Every so often during the last few seasons, a pair of cropped trousers worn with a long voluminous top and flats comes strutting down the runway of one of the Spring ready-to-wear shows. A look that I’ve called “oversized long over oversized cropped”. And sure enough, fashion forward Swedish retailer COS has debuted precisely that look in their new arrivals section for Spring 2016. Here are some images to get the vibe.

This is not a conventionally flattering combination at all. There is absolutely no shape to the pieces when combined in this way, and it’s anyone’s guess what your figure looks like underneath the outfit. The long, roomy top worn over the pants hides its structure on the waistband, while the excessive width of the bottoms makes the top look even longer, while shortening the leg line. Unstructured Galore.

If the tops were paired with sleek bottoms, a significant amount of structure would be added to the outfit. And conversely, if the bottoms were paired with a shorter top, or the tops showcased the waistband of the bottoms with a semi-tuck, there would be more structure to the outfit. A waist-cinching belt would have a similar effect. Those slight structural tweaks would make the outfits instantly more flattering to my eye. 

The question is, are the exact combinations in the pictures above just flattering enough? For now, I’m going with a “no”, with the exception of the rendition with the cardigan. Here the shorter white top adds a hint of structure and makes the leg line look a little longer. I vote that one best of the lot. I might have gone with a “yes” for the other renditions if the tops and bottoms here were tonal thereby creating a low-contrast column of colour. In this case the leg line would look longer despite the hectically unstructured integrity of the look. It’s not my cup of tea, but I can appreciate a tonal version of this look on others. 

Over to you. What’s your take on the “oversized long over oversized cropped” look? Do you think these outfits are just flattering enough?