, in order to hold our often jarringly short trend attention span, they’ve become more and more exaggerated over time. Nowadays, it’s perfectly suitable to leave your house wearing a bra as a blouse.
Not that we’re complaining. We’ve waited all winter to flaunt our midsections in public and at home and now is our collective time to shine. Scroll down to shop 30 of our favorite tiny tops for summer. Feeling more modest? Wear them with high-waisted pants and show off just a sliver of skin around your ribs. Ready to make a statement? Break out the super-low-rise bell-bottom jeans. With crop tops, there are only two rules: (1) Never fret about tummy rolls, food babies or lack of abs and (2) Don’t ever wear one to work.
Crop Tops 2022 Update
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #1
Urban Outfitters Hooked-Up Satin Cropped Top, $29.99 at Urban Outfitters
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #2
Johanna Ortiz + Net Sustain Living Calle 8 Cropped Twisted Cotton-Blend Blouse, $350 at Net-a-Porter
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #3
Rationalle Jazz Vest Top in Clementine, $125 at Lisa Says Gah
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #4
Zara Satin Effect Crop Top, $45.90 at Zara
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #5
Mango Cotton Crop Top, $59.99 at Mango
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #6
Agua Bendita Rhea Crop Top, $120 at Anthropologie
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #7
Jonathan Simkhai Rosa Printed Transparency Ruched Strappy Top, $325 at Shopbop
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #8
Eloquii Sleeveless Sweater With Waist Ties, $64.95 at Eloquii
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #9
Pixie Market White Cotton Rolled Shoulder Top, $88 at Pixie Market
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #10
Emilio Pucci Psychedelic-Print Silk-Satin Cropped Wrap Blouse, $625 at Matches Fashion
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #11
Isabel Marant Lizberit Floral-Print Poplin Cropped Top, $740 at Matches Fashion
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #12
Another Girl Printed Scarf Top, $65 at Urban Outfitters
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #13
Alberta Ferretti Cotton Blend Poplin Cutout Crop Top, $995 at Luisa Via Roma
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #14
Maeve Square-Neck Crop Top, $90 at Anthropologie
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #15
Gimaguas Isola Top in Yellow, $119 at Lisa Says Gah
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #16
Zara Linen Blend Knotted Top, $45.90 at Zara
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #17
Staud Ciana Top, $195 at Shopbop
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #18
Valentino Floral-Print Silk Crepe de Chine Bralette, $1,000 at Net-a-Porter
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #19
Zara Voluminous Top, $29.90 at Zara
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #20
Cala de la Cruz Lola Tie-Front Leaf-Print Linen Cropped Top, $68 at Matches Fashion
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #21
Elie Saab Flower Printed Bralette, $700 at Elie Saab
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #22
Eloquii Bubble Blouse, $69.95 at Eloquii
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #23
Paco Rabanne Cropped Ruched Printed Cotton-Jersey T-Shirt, $290 at Net-a-Porter
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #24
Zara Floral Appliqué Crop Top, $59.90 at Zara
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #25
& Other Stories Puff Sleeve Crop Top in Floral Print, $69 at & Other Stories
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #26
J.Crew Cashmere Cropped Sweater-Tank in Soft Peri, $89.50 at J.Crew
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #27
Mango Printed Crop Top, $45.99 at Mango
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #28
Anthropologie Cropped Tie Buttondown in White, $90 at Anthropologie
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #29
Zara Striped Rustic Top, $27.90 at Zara
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Crop Tops 2022 Update #30
Bondi Born Minorca Organic Linen Cropped Top, $295 at Moda Operandi