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The tops follow the pants

Aziraphale

Veteran

...or, more specifically, the pants' rise. Angie's post this morning reminded me of something I noticed back at the turn of the millennium, when ultra low-rise pants started to appear: all the tops suddenly got way longer. What it meant was that the short tops that had previously looked good with my higher-rise wardrobe suddenly didn't work (unless I wanted to expose several inches of midsection, which I emphatically did not). Over the course of several years, I ended up with a wardrobe full of tops that looked better with the new pants, and a bunch of too-short tops that were abandoned in the top corner of my closet, out of reach.

It's happening again. The new higher-rise pants are so dramatically different than the old low-rise skinnies (which were popular for the better part of a decade) that, for me at least, they require different tops. I can't just tuck the old long tops in; it really doesn't suit my short torso. Over the past year I've acquired a bunch of new tops that work with either high rises only, or with both low and high rises. Fashion is forcing my hand. If I want to keep up with the trendier trouser rise, I have to buy different tops, too.

The fashion world is sneaky.

Dressing

22 replies

Latest reply was from RobinF

Elle

Veteran

It is annoying to have to invest in new tops for high rise pants. I also have a lot of midrise pants and correspondingly long tops. I think my solution will be to avoid high rise pants as long as possible - kind of like hiding my head under the pillow. Not a problem since they almost never fit me anyway.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Yep.

Anonymous

Yes, it's like you need upgrade everything all at once. It's a big deal. I think that's why Angie says the skinny jean phase lasted so long: we made investments in footwear and long cardigans and tops, and changing that silhouette requires a whole overhaul, aka, expense.

Also, the high-rise look is STILL not completely mainstream here, and finding the right tops is still a little difficult, I'd say.

Personally, I'm still only 1/2 on board the high-rise trend: I LOVE the look from the front, but I don't like the rear view that much. I need to find tops that cover the bum but can be semi-tucked in a nice way.

cindysmith

Veteran

The fashion world is sneaky indeed. I am praying that none of my jeans die because finding replacements without having to buy new tops is not a war i want to wage these days

Beth Ann

Veteran

High rise is still only on the young and trendy here, or on the women who never shifted to the lower rise in the first place! I'm working out the new proportions bit by bit, and seemed to have settled into a few silhouettes that work well for me in my Deep Winter capsule. The Hope of Spring capsule is gonna get tricky!

I'm wearing midrise bootcuts again, with a 2 inch heeled bootie. I think they look more polished for my casual work life and form a pleasing silhouette. I'm also wearing high rise ponte skinnies under a dress with booties.

I'll be watching the forum for ideas once the thaw begins ---

approprio

(website)

Veteran

This look gets pushed out there once every few years and rarely sticks because it's hard to fit and to wear. I mean, OK, jump on if you like, but I don't think many women will get on board with ill-fitting pants.

(I've tried it, it's not for me. I fully intend to wear baggy man-pants for the duration of this trend.)

Sal

Veteran

Yes I remember the horror at the start of the low rise jeans phase - I had a new baby. Low rise jeans, fitted short tee, breastfeeding boobs, post partum abs (ie none).matched with bags under the eyes and baby dribble.

I have a mix of rises still. I do wear longer tops with skinny high rise and sometimes with a shaped top (high low, splits at the side or back) I do find high rises work well with these types of tops.

As an hourglass (but with a waist not as slim as it was) and a short torso, wide shoulders, med-large bust, normal rise, long legs, cropped tops and a high rise, or tops tucked into a high rise are very unflattering.

I can wear a top that sits on/outside the waistband sometimes, but it is best to be lower contrast with the bottom half. I will get some new jeans in a month or two and will try a variety of styles on to experiment.

BrieN

Veteran

yes, but I've been looking and I can't find the tops!

shedev

Veteran

I like the higher rises because they fit my body better, but I wear a longer shirt to balance out my top and bottom halves. I wear longer tanks under my too short or crop tops to bring them to the length I want.

Brooklyn

Veteran

I have had this trouble, and not just because of high rise pants. I am finding I need shorter tops for my a-line skirts, a pair of wrap shorts and my one (still experimental) pair of culottes. It's not just the rise, its the volume of the new bottoms. I ended up having a few of my skinny (thigh length) tops taken up to hip length. Hopefully more options will appear at retail soon.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Actually E, that's not how I remember it. Low rises in the late '90s were accompanied by shorter tops - lots of deliberate belly exposure. I spent a good deal of time pulling my top down and my jeans up. It was ridiculous.

NOW though, as tops have gotten shorter - rises have risen,. They got it right this time.

Ginger

Veteran

Angie, I remember both parts. The shirts WERE short for a ridiculous time, but I noticed when they got longer. Mid 2000's, I think. Since I didn't wear much low rise, I found long shirts really annoying. They had to stretch a lot to fit over my hips - not the best look.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Yes, Ginger. Actually it was early 2000s - but rises weren't as low anymore either.

