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While the “trends” that the New York Times Style section reports on don't always qualify as actual, real-world trends, last week's story “Who Wears Crop Tops to the Office?” definitely seems grounded in reality. So let's chat about it today! (We also linked to the article in last week's news post.)
So do tell, readers: Have you spotted any Gen Zers (or anyone else) wearing crop tops at your workplace? (Related: Do you work at an office that has drastically relaxed its dress code since the Before Times?) Do you think there's any way to style crop tops that would make them at least marginally acceptable at the office?
{related: what not to wear to work}
To kick off this open thread, here a couple of excerpts from the story to discuss — particularly the parts we've bolded:
On TikTok, videos showcasing crop tops as work wear frequently draw criticism from users, including accusations of unprofessionalism and suggestions that the posters are merely cosplaying the lives of actual office workers. But the trend is also praised, particularly by members of Gen Z, as a stylish show of resistance against the status quo.
As the fashion trends of the 1990s and early 2000s continue to grow in popularity, tops that are cropped or perforated with eccentric cutouts are widely available in stores today. Many retail websites, including Revolve, Forever 21, Asos, Shein and Fashion Nova, showcase crop tops in their work wear categories, along with miniskirts and backless blouses. Based on how they’re presented online, the recent college graduate could be forgiven for thinking that crop tops are unimpeachably office-appropriate.
In last week's Weekend Open Thread, a commenter posted a link to the NYT story, and it prompted a reader discussion that included the fitting response, “Oh no. No no no no no.”
Readers particularly took issue with the fact that some of the women interviewed simply dislike “the idea of spending money on professional clothing that [they] will wear only a few days out of the week.” After all, as one commenter pointed out, “Work clothes can be cheap.”
Taking a quick look at TikTok, I found a bunch of videos about wearing crop tops at work, with some women saying they do it because they're the ONLY shirts they have. (As someone old enough to have a kid who's younger Gen Z, I would say to them: “But aren't you cold in the winter?! Also, get off my lawn!”)
{related: bare arms at work: yea or nay? (from 2011, for “historical” perspective}
Readers, what are your thoughts? How would someone wearing a crop top be handled by your office?
Stock photo via Stencil.
Anon
Oh no.
anon
I don’t even wear a crop top outside of work. But more importantly, I think I’d freeze. Offices are still built for men in suits, after all…
Unrelatedly, there’s a 20% chance my husband gets laid off this week, judging by public reporting. If he does, is there anything we should do? If he doesn’t get laid off this round, is there anything the hive would recommend we should do to prepare for future layoffs? Anything you wish you had done, if you were in this situation? He seems most worried about the mental health effects. He’s only been at the company for about a year.
We are in our 30s. I work for the government. Our expenses are relatively low and flexible (don’t own a home, I paid off my student loans (he still has boatloads, though), no kids (but we were planning to start trying soon), embarrassingly liquid for people who should be more financially literate).
Anon
There was a thread last Friday involving someone who was about to be fired. Check it out for some suggestions.
Anon
I would start talking to headhunters now, so that they can spin a job opportunity his way. Seeing he has options on the market would put him more at ease and who knows, maybe there is a great role waiting for him.
anon
HOW is this even a question. No. Never. Just don’t. Save it for your non-work hours.
Anon
Exactly. Pretending things a debatable issue pretends that the “crop top at the office” side has a point. Use your big girl salary to buy office appropriate clothing, sorry for the snark.
Senior Attorney
Exactly +1
Anon
Legit checked the date, because this is the kind of post Kat used to make on April Fools.
Anon from MD
Absolutely. I’m a Gen X’er and once got into trouble for wearing dress wool slacks to work instead of a skirt back in the day! You want people to notice your professional competence and not be distracted by an excessive showing of skin.
