“The younger generation is out to experiment with fashion and break gender stereotypes when it comes to clothing, and we are here for it,” says costume designer and stylist Lovedeep Gulyani. “Crop tops for decades have always been considered a feminine piece of clothing, even when it was worn by rugby players, where they used to cut their T-shirts off to distribute body heat. And despite being rejected time and again by the straight male audience and being widely associated with the queer community, crop tops have seeped back into the common male wardrobe.”

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Style it like Smith

Of the many outfits that stirred a conversation in the fashion industry was actor Will Smith’s crop top look (right) in the 1990 TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. His grey ‘Philadelphia’ oversized tee was paired with lime green sweatpants, which Gulyani approves of. “It is super jock, and fashionable. His tee is cut short for comfort and is teamed with a baggy cargo and a pair of Nike AF1. This is a classic sporty look with a twist,” he reminds.

Troye Sivan. Pic Courtesy/Getty Images

Get casual with crops

The best thing about GenZ fashion? A little DIY cutting and stitching can give the apparel a completely new look. Gulyani agrees, and says that it works best with daily styling.  “For the more casual and shopping looks, for instance, cutting short a basic cool cotton graphic tee will do the trick. Pair it with slightly baggier denims or cargo pants. Throw on a short jacket, and you have a complete look. I also love printed crop oversized T-shirts worn with a cool pair of shorts with socks and sneakers. It makes for a super fun everyday outfit for a grocery run-look, as well.”

Lovedeep Gulyani

Keep up with party trends

“A crop shirt looks very cool at parties; that’s what I have recently done to most of my long shirts; I alter them to waist-length and pair it with a well-styled straight fit jeans and high-top sneakers.” Another look that can be borrowed from is Lil Nas X’ single sleeved dazzling crop look during the 2022 performance at the Grammy Awards. “It was an interesting look sported by the queer artiste [bejewelled crop top] for that performance. It was finely balanced between masculine styling in a feminine silhouette.”

Enhance your waistline

“The abs that men work out for, need to be flaunted, and crop tops are the way. They’re a fun take on a T-shirt, and proportionately cut your body. They make your legs look longer, and torso shorter. And if you have a great waistline, it works even better,” he remarks, adding that the best examples for this would be popular artistes like Troye Sivan and Harry Styles, who make it quirky and fun. “A lot of menswear designers are now adopting the style. Like, Ludovic de Saint Sernin made these beautiful chainmail crop tops for men that could be worn by women as well. Similarly, Fang NYC does these super cool gender fluid crop tank tops. Crop tops for men are here to stay, especially with the fun, risk-taking audience,” he concludes.

Hear it from the creator

Creative producer of the web series Campus Beats, Palki Malhotra, tells us that the motive behind the outfits worn by all characters was to truly reflect on the concept of inclusivity. “The world we’re living in currently is the GenZ world that is unapologetic about its choices in fashion. And their motto is inclusivity and experimentation. The outfits we planned for the series went exactly parallel to this. We wanted to give Shantanu a different look, something people haven’t seen him in before, and something that aligns with the GenZ fashion culture. Hence, the evident unisex styling. As he is a dancer in the web series, crops worked best. They highlight his movements, are comfortable to wear for a dancer, and definitely trendy.”

Cool Tip: To replicate the look we gave Shantanu, you can simply put on a hooded crop top, pair it up with baggy jeans, and accessories with anything that  breaks the monotony — either a fabric which can be converted into a belt, or a few chains to be worn around the loop.

Style Mantra: Do not follow rules. Find what suits your attitude and wear it unapologetically.