I love how in the last 5-10 years tops are starting to get longer & longer. You no longer have to buy a specialty top in order for it to touch the waistband of your jeans. Thankfully, I don't think that trend is going anywhere. Let's be honest, it is more flattering to cover the stomach than to see a muffin top spilling out, no? Obviously, I was sorely disappointed to see the crop top trend making a come back. The first few outfits I saw were styled images of 75lb models with flawless tummies. Let's be honest here, that does NOT translate into the real world. I'm on the skinny side, but no one wants to see that business. I was so annoyed to see it coming back. UNTIL. . . I saw Liz refashion one of her brother's shirts to a crop, she kept it current AND demure. THEN, I went to the swap meet & had the pleasure of meeting Sophia (who's adorably pregnant) and styled a crop with a maxi dress underneath. I was sold. Crop tops with high waisted bottoms or sheath dresses underneath are cool. Now that I've been conditionally converted to the crop top I am seeing them pop up in shops like Urban Outfitters, Ruche, Forever21 and even Anthropologie; many have been styled with no bare skin showing. Thanks, guys! So with all that said, here's what I did with the striped shirt: It took me a while to see it, but I'm really excited about how it turned out. Just a recap of what I did:

• I flipped the shirt backwards
• cut off the collar
• took the top in at the sides
• took in the top in the back
• rounded the neck at the front
• made a V in the back
• squared off the V with leftover fabric
• cut off about 12 inches from the bottom
• cut off 6 inches from the sleeves
• hemmed sleeves & bottom

I styled this crop with high(er) wasted jeans & a tucked in undershirt – I'd consider styling crop tops like you would style a trapeze coat, with fitted items underneath. The top is really bold, so I only went for a bold pair of shoes & no jewelry. I like the simple, yet bold statement. I am a little hesitant about the bold stripes on this top, so I'm thinking I'll be trying out Rit Dye's color fade to see if I can get it to a more muted tone. The muted tone would also work better transitioning into Fall.

You wanted to see a picture of my butt today, didn't you?

Also, the jeans have been tailored. I took in the jeans from the back & boy was it a lot of work. Not so sure it was worth it to do it on cheap $12 Walmart jeans, but what's done is done. At least the fabric is thin-ish so it wasn't too terribly annoying to work with the fabric and they fit perfectly on my waist. It's sort of obvious that these jeans have been altered, but I usually wear them with longer shirts that cover my less-than perfect alteration. Have you altered your jeans before?? Be sure to come back later today, I'll be announcing the Ruche giveaway winner & starting another giveaway.