LaPed

Veteran

"Low rises in the late '90s were accompanied by shorter tops - lots of deliberate belly exposure. I spent a good deal of time pulling my top down and my jeans up. It was ridiculous." Yes, this is my recollection -- I was in high school in 2000, and I definitely remember it being "uncool" to wear shirts that hit below the hipbone, or pants that sat above the hipbone. Ridiculous, indeed. And awful in cold climates!

Jenni NZ

Veteran

When my older daughter was say 12?- if so, 2003- she told us she'd had the funniest dream. She was loving her low-rise jeans, but she dreamt that she had children and the fashion had become so high-rise that the pants were to their armpits! And they were decrying her for wanting low-rise: "Mum, you're so old-fashioned!" I think she woke up screaming! We were highly amused. Felt she was learning how fashion rolls!

Aziraphale

Veteran

Looks like I'm not the only one who noticed this!

That's one way of dealing with it, Elle. I still wear a variety of rises, too -- but I always like to have a pair or two of pants in the current silhouette.

smittie, I agree that the rear view in high rise pants is not great. I still think it makes women's butts look long and flat.

Cynthia, amen.

Beth Ann, midrise bootcuts provide a classic, flattering silhouette. Glad they are working out for you.

approprio, I wear and love baggy man-pants too! But I'm not sure what you mean by ill-fitting high rise pants. Mine fit fine!

Sally, I hear you -- I had a baby in 2003. Low pants + post-baby belly = oh, the horror!

BrieN -- the tops are starting to show up here -- I'm sure you'll find them soon!

shedev, a long-ish shirt can work, but for me it depends. If it's really loose, then it doesn't cling to the top of the pants in an awkward way, so it can work -- but if it's too long, I can't semi-tuck it in a way that looks good.

Brooklyn, I agree about needing a different shape/length top for an A-line skirt. I definitely have a "tops that go with skirts" and "tops that go with pants" situation happening with my wardrobe.

Yes, Angie, you are remembering correctly; for a while there, the shirts stayed short while the pants waistbands got lower. (You probably struggled with this more than I did because you're half a foot taller! Most "cropped" tops were still long enough to cover my short torso). But then they started making longer shirts. I remember noticing this when I went to duplicate my favourite layering tank two years later. Same brand, same style, but the new version of that top was a good five inches longer than the old version.

Ginger, I think you're right -- the mid-2000s might be when tops started getting longer. I think by the time the skinny jean silhouette was entrenched, women needed long tops to balance out proportions.

Aziraphale

Veteran

La Pedestrienne -- lol, I never had this trouble, because I'm so short that cropped tops were still long enough! I remember there being a lot of deliberate belly exposure, but in my neck of the woods, it was mostly on teenagers. Grown women generally didn't do it.

Great story, Jenni!

rachylou

Veteran

Oh, this kinda makes me batty. And it always dawns on me slowly what's happening.

You know what else? I moved from leggings to jeggings. The difference in fabric weight effects how I feel about my tops too. All of a sudden, they're too thin and long... too tunic-y.

Anonymous

I'm on the taller side and long-waisted, so I'm very happy the trend is a higher rise. I won't miss having to yank my jeans up constantly throughout the day. And the tops! They always had to be not just longer, but more structured and boxier to hide the inescapable muffin top from the low rise jeans.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

E, they started making longer tops in 2003 (I know the exact year because that's when we moved to the US and I noticed), and it helped - although you seemed to be okay as a petite!

La Pedestrienne, it was a ridiculous mainstream fashion combination. Fashion also encouraged you to wear a fancy thong so that you could see that instead of "bottom cleavage" when you bent over. The worst of the '90s.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Rachy, I completely agree -- leggings, for me, mean that a bum-covering tunic is an absolute must, while jeggings (the kind that are really just very stretchy jeans, with a real zip and real back pockets) can work with certain normal-length tops.

catty, yes, I can imagine how long-waisted people are loving this new high rise trend. I am envious.

Angie, 2003 sounds about right. I spent the better part of 2003 in maternity wear, so I didn't notice much in the way of mainstream fashion that year, but I certainly appreciated all the tummy-camouflaging long tops that were available on the market after I'd had the baby!

La Pedestrienne and Angie -- oh, the bejewelled thong. The single worst fashion statement in the history of Western culture. I loved the 90s, but when I look back I realize that the part I remember fondly was the first half of the decade. By the late 90s, everything had begun to go horribly wrong.

RobinF

Veteran

Those were not good looks for sure! I never did the super low waists and super short tops, they did not work at all for short, busty me. Some styles really just need to go away and not come back.