Birthday Inspiration Part 1: Crop Tops and Flashbacks

So I've always liked crop tops and maybe it's because I've seen it done right so many times. For the past three years on my birthday I have incorporated some type of crop top into my outfit and I've loved them all. 

Now that I've started working again I decided to look at clothes online for the first time in over a month, and I saw a couple of bralettes on NastyGal that were truly stunning. 

For Love and Lemons - SKIVVIES Bat Your Lashes Lace Bralette $125

For Love and Lemons - SKIVVIES Bat Your Lashes Halter Bra $105

For Love and Lemons - Snapdragon Longline Lace Bra $128

However, they were all labeled "bras" and I feared wearing bras outside in the real world. I wanted them to be named something else so I could feel certain that this was the kind of thing that could be worn both ways - outside and inside. 

I asked my sister her opinion and as usual she immediately said with eyes popping out of her head "That? Outside? No. ...Can I show dad?" Lmao.... hahahaha. Still I tried to ask her whether styling it a certain way would do anything and she said no. Then I asked my friend Kin and he said he wouldn't advise me to wear it outside. Regardless, I was determined to try the bras on for myself and see if I felt they could be worn outside. So I ordered them, simple as that. It's good to set your jaw and trust your own opinion sometimes. (And yes, I bit the bullet and paid those prices, which hurt because they're exorbitantly high, but luckily I had $50 NastyGal store credit to help ease the pain.)

I didn't order the white one because I felt it looked too similar to what I already have and I didn't want to wear that for my birthday this year (even though secretly I did because it's gorgeous) because as you can see, for two of my birthdays I've already gone the white crop top route. Maybe if the blue doesn't work out I'll order the white, but it just hurts to pay almost $20 more for it when $105 is already high as is. Plus the white one looks less under-wire-y to me so it feels more like a bra the look is kind of soft in those areas... we'll see.

Anyway, so I was on Instagram and I went to take a look at Evelina Barry's Instagram for whatever reason, and O_O. I was floored when I scrolled down far enough to see the following outfit posted on her account:

She's wearing the red top but in yellow!! Um, hello! This convinced me that you totally CAN wear tops like these outside, and I have to say when it comes to crop top pairing, Evelina Barry has the game on point. I never realized how often she wears them, and for some reason it never looks vulgar, half-clothed, or trashy. Here are pictures pulled from her Instagram of all the different looks she's worn that include crop tops. A lot of them are at festivals, but I still think you can go to a festival where it's more appropriate to wear a crop top and look bawdy or like you're trying too hard. It draws the eye to your midriff and registers that you're wearing a crop top but with her you barely notice it. I dunno, maybe it's because of her rocking bod and the fact that she wears those waist tied flannel things so often (which I actually feel is a cop out to be honest, who seriously ever takes that off their body and wears it, clearly it's just a thing they tie around their waist which is stupid) but still something about how she styles these tops and how they look on her is just so perfect. 

Additionally, Fashionista804, her latest biff, also wears crop tops frequently and rocks them (though not as much as Evelina). I notice her style can be kind of street style/slightly boy-y at times with the snap backs and all that but she's still a decent girl to look to when considering how to style crop tops.

So there you go folks, that's kind of my spotlight on crop tops and awesome YouTube guru crop top inspiration. I'm so excited to put together my birthday outfit when the time comes (cough, June) because it's kind of my one glamour queen moment where I get to be in the spotlight and it's almost like my Oscars or Grammys. It's my statement and it's what I choose that reflects my own personal taste and style. I have to make it my all. 

I will say that there is another top I bought around Christmas time when it was on sale, and it's this bustier from Bebe: 

It's gorgeous! I really love it and have been waiting to find an occasion to wear it, I wanted to wear it on New Year's Eve but of course we were at a bar as usual and it was definitely not warm enough, classy