Anonymous
My husband is attending a conference in London next February and I have the opportunity to join him afterwards for about 5-6 days (traveling from the west coast). We’ve already spent some time in London and are thinking about meeting in London and then taking a train to Paris (we’ve never been). Aside from the big things (Louvre, Eiffel Tower) what else would be good to do there for 4-5 days? We like to do lots of things on trips, especially outdoor activities, and my husband doesn’t seem convinced we can fill 4-5 days in Paris (which I’m absolutely sure we can). Any suggestions?
Anon
Paris is a lovely place, but I’m sort of with your husband that 4-5 days in the city itself is a lot if you don’t have kids with you (kids necessitate a slower pace of sightseeing). I would definitely do at least one and possibly two day trips from Paris. Giverny and Versailles are the two most classic (and quickest) day trips. The Loire Valley is also great.
anon
My husband and I just got back from a London/Paris trip! This was my first trip to Paris and we spent most of the time walking as many streets as we could, to work up an appetite to eat again haha. So others will for sure have better activity recommendations than I do. However, I’ll put in a plug for staying in a slightly nicer hotel/airBNB. We stayed in a very small, 3 star place–it fit our bed and basically nothing else–and while that worked for us, I’m excited to go back and have a small kitchen. The food in Paris is just so incredible. Even cheese bought from a random convenience store. I had heard how good it was but–wow. It would have been nice for us to have been able to buy bread/cheese/wine and eat on a balcony or something; we did that in our hotel lounge. We ate out the whole time except one night, but I found the food purchased from the grocery store even better than what we ate out at and wish that we had had some cozy place to enjoy it (important caveat–we keep kosher-style, so French restaurant food isn’t always a good fit for us).
In terms of the London portion: I’d been to London quite a bit, but was really glad we spent some time there. It was just really refreshing. Despite all that has been going on in their politics/economics, it was so much fun. We live in a city where the pandemic has really decimated after-work bar culture for everyone over 30. We had a blast just going to pubs (all of which were packed, unlike here).
As a post-Brexit FYI, buy food before you go through security for the Eurostar. There was only a Pret and a Pret-like thing downstairs, and we couldn’t leave.
Cat
I’ve spent 2 total weeks in Paris and still have things on the list! Still haven’t made it to the Louvre… Just having luxe 2-hour cafe lunches is half the fun. I’d pick up a Rick Steves guidebook for rough ideas of how to organize your time – he has sample itineraries for like 1 day, 2-3 days, 4-5 days, and longer.
Senior Attorney
Stroll around, have lunch, shop, stroll around, have dinner.
OMG 4-5 days in Paris is NOT NEARLY ENOUGH.
Highly recommend the food tours/classes from Paris By Mouth. Also we stayed in the Hotel Angleterre and loved it.
Senior Attorney
Also, this is an email from a friend who lives in Paris. We did most of the things on the list and it was divine:
“Five days in Paris is not nearly enough but here are a few suggestions if you’d like to try something other than the usual tourist fare.
“The Marais. See old Paris at the Musée Carnavalet then walk over to Rue Bretagne, an elegant street lined with cool cafes and bars. Great for people watching. Have lunch at Le Marché des Enfants Rouge.
“Foundation Louis Vuitton. On the edge of the Bois de Boulogne. A dazzling new museum with superb modern art exhibits.
Marché aux Puces. World famous flea market on the north side of the city. A bit of a scene on Sundays.
“Bon Marché. The original department store on the Left Bank. Where Parisians shop. Outstanding wine cellar and epicerie.
“The Eiffel Tower from a distance. Pretend you’re in a movie. Take a stroll down Le Isle de les Cygnes, cross the Bir-Hakeim Bridge and head toward the Place du Trocadero. Another wonderful place to enjoy a leisurely meal and watch the world go by.”
Sunflower
+1 to the Marché aux Puces. https://www.parisperfect.com/plan-your-trip/things-to-see/markets/paris-flea-markets.php
I love the Musée des Arts Decoratifs.
Also, Juveniles Wine Bar http://www.juvenileswinebar.com or Willi’s Wine Bar https://www.williswinebar.com, but check for days they’re closed.
