FT NEWS

Think of the garb worn by the Tiger Beat set in the nineties and noughties, and images of button-ups worn open over with T-shirts and high-neck sweaters paired with blazers (looking at you, Backstreet Boys) come to mind. There are also rugby shirts and varsity sweaters in there somewhere, and perhaps a long-sleeve T-shirt poking out from beneath a short sleeve tee. Now, take all of these silhouettes, put them under a shrink ray and chop them so short they’re not just belly-baring, they expose the upper abs, too. This image is pretty much what’s happening right now on the runways. From cut-off cable knits at Miu Miu’s spring 2022 collection to mini button-ups at Jacquemus’s fall 2021, the latest crop of tiny tops is borrowed from the boys.

The latest crop of tops are a cut above the rest—and we’ve gathered our favourites here. Wear Dion Lee’s tiny take on a varsity sweater or Jacquemus’s layered short and long-sleeved piece. Or, style HommeGirls’s striped button-up under Tibi’s cut-off cable knit. Pair these tops with low-slung, loose jeans (as per the spring runways) or high-waisted trousers and skirts should you want a bit more coverage. And more to the info, such tops are available in all sort of upper wear apparels from tops, shirts, t-shirts, cotton, woollen, knits to name a few.