No, the real reason I haven't blogged recently is because I travelled back up to my university for the final time to attend my graduation ceremony and my union's Grad Ball, which this year took on the theme of The Great Gatsby. It was a wonderful four days and a great way to close the door on this part of my life. I can't lie and say I enjoyed every part of university because I didn't; it was a hard time for me and though I am proud of myself for getting through it (and getting the certificate to prove it!) I do wonder if I really made the right decision in attending in the first place. But there is no point in trying to change the past, so I might as well concentrate on the future now. I'm trying hard to reinvent my lifestyle at the moment, with healthier eating, more exercise and more positivity (but that's for a whole other blog post!)

 

Now I am more comfortable in casual clothes. I like jeans and jumpers, shorts and baggy tees, hotpants and vest tops. Dresses? Well, they're a little out my comfort zone. So you can imagine how hard I found these two formal events! For my graduation, I opted for a dress I bought way back in January and had wimped out of wearing for a friend's birthday for fear of SPP. (That's Sweat Patch Potential, fyi).

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I'm currently the proud owner of two black (surprise, surprise) crop tops but I'm drawn to them more and more the closer summer seems. Now I by no means have the body for them but a few alcoholic drinks down the line and I start professing I have the body of Miranda Kerr. (I really, really  don't.)

Still, I am convinced that under my ever-present pouch, I could potentially possess abs. I try (emphasis on the try. I fail quite often too) to work out a couple of times a week. I'm not terribly rigid with it - some days it's literally five sit ups and nothing else - but exercise is something I am conscious of doing. And sometimes, when I'm having a really good day, those low-lying abs come to the surface and I whack out the crop top (with some suitably high-waisted garments of course.)

In other words, I'm tactical. Having a high enough skirt and a long enough crop top gives the very clever illusion that I'm far more toned than I ever could be. In showing only a sliver of flesh, it allows the onlooker - who is usually far more inebriated than I am - to assume I'm some sort of gym-loving golden girl. And if I'm lucky, the camera falls for this trick too. So until this theory is disproved, crop tops will continue to be a staple part of my student wardrobe. (Sorry, dad.)


This tie-dye crop from Urban Outfitters is one that I keep coming back to. I love the colour of it and the little lace section is lovely; my only worry is that I'd be far too scared to wear it out in public. I think it'd be perfect for dance under a baggy, over-sized vest but for me it has just a little too much SPP for a night out.

I really like this Topshop bralet because of how summery it looks. In terms of its style, it's not something I'd usually opt for (it's a tad too tight-fitting and feminine) but it would be perfect paired with denim shorts someplace hot.

I think this white crop top from Fashion Union is one of my favourites though. It's baggy yet beguiling and can definitely be dressed up or down with disco pants or boyfriend shorts. It's a little longer than the other two so if, like me, you're a bit more body conscious then this allows you to still get on trend without any untoned tummy trouble.



Of course any wishlist of mine would not be complete without something black and basic so this eagle crop top from New Look is of course one of my top crops.  It's loose, it's white-on-black print; in short, it's very me. If I bought this (and believe me, I'm very close to doing so) I'd probably wear it with denim shorts, black knee high socks and some pretty grim black plimmies. I am a student after all.

The studs on the middle are the main reason I like this one from Asos - studs are a surefire way of making any outfit a bit more edgy. It comes in black and grey and I like that it has actual sleeves - I'll take any extra warmth I can get.

I also love this cream crop top also from New Look. Lace is ace because it never really goes out of fashion and again this comes in a number of colours. Woo.

So as you can see, crop tops really are all the rage right now. And the best thing about crop tops? By only using half the material, they're usually half the price of a proper top. BONUS.

Anyone else a fan of the crop top? Also, MAJOR apologies for the poorly constructed post title. I like to try and pretend I'm dead witty. I'm not.