I’ve been taking mental notes of what my closet is in “need” of. And yes, a closet needs things sometimes. You have to fill in the gaps to help make your pieces work more efficiently for you when getting dressed.
And one of the things I have noticed is that now most of my jeans are a straight leg, or a wider leg, and because of that, my tops are struggling to work with them. For spring and summer, I mostly wore fitted tees and tanks and tucked them into these jeans. That worked perfectly.
But what doesn’t work are longer looser fitting tops. We need balance and proportion with these new silhouettes. That means balancing the wider looser fit on the bottom, with a more cropped fitted item on top. Insert, cropped sweaters.
And no, this doesn’t mean you have to bare your midriff. With higher-rise jeans and skirts, this just means you’re meeting your shirt to your bottoms without all the bulk and extra material hanging down.
You can still do a tiny front tuck or french tuck as they call it, too. These tucks are feeling a tad dated and I’ve become team full tuck. So even more reason why I’ve been on the hunt for more cropped sweaters. Here are some of my favorite ways to wear a cropped sweater for fall.
How To Wear A Cropped Sweater
Cropped Sweaters With High Rise Jeans
To avoid having to tuck in a ton of fabric, or have it hanging behind you and feeling sloppy, try a cropped sweater with your high rise jeans instead. A tiny little front french tuck is all you need and then your outfit feels more proportioned and balanced.
Cropped Sweaters With Straight Leg And Wider Leg Jeans
This is the answer to what sweater do I wear with straight leg jeans. This has been one of the #1 questions I get when discussing Millennial updates for our wardrobes. We had a bunch of tunic style sweaters, and oversized sweaters to pair with skinny jeans. And those just don’t feel right anymore with straight leg jeans.
Keep them to pair with leggings and if you do want to wear skinnies (just in a new way with new shoes and layers, learn more here!). But instead, try crop top sweaters that are a bit more fitted in the body to balance out the wider silhouette on the bottom.
Swap Your Long Cardigan For A Cropped Cardigan Sweater
We’re seeing fewer long, thin cardigans these days and instead more cropped cardigan styles. Even paired with a sweater tank underneath as a cute set. These are great to wear with trousers for the office, or over a dress, and again, with those straight legs or wider leg jeans.
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Add A Cropped Sweater Over A Dress
To extend the life of your spaghetti strap dresses, or to just have a nice little layer and add texture to a dress, throw on a cropped sweater that hits you at your natural waist. This also gives the illusion of a waist if you are wearing a less fitted dress. But also adds some volume on top if you’re pairing with a fitted dress to create some balance.
Pair With A High Rise Midi Skirt or Maxi Skirt
I love a little midi skirt, a silk slip one or even a printed one, paired with a cropped sweater. This oufit is a great example of how to style this look.
Maxi skirts are also having a moment and these are great to add to them to complete the look. You can see how the proportions should look with this maxi skirt look.
Show A Little Midriff!
Yes, you can show a little midriff! I feel like this actually makes your waist look smaller when you see a sliver of skin. Don’t be afraid to do this. Especially with the higher rise jeans, they really are showing off the narrowest part of your body. And even if it didn’t, fuck it, wear it!
I hear it a lot from readers that they are struggling to style these high rise jeans and straight leg jeans with their current closet. And I can almost guarantee that adding in shorter sweaters that aren’t so long and oversized will truly do the trick for fall and winter outfits.
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