The Internet’s Favorite Crop Top Isn’t What You’d Expect

Our back-and-forth relationship with crop tops has been long and well-documented. One day, we love them; the next, we're a little more apprehensive. The shortened hem raises important questions like, "How can we make this silhouette work outside of music festival grounds?" and "Is there even a place for crop tops in our grown-up wardrobe?" Truly, fashion philosophy at its finest. At the heart of this will-they-won't-they repartee we have going on lies a single concern: crop tops often don't feel put-together enough to wear everyday. But you can put all those qualms to rest, my crop-deprived friends: The Internet's favorite take on the trend is incredibly sophisticated — and probably longer than you expected. The experts over at Rank & Style did some digging, and found that J.Crew's cotton oxford cropped top is the top crop under $100. While the other iterations we generally associate with this style are represented on the rest of the list, J.Crew's structured take on the trend lends itself to a versatile wardrobe. The cotton shell makes it feel dressier, while the shape maintains a flattering fit that doesn't rise up too much. Plus, it comes in four different colors — one for every season. Oh, did we mention that it's on sale? This oxford crop top nabbed Rank & Style's top honor thanks to the buzz its generated and to some laudatory reviews on the J.Crew site. One commenter, who bought it in various colorways, wrote that while the shirt runs large, fellow shoppers shouldn't "be afraid of the 'cropped' description." The customer goes on: "There is plenty of shirt to keep your torso completely covered. They're great office tops to wear with high-waisted pencil skirts and I love the way they look with a lot of the high-waisted shorts that are available currently." Crop tops, we're sorry we ever doubted you. Now, we can shift our focus to finding a nice culotte to style you with and filling out the other gaps in our seasonal wardrobe — namely, floral one-pieces and backless dresses. Then, and only then, will summer truly begin.