If you go to a large department store like Galeries Lafayette or Printemps, be sure to go by the guest services desk. They’ve always offered 10% discount cards to holders of foreign passports. Not sure if this still happens
Anon
I have spent 5 amazing days in Paris few weeks back. I love combining long walks, stopping in a park/photo locations/cafes with a 3-4hr museum tour or some other indoor activity [shopping, catching a show etc].
I have enjoyed walks in Latin Quarter [incl Pantheon], Ile de la Cite [Notre Dame] then walk along the Seine to Eiffel Tower, from there to Arc de Triomphe, to Montmartre [Sacre Coeur], down to Louvre and the gardens, Bastille, Le Marais [i split all this into several days, still did 20km/day]. You can also add La Defense.
I would recommend to cover 1-2 districts per day, take a walk, enjoy lunch & cafes, tour a museum. This way, you will still have the leisurely feeling and see plenty of Paris. As for museums, I prefer Musee d’Orsay, Musee Picasso, Louvre.
If you feel you would still have a gap in your travel schedule, a one-day trip to Versailles is always an option. I think 4-5 days for Paris are enough, so I would dedicate one day for Versailles or take a train to Tours
I love photography, so I have searched best photo locations ahead of my trip. I went to Tour Montparnasse to catch sunset pictures of the city from the lookout terrace, it had a nice atmosphere and would recommend. Another interesting location was Galeries Lafayette 7th floor cafe/terrace.
Shelle
This s!te recommended a dinner cruise down the Seine on Le Calife and I still reminisce about how lovely it was. Passing the rec forward!
Lived in Paris
Parc de Sceaux on the RER B line
Musee de l’Orangerie
Chartres
Monoprix
The bookstores in the Latin Quarter
Get lunch not dinner
Excellent middle eastern and Vietnamese cuisine, too
Protests are shown on a map on the back page of a daily paper so you may avoid them. They probably have a protest map phone app that you may use.
If you go to a grocery, they close early, use metric, and you bag for yourself
Wear practical walking shoes
Bring long handled reusable cloth bags (Patagonia makes excellent ones)
The sorbet place on Ile de la Cite really is worth the visit
Expect lots of dust, air pollution, dog poop
Learn how to say Bon Jour, Si Vous plait, merci, Bon Soir, Merci, and
Je suis desolee a vous deranger
Expect locals to criticize the USA and to want to argue with you
Get some scarves when you arrive, they will help you blend in on many levels and serve as mementos
Head to a department store and buy 2 that look like the ones you see others wearing
Do not eat when in public, not on the train, in a cab, in a park, while walking
Street food can be something of an exception
Do not loudly speak in English
Savor it and return
One week is not enough
Anon
I saw a young woman at a non-profit office once, 10 years ago, wearing a pink “suit.” The material was bouclé, lots of trim or piping. The jacket was fine, and she had a camisole underneath. However, the skirt barely covered her bum, and her heels were so high she could barely walk. I think she thought “suit” and “pumps” and couldn’t get beyond the initial idea towards “office appropriate.”
I’ve seen plenty of women in office situations wearing skirts that satisfy the most basic definition of a skirt but are in no way appropriate, and yes, I judge them.
Anon
I’ve got a really short torso, so cropped tops are basically just tops on me. If I regularly needed to lift my arms up at work, I’d wear an obvious camisole underneath.
Nora
Yeah exactly, I’ve seen people wear crop tops in this situation. With high waisted pants. There’s really no skin actually showing.
Anon
A contact I met through a friend has asked to engage me on a consulting project. We talked about a contract and I am awaiting it. However, in the meantime he keeps asking me to call him to run things by me or asks questions over email. I am struggling with how to kindly but firmly say “I am not going to help you until we have a signed contract.”
Or do I just say that? I find this incredibly annoying and I feel like he is trying to take advantage.
Clara
You just say this! It’s pretty common. Not a big deal. Insisting on it often expedites the contract in my experience.
