Girls tops are meant to be fun, colorful, decorative and cut to flatter a feminine body. Long-sleeve, short-sleeve, strappy and strapless tops are available to match the weather and add another layer to a girl's outfit. When shopping for a top for a girl or for yourself, you will want to pay attention to the cut, style, patterns and colors. Match the top you choose to the personality and style of the wearer so she will feel comfortable and confident in her new clothes.
T-Shirts
T-shirts come in a variety of styles, defined typically by the shape of the neck. V-neck tops are distinct because of their V-shaped neckline. This style brings attention to the wearer's neckline, showing the collarbones and top of the chest. Swoop necks also accentuate the neckline and chest with a diving neck. Rather than coming to a sharp V-point, a swooping neckline is a half circle that can be shallow or deep, depending on the girl the shirt is intended for, including her age and personal style. A crew-cut shirt is generally thought of as a shirt meant for males. These shirts have been popularized for females, with the only difference being the length and fit to the torso. Crew shirts for girls are shorter and cut to accentuate the curve of the lower stomach and waist typical of a feminine figure. This style is casual and playful, good for everyday activities, school and urban style.
Blouses
Blouses are fancy or formal shirts, originating as loose unisex shirts in the late 1800s. These shirts are tailored for a specific fit that will go along with skirts, dress pants and suit jackets. Decorative collars, sleeves and other fine detail such as bows, lace and buttons are added to blouses for style. Baby-doll blouses are cut to the shape of a feminine body, allowing room for the chest and coming in at the stomach and hips for a soft but tailored fit. Many blouses are button-ups.
Sweaters
Sweaters can stand alone as tops or go over shirts for a layering effect. Lighter sweaters can act as a thicker type of shirt, coming in v-neck, swoop neck and crew-cut styles, both long and short sleeved. Sweaters can be hooded, zip-ups or pull-overs. Sleeveless girl's hoodies and sweaters act as an extra layer and provide a casual, sporty look. Sheer V-neck and swoop-neck sweaters can act as a formal or fancy top.
Shirt-Dresses
Shirt-dresses look like very long shirts, and can be worn alone or with pants, tights or leggings. This type of a shirt usually falls just above the knees. For security and style, the shirt-dress can be belted above the waist. Blending the two styles of dress and shirt accomplishes a specific casual, relaxed yet flirtatious look.
Tanks
Girls tanks, camis and strapless tops are perfect for layering or for the warmer months. Strapless brassieres must be purchased to wear with these shirts so they don't show underneath the shirt. A feminine tank can have standard straps, thinner spaghetti style straps (camis) or no straps at all, as in halter or tube tops. These tops are typically quite tight against the abdomen for security, especially in the case of strapless tanks.
References
Writer Bio
Michael Monet has been writing professionally since 2006. At the San Francisco School of the Arts, he studied under writers Octavio Solis and Michelle Tea, performed his work in Bay Area theaters and was published in literary journals such as "Paradox," "Umlaut" and "Transfer." Monet also studied creative writing at Eugene Lang College in New York and Mills College in Oakland.