Explain It To Me: Cropped Tops

You may want to sit up straight and tighten your core, as Asri Jasman breaks down the cropped top trend for men and how to embrace it.

- Asri Jasman

Why did Silvia Venturini Fendi put forth severely slashed tops and blazers (to the effect that they're effectively boleros) as part of her spring/summer 2022 menswear collection for Fendi? The answer is actually pretty simple: an expression of freedom, at least according to the creative director herself.

It's not exactly surprising that the showing of skin as a way of exuding freedom isn't new when it comes to fashion. It's a trope prevalent in womenswear, where raised hems and sheer fabrics are often used to portray liberation from societal constructs. But in menswear (at least in the conventional mainstream sense), freedom isn't often talked about or expressed in relatively risqué ways.

Fendi is by no means the first brand to do so in menswear. In fact, the spring/summer 2022 menswear runways were no stranger to cropped tops. Fendi's iterations though, were the most dramatic. Berlin-based GmbH and Spanish label Alled-Martinez, for example, both featured cropped tops in their respective collections to celebrate queerness and allude to more hedonistic times. It makes sense if you ponder about it. After a period of mandated restrictions in almost every facet of our lives including a moment where being physically close with someone was deemed dangerous-fashion designers feel the need to rejoice, as well as bring hope for a future where things could somewhat be normal again.