HBOCrazy for crop tops? You may have Carrie Bradshaw to thank for that. (Don't worry, we're right here with ya!)
Famed Sex and the City costume designer Patricia Field opened up to Glamour about her incorporation of crop tops into the iconic character's scene-stealing looks long before, well, crop tops were even a millennial thing—and her revelations may surprise you! The first being that Sarah Jessica Parker was instrumental in the decision to bare bear her belly.
"The motivation for Carrie wearing cropped tanks came from a collaborative decision between myself and Sarah," Patricia said. "We wanted to convey the accessibility of fashion and show that it's all about styling—it's what you combine to create a look. A classic example would be the Hanes ribbed tank with a string of pearls. It tells a new fashion story and is easily accessible."
The designer describes the evolution of the chic and cropped look, which she remembers as beginning in the ‘60s with a ribbed top called the "Poor Boy"—the perfect, short complement to long bell-bottom jeans. As for the recent revival, Field points to the spring-summer 2015 runway.
"It started as a retro 1990s [runway] trend, as the waistline of pants and skirts moved from the hip toward the waist. That allowed the top to be cropped to show a little bit of skin above the waistline," she explained.
Field also dished on a Carrie crop top look she might not, er, revive if given the chance—namely the striped belt on bare midriff look that Bradshaw wears in season four. (She recalls the get-up as "a bit extreme.")
And does the designer still think that Carrie would be wearing crop tops in 2015?
"I believe Carrie would still be wearing the ribbed tank, whether cropped or the original length, since it will always be a classic. Maybe she'd even fringe the bottom. One never knows [with her.] Style's all about attitude, and one has to try in order to succeed," she said.