Cropping Up: The menswear style resurgence
How internet nostalgia can unearth a forgotten 80s trend
The sporty crop tops of 80s heartthrobs like Johnny Depp have been usurped by the gender-bending, glam rock versions of today. Hardly recognised as menswear, the crop top has its origins in the gym, designed for macho men to dodge the ‘no shirtless’ policy of the time. Images of men in crop tops started to enjoy a resurgence in the past few years on sites like Tumblr, which a sense of nostalgia equipped with the internet had unearthed. With the ‘extreme crop top’ voted by Grazia magazine as one of the year’s top fashion trends for women. Will the fashion catch on for men?
“in the past few years on sites like Tumblr, which a sense of nostalgia equipped with the internet had unearthed”
It was perhaps a surprise to see the hems of male shirts contracted for the AW20 Menswear Gucci collection. Vogue notes how the collection is self-referential of earlier seasons, which harked back to another era of men’s dress and implored us to “revise and reconsider” it — cue the crop top references throughout. The crop tops take on a childish shrunken look, as if outgrown and poked with holes. The modern men’s crop top is worn as a layer, over a shirt or top, or even with high waisted trousers so as not to reveal too much. Most notably, it is worn with an irreverent attitude and a distinct self-awareness. Gucci expertly showcases how trends recycle and often re-emerge in a different guise. The sporting functionality of the crop top has been overthrown by that of individual tenacity. Even seasonality for this collection, it seems, is replaced by a season-less gumbo — this is Gucci’s the autumn/winter collection yet crop tops take centre stage.
“The modern men’s crop top is worn as a layer, over a shirt or top, or even with high waisted trousers so as not to reveal too much. Most notably, it is worn with an irreverent attitude and a distinct self-awareness.”
Cropped tops have been increasingly seeping into popular culture in recent years. It was sported in the Netflix Sabrina the Teenage Witch remake where love interest Harvey had a Depp doppelgänger moment, mirroring his portrayal in 1984’s Nightmare on Elm Street. The style has made contemporary appearances in the wardrobes of celebrities, like Troye Sivan’s tour looks and Harry Styles’ Watermelon Sugar music video. Although, the real-world application of the style is a more diluted reference than that of the cameo in Sabrina or than their catwalk counterparts. This seems to happen as trends begin to seep into the zeitgeist, as if by osmosis.
One blog, Crop Tops are for Guys, is somewhat of an internet authority on the subject of the menswear attire. The site’s author was recently quoted in the Guardian, weighing in to say of the trend: “The truth about the crop top movement is that it has existed since the 1970s. The cropped shirt was originally created by men for men and was part of men’s fashion for years before women began wearing them.” The blogger goes on to explain that the trend started as a neat loophole to strict gym policies prohibiting men from being shirtless during workout sessions and was especially common for weightlifters, before spreading to athletics too. A shift in fashion like this can be jarring to some, but is not new. Much like when pink and blue for the respective genders swapped in the mid 20th century, perceptions of masculine dress are moulded over time. Often to the point that those that uphold the norms no longer remember their history.
Some commentators took to internet forums to call the Gucci AW20 showcase ‘Very Avant-Garbage’, a reductive remark acting to dismiss and overlook the point of fashion entirely. Go a bit deeper into the forums (which is never encouraged) and the theories will have you believe that the cropped style is merely an Orwellian trick and a method to cut costs through chopping fabrics by manufacturers. Observing fashion in the context of the cultural surroundings has always illuminated its meaning and wider appeal. Just as Dior’s ‘New Look’ of the post war period punctuated the end of a time of rationed material which birthed functional dressing, and the beginning of an upturn in the economy. Dior’s true innovation was to exploit the power of nostalgia, leveraging excessive material and cinched waists to evoke a sense of a time when women could be glamorous and extravagant.
A similar nostalgia employed by Gucci puts the modern crop top into focus, and applies today in a compelling way which was obviously unforeseen. Looking as if you ‘do without’ and opting for less and rugged material, which is the case with the abridged crop top, can only be fashionable in times of austerity and change. We’ve all been used to dressing in tracksuits and PJs at home since mid-March so now that we can venture outdoors, the act of being too excessive seems to lack awareness of societal challenges. It is possible that the cropped style for men marks a time when menswear reaches peak individuality, reflects economic and social uncertainty and is a true sign of the times. Expect to see the style crop up on the streets soon as this season’s collections begins to hit stores.
