On the "less is more" theme: versatile top lengths? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

On the "less is more" theme: versatile top lengths?

catgirl

Veteran

Tops are my hardest item to fit, and I am trying to think about what I can seek out that will give me the most bang for my buck. As I see it, I need to think about my preferred bottoms and what tops would work best. These are: knit tube skirts, skinnies, BF jeans, and occasionallly slouchy work trousers.

I know the general rule is shorter tops with skirts, longer with pants, but is there a sweet spot that makes a top particularly versatile. How does tucking or half-tucking figure in? Or should I just consider these separate categories - like "tunics for skinnies, welted for BF jeans" and so on?

i've just added an EF tunic top and a VC plaid crossover blouse to the closet, thinking those two items should go with most every option for pairings (not considering color here, just style)...

Which of your top styles do you find most versatile for your needs?

Dressing

18 replies

Latest reply was from Marlene

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

That is a really good question. I don't usually find tops that are longer than crotch length attractive on me but that may be my proportions. I find a looser fit top that is hip bone length can be good with pants or partially tucked with skirts so that would be my vote for versatile in terms of length. I also find that with a longer shirt (button or knit), you can adjust the length by pulling it out of the bottom so that it drapes down changing the length. I did this today with a magenta top and blue pants but didn't take a pic.

Louise

Veteran

Hum tricky one, my initial thought was ' you'll never find tops that work with both skirts and trousers' but then I suppose if you're looking at skinnies and tube skirts, voluminous or longer tops will work with both? X

Sal

Veteran

I have a hi low top that works with pencil skirts skiing jeans and loose trouser styles....

http://www.moochionline.co.nz/.....tn09p.aspx

A new workhorse...

Thistle

Veteran

Good question! One I have struggled with as I like skirts. I find tube skirts and pencil skirts more forgiving of pant length tops. I have yet to figure out how to get a tunic to work with anything other than skinnies.

I will be following this thread. Interested to see what others do.

AviaMariah

Veteran

Good thread. I'll be following along too. My first thought is that some longer tops can work with both skirts and trousers if the faux tuck is used.

catgirl

Veteran

Oh in case it was unclear I meant that between the tunic and crossover they should work with most bottoms, not that both will work with all!

Thistle, my tunics only work with leggings or skinnies too. I'm wondering about an extreme look with a miniskirt...

catgirl

Veteran

Oh and the hi-low look makes sense, especially when you can create it with a half tuck!

Aida

Veteran

I can wear my tops a little bit shorter than the standard due to my personal proportions (and being a shortie), but it's certainly tricky if not impossible to find something that works with everything. This is why most of my bottoms are pants and shorts That said, with semi-tucking my longer tops are able to play more with skirts now because you can tuck the front and create faux high-low hemlines.

Regarding tunic lengths, I really like wearing tunic length tops or toppers with baggy short-shorts (versus a miniskirt).

If you like wearing tunic length tops with your skinnies, there's a good chance that you could get away with two tops lengths: a longer one for skinnies and tube skirt, and something shorter (normal length) for your BFs and work trousers.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Great question. Tops are my bugbear too.

shiny

Veteran

I think it's even more complicated than that - it's not just length, but how it fits width wise, i.e., boxy/voluminous vs skimming the body. For example I have a CM tunic sweater that skims the body (not clingy at all, but you can tell I have a waist under there), and this makes it wearable with pretty much *every* bottom in my closet... high waisted tube skirts to BF jeans to mid-rise jeans to skinnies. It's like the Miracle Tunic or something. Compare that to more voluminous tunics -- the oversized, big/baggy sort -- and those seem to work only with skinnies. Anything else just looks sloppy.

I will add here that I am seeing lots of "skirt length" tops lately -- due to the high waisted trend. Or maybe, they are cropped tops. But on short me, they are perfect skirt length... I remember when I first joined YLF 6+ years ago, learning there was such a thing as "skirt length" was total AH HA! moment. Then fashions shifted and it was very hard to find such skirt length tops. So I am inclined to stock up here.

For points in between skirt length and tunic length, I believe Angie's recommendation was a little above crotch point looks best. Could probably go back in the archives and find this in there somewhere. I may be misremembering. I seem to have it in my head that a top hitting at high hip = skirt length. At low hip = perfect length for pants. Below crotch point = tunic?

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I don't really pay attention to shirt length, though I tuck far more often than you.

fathenry

Veteran

This is a good question. I don't by different tops for pants vs skirts. Maybe it is my body? I look for longer tops that are fluid and hit at low hip or crotch point. They seem to be versatile enough to wear with any of my pants or skirts.

Marley

Veteran

I struggle with this when I am trying to categorize my clothing into capsules. As long as I keep all of my bottoms the same silhouette, then I can make a capsule - but, if I want a capsule with both BFs and skinnies - the capsule concept just doesn't work for me!

catgirl

Veteran

Marley that is exactly it! This is the plaid blouse btw- I got it at Nordstrom but it's not on their site for some reason.

https://m.lordandtaylor.com/ln.....fer=AFF001

rabbit

Veteran

I really like shiny's insights.

Generally I see if there is any bottom that is really not working with the tops I have because of proportion. For me this is flared or A-line skirts, which seem to require more cropped and boxy tops, or the appearance of one created with a tucked woven top), and then look for a top that will 'de-orphan' those bottoms.

Roughly I think of my closet this way:

flowy tunic -- works with tapered narrow skirts, skinnies, leggings (if long enough), doesn't work with high volume bottoms.

high-lo top -- works with many skirts, many pants, especially if you can adjust the length of the front and tuck the back if needed.

cropped (often boxy) tops -- work w/ many skirts including flared ones, not great with lower cut jeans, although okay w/ high waists (depending on the overall shape of the hips), and especially good w/ drapey pants.

welted tops -- very useful with flared skirts, if they are slouchy enough to faux tuck work with pants too.

Neel

Veteran

I have never paid attention to/thought deeply about top lengths. But I don't have a small closet (about 85 tops spanning all seasons)....may be the reason why I don't think? May be I should start thinking..... Hmmm. Will follow your thread closely!

unfrumped

Veteran

Well, when you ever find one that does, grab it! Seriously, I do now put tops through a mass try-on , not expecting total versatility, but seeing if one is especially good or avoid being surprised that it actually does NOT work with the target bottoms. So it's a color and season thing too-- does this top go with several bottoms in the season of its use.
If pants are more fitted/ tapered on me, I'll need a longer top( not tunic) . If more of a trouser, that gives a straighter line and top can be a little shorter and more similar to pencil skirt top. I also just push the envelope and wear shirt tops maybe a little longer than ideal.
It has influenced my ideas about where to go in adding bottoms--I can see some would require a major new top style so I have to ask if I want to invest there.

Marlene

Veteran

For me its about proportions. I find that most of my tops go with ALL my bottoms because all (three) of my skirts are slim pencils so I wear long and tunic tops...which also go with all my pant bottoms. I never tuck because that is too bombshell for me. If I do need to tinker with the proportions for whatever reason, I half tuck or belt to add some structure. If I went for a fuller skirt shape, I'd need a whole new category of tops to work with that different proportion. I just do not wear skirts enough to justify that commitment to another proportion.