Anon
“We can deal with that once I am onboard with the project team.”
No Face
Our youngest employees are by far the most professionally dressed in the office. They are wearing true business and business casual clothes, while the rest of us have fully embraced jeans and nice sweaters/sweatshirts unless we are with clients or going to court.
Senior Attorney
For 30-plus years my one ironclad rule was “no denim in the office,” but the pandemic did away with that. Won’t be wearing a crop top any time soon, though. Of course.
Anon for this Judge
I work in a courtroom where members of the public appear every day, without counsel. I remember quite clearly, in my first year on the bench, a woman showed up with a knit top that had a neatly hemmed square cutout showing her belly button. It was such an unthinkable breach of courtroom etiquette that I had to take a recess and go into my chambers and laugh myself silly before I could proceed with the rest of the calendar.
Fast forward to today, and I wouldn’t bat an eye at that top amidst the sea of crop tops, tube tops, tank tops, see-through tops, and what have you that passes for court attire these days (though not, thank goodness, among the few lawyers I see — yet). For a while I would gently push back (“when you come back, please wear clothes that cover your belly button”) but honestly at this point the only place I draw the line is at graphic tees with actual profanity. (And the woman, once, with the very expensive blazer printed with all manner of curse words. I made her take it off.) People really and truly don’t know any better, and by the time they get to me it’s too late to teach them.
Monday
What non see through white tee shirts do you recommend? Normal length, slim fitting but not too tight, appropriate with nicer jeans and boots. A lot of mine are still see through despite appropriate undergarments. Thanks!
Monday (prior poster with this handle)
Hello! I have been going by Monday on this board for–wow–over 10 years. Any chance you could choose a different handle?
Anonymous
Oh sure, no problem! I just picked that because it’s Monday today haha
Christina
The Madewell tee shirts are my favorite! https://www.madewell.com/northside-vintage-tee-J8526.html?dwvar_J8526_color=BK5229&cgid=apparel-topstees-tees
https://www.madewell.com/whisper-cotton-v-neck-tee-MB722.html?dwvar_MB722_color=WT0103&dwvar_MB722_size=XXS&cgid=apparel-teestanks-basic
KJ
It’s pretty clear the answer to “Who wears crop tops to the office” is “one woman on Tik Tok who generated considerable buzz there.” That the NYT found her and wrote a glossy feature does not mean that this is happening en masse, and, in my experience, it isn’t. Most inappropriate thing I see regularly is the younger women wearing sneakers, which really isn’t ok in our workplace.
anon
Sneakers definitely wouldn’t be okay in my workplace either, despite what the internet says.
Trish
I am in my 50s and I recently started wearing sneakers to jail and prison visits with my straight leg jeans, top and blazer. Way too much walking and I am done hurting my feet. The sneakers look so much cuter than some of the “comfort” brands.
Anon
Who works in an office warm enough to wear a crop top? Every place I’ve ever worked, it’s been more a question of whether I can get away with wearing a puffy jacket or a blanket all day. I can’t even fathom wanting to wear a crop top.
anon
This also is true!
Anonymous
The misogyny of the fashion industry marketing to women in this way and of the NYT giving any credence to it is infuriating.
Anon
HAHA no. Keep the crop tops at home.
Christina
The funniest thing about that article to me is that the young woman who was interviewed was (a) in Miami and (b) working in a plastic surgeon’s office. This is entirely different from being, for example, a financial analyst in New York, or even working in a plastic surgeon’s office literally anywhere else in the country (except maybe LA or something). I’m an attorney in Chicago. I’ve worn some slightly cropped sweaters with high waisted pants, but there’s no skin showing. My building has a lot of younger professionals in it. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a full on crop top or really any midriff.
This whole article honestly felt like grasping at straws. I think there’s probably an article about looser dress standards post pandemic. For example, how many of us have practically given up on heels? But I couldn’t figure out the tone and the whole premise seemed like a non issue toe me.