The cropped jacket style is being seen more and more lately.
Therefore I wanted to show you 5 different types of bottoms to combine with this item.
Quote of the day: “But the fact is there is nothing ordinary about you. You have a fingerprint that nobody else has.” Joel Osteen
Part of the reason there are more cropped items available could be because we are seeing more of the high-rise pants return to the stores. It’s no secret that high-waist pants pair perfectly with a shorter jacket.
However, there are many ways to wear the cropped jacket style even if you don’t have or like high-waisted pants.
Not only am I showing examples with different rises of pants, but I’m also incorporating different color combinations along with varied options of bottoms.
Content
1-High-rise shorts or shorter pants.
2-Mid-rise jeans
3-Wide leg pants
4-Dress
5-Low-rise skirt
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What is the Cropped Jacket Style?
First, let’s talk about what is exactly cropped. Just like any word, your definition depends on your perspective. In my research, the cropped jacket style is where the hem ends anywhere from above your hips to below your bust.
Most of the cropped jackets are waist-length.
There are a couple of advantages of a shorter jacket.
1-Highlights the waist
2-No need for a belt
3-Creates a longer leg line (not that I believe it’s important to have long legs, but it can help the proportions of an outfit)
4-Not overpowering
And if you are trying out the cropped jacket style, you may want to pair it with a crop top. I’ve shown 5 ways to wear the crop top trend.
Shorts: Joe Fresh-thrifted ~~ Jacket: Entro~~ Top: H&M ~~ Shoes: Walking Cradles~~ Earrings: Frannie & Elinor
1-Cropped Jacket Style with High Rise Shorter Pants
Shorts and a jacket may seem silly to wear together. I can hear my mother saying, that if it’s cold enough to put on a jacket, why would you be wearing shorts? Yet I have found that many days the chill isn’t cold enough to be totally covered, and by having that extra layer around your core, you are warm enough.
My pair of camo shorts comes above my belly button and would be considered high-rise. The cropped jacket ends right at the waistline of the shorts.
In reality, the proportions of this outfit aren’t ideal in that they are half and half. Yet if you styled cropped pants that hit anywhere near my calf, the proportions would be 1/3 to 2/3. That is a combination that stylists agree is very flattering.
Insider tip: Don’t always concentrate on proportions because sometimes the best outfits are ones that break the rules. There are many other factors that make up a fabulous look!
Neutral Colors
The camel-colored jacket pairs well with other neutrals like these camo shorts. The original camo print is composed of muted greens that could be considered neutral since you can see all of the colors that combine with olive green in this post.
Even the striped top under the jacket is black and white. All pops of color are from the accessories and footwear.
Jeans: Old Navy~~ Jacket: Entro~~ Top: Banana Republic ~~ Shoes: Zero Grand-thrifted~~ Necklace: Lilla Rose headband
2-Mid Rise Jeans and the Cropped Jacket
If you have a mid-rise pair of jeans, the cropped jacket style can still work wonderfully. There are a couple of ways to style this.
In the example above, I tucked in the top to the mid-rise jeans which will keep a shorter proportion on the top half. You can also let the top hang outside of the jeans (as seen in the example below with the low-rise skirt).
Insider tip: Having this small band of color from the top showing between the jacket and jeans can act as a focus of interest very similar to a belt.
These jeans are a boyfriend style that is more relaxed in shape. I cuffed the raw hem to expose the ankles since both the jeans and jacket are not form-fitting. The ankles showing give evidence that there is shape to the body.
Camel Color with Jeans
Denim could be considered neutral since we pair it with every color imaginable. I added a bright orange top and matching shoes for the color.
Pants: Banana Republic ~~ Jacket: Entro~~ Top: Scala~~ Shoes: Jambu “Torino” code Jtouchf21 for 20% off ~~Hat: thrifted
3-High Rise Print Pants
Another example of a pair of high-rise pants with the cropped jacket style. These pants are more voluminous and would be considered wide-leg pants.
The cropped style works wonderfully since it’s much shorter on the torso and the pants waistband is hidden. Even though the jacket isn’t fitted, because it ends at the waist, it’s not overwhelming with the wider pants.
If you would like more ideas of how to style wide-leg pants, I discuss 5 options here.
Print and Camel
The solid color camel jacket lends itself to pairing with a print bottom, and since this leopard print is made of blacks and browns, it matches perfectly.
To brighten the look, I wore a bright pink fitted tank top.
Dress: Apparel Love~~Jacket: Entro~~ Boots: thrifted~~ Purse: Aldo
4-Cropped Jacket Style and a Dress
A flowy dress is also a great option for these shorter jackets.
Again, this specific combination gives a half-and-half proportion, yet it still looks nice. This would also be a great combination with a longer dress.
This dress has that a-line silhouette along with ruffles at the bottom that make it more voluminous similar to the wide-leg pants. Therefore the jacket is a topper of choice since it won’t add more volume to the bottom half.
Colorful Combination
The outfit started with the dress and boots. There is a small amount of green in the floral print which is why the boots are a fun color option. Instead of adding another color or matching color with a different jacket, I grabbed this neutral one to balance it out.
Skirt: Banana Republic~~ Jacket: Entro~~ Top: Vanilla Bay~~ Boots: VIvaia c/o~~Earrings: Lil Shop of Ours ~~ Purse: LaBante-won in a giveaway
5-Wearing the Cropped Jacket Style with a Low Rise Skirt
Even if your pants or skirt is low-waisted, you can still style the shorter jackets with them. This skirt hangs at my hips so I wore a long purple top to cover my midriff.
The shorter jacket over the longer top isn’t much different than the example with the mid-rise jeans. The longer top showing is meant to be intentional.
Insider tip: Not all layers need to cover what is under it. You create interest in an outfit with layers that you can see.
Animal Print
This example is very similar to the leopard print pants because the combination works so well. The camel jacket pairs wonderfully with any animal print and I added a bright-colored shirt under it for interest.
Notice the darker color green purse is a totally different color but continues the theme with the cool colors.
DIY the Cropped Jacket Style
My jacket is from Naomi & Ruth Boutique and I decided to buy it to help support my friend who owns this boutique along with the fact, I don’t have many shorter jackets like this.
Insider tip: The key to a versatile wardrobe is to have items of different proportions. This allows you to switch things up.
I’m all about ways to save money. And this style lends itself to taking a longer jacket that you don’t wear as much and cropping it yourself.
If it’s denim, then just cut it off and you will have a raw hem.
If it’s another material, then it will require some sewing. But it’s straight-line sewing, and therefore it should be relatively easy.
Another option is to scour the secondhand stores.
If you don’t have great thrift stores near you, then check out my favorite online ones:
thredUp—this link gives you $10 (and me in return).
Poshmark — here is the post about how to shop the site.
Etsy
ebay
Swap
Uncommon Closet— a nonprofit to help women
Gild the Lily–a local Michigan store that sells online
Other Related Ideas
If you like the idea of shorter toppers like this, then you’ll appreciate these posts:
- Styling our Short Cardigan Outfits 3 Different Ways–The original 3 models all wore shorter cardigans.
- Over 50: How to Style a Midi Skirt–I compared a cropped vs longer denim jacket in this post.
- Styling Your White Button Down Shirt as a Jacket–Making your white blouse versatile as a jacket
- Practical Reasoning: Why You Might Wear a Vest in Summer–Shorter vests can be worn all year long.
- How to Wear a Wonderful Pop of Color with Your Shoes and Accessories–Short cardigan and cropped trench coat shown
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