Happy Friday everyone, yeah it’s the weekend!
In this post I continue to explore something that is still a little outside my comfort zone – the crop top.
While I see so many fabulous plus size women rocking the crop and I have indeed put together a few looks myself, I still struggle with being entirely comfortable showing my tummy. It’s like I have to mentally motivate myself to put it on and look past my stretch marks or the fact that my stomach roll might pop out when I sit down. Then I have to say Lisa – it’s ok, it’s only a little bit of skin, my stretch marks are battle scars of life and I deserve to wear this trendy style and feel great.
But as we all know sometimes this is easier said then done. No matter how body confident we are or if we have reached a place of self love and acceptance, there will always be little things that nag at us. Not always, but maybe when we are feeling a bit down or insecure.
Because of this I continue to push myself to try it – maybe it’s just in front of the mirror, maybe it’s getting photographed in it, or maybe it’s wearing it out with my other body positive girlfriends who I know have my back.
When Society + came out with the Jessica Kane Birthday Collection I was immediately drawn to the look of their signature caged crop top with a fun new skater style skirt in a fresh fun palette of pastels. I think the hardest decision I had was what colour to chose!
With my hair freshly minted in its new platinum blonde colour I decided to go with the mint green colour. I am wearing the size 26/28 in both the top and skirt. I do find the fit true to size.
So here’s my opinion about this infamous caged crop top – overall I love it but I wouldn’t mind seeing a couple of minor tweaks. First off, I love the quality and weight of the fabric. It has a good amount of stretch but holds it shape and provides great coverage. I like the fact that it has a nice thick band at the bottom and the cage detail adds that visual interest and sex appeal. I also like the length of the top, I think it shows the right amount of skin.
What would I change? I would like to see the straps a little thicker so you can wear a normal bra if you want to or not have your strap showing. And I would really love if they were adjustable. My biggest challenge is that I can’t/won’t go without a bra but my strapless bra came up too high so you could see too much of it above the cage and it was also too wide across the back.
I ended up wearing a regular bra because I happened to have one that matched the colour of the top but I couldn’t avoid showing a bit of my cup because I couldn’t adjust the straps. I also wish there wasn’t a dip in the back, that it was cut straight across so I didn’t have to worry about adjusting my bra strap so you can’t see it.
I think ultimately this comes down to personal preference. I don’t love showing my bra. It took me years to finally accept showing my bra strap under a cami or tank and don’t laugh but I like it to match the colour of my shirt! If you are less anal then me about these things then you probably could care less and the top will be perfect.
I do love the length of the skirt, it hit me at just the right spot. And this baby has the ultimate twirl factor and of course – pockets. The fabric has a nice bit of sheen to it that makes it a little more special.
I chose to top this outfit with the sleeveless Terri Chiffon Duster from SWAK Designs. Long vests and cardis are a must have trend and I liked the playful feel that this flowy one with a bohemian print added to this look. And I loved adding the contrast of the orange and yellow to the mint green. I am wearing the 4x and the fit was generous.
I wanted to keep the look fun and casual so I wore my gold flats which would now totally be replaced with my gold sandals, my gold sparkly Furla bag and this stunner of a necklace from Torrid. Yes, you are seeing this baby two posts in a row, that’s how much I love it!
I have always wanted to do a shoot in this skate park and let me tell you it was a cold brutal day when we did but I had an absolute blast freezing my butt off. One thing I have learned is not to take myself too seriously and to live in the moment.
Thanks to Robert of Robert Skuja Photography for making my vision come to life…and for catching me in unexpected moments.
Skirt by SOCIETY + | Caged Crop Top by SOCIETY + | Vest by SWAK DESIGNS | Flats by LANE BRYANT (alternative) | Necklace by TORRID | Clutch alternative |
