2013 has resurrected the belly top of the 1980's and 1990's. The trend is one that consists of tops that show off some of the abdomen and are created from a huge variety of fabrics, styles, colours and patterns. The high street trend has emerged from an array of cultural influences from both the past and present including: traditional dance costume, film, music, celebrity, sports and more.
In 1983, 'Flashdance' brought Jennifer Beals her movie debut as Alex Owens, welder by day, dancer by night, which ultimately leads to a lot of cut-off sweaters and t-shirts.
In the same year as the release of 'Fashdance', Madonna was the first mainstream artist to rock a cut-off in her "Lucky Star" music video, potentially making her responsible for the commercialising of the crop top and sewing the seeds for a recurring trend.
As mesh fabrics and oversized aerobics gear went out of fashion by the 1990's, crop tops reappeared in the form of bustiers - a lingerie-styled top which revealed the midriff.
See the "Bustin' Out" spread from 'Dolly' magazine, October 1990 [via]:
Besides being the Queen of Latin music, Selena Quintanilla-Perez was also the queen of the bustier. According to TIME magazine, Selena Quintanilla-Perez was the embodiment of young, smart, hip Mexican-American youth - a Madonna without the controversy. Selena often sported midriff baring garments as seen in the photo below from a 1994 performance in Texas.
From the mid to end of the 90's all styles of crop tops merged together to create an iconic look, new crops included: tied up shirts, long-sleeved crop tops and even crop top turtlenecks became fashionable for the first time, popularized by public figures such as Shania Twain, the female cast of 'Friends' and Britney Spears.
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| Shania Twain (1997) |
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Friends (1994)
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Get the look >>
If you have been inspired to show off your belly this summer, here are a couple of ways to complete the look:
SHORT AND SPORTY
1) GREEN TOWELLING CROPPED T-SHIRT, RIVER ISLAND, £15.00
2) UNISEX SWIM TRUNK, AMERICAN APPAREL, £30.00
3) BEANIE, TOPSHOP, £10.00
4) MONOCHROME 66 SPORT BACKPACK, NEW LOOK, £19.99
5) STUDDED CONCEALED WEDGE TRAINER, DUNE, £125.00
MODERN MONOCHROME
1) LEATHER-LOOK CROP T-SHIRT, TOPSHOP, £40.00
2) VICTORIA TROUSERS, HOBBS, £139.00
3) LADIES BLACK JOELLE SUNGLASSES, COACH, £125.00
4) SUPER QUILTED MINI CROSSBODY BAG, LOVE MOSCHINO, £135.00
5) ADMIRE ROUND TOE COURT SHOES, DUNE, £65.00
CROPPED CHIC
1) LINEN CROP TEE, TOPSHOP, £50.00
2) SARA FRONT FOLD TROUSERS, REISS, £120.00
3) LUREX FLOPPY HAT, OASIS, £20.00
4) FLOWER BALL SHOULDER BAG, FOLLIE FOLLIE, £185.00
5) GIRAFFE EVA T-BAR WEDGE SHOES, DUNE, £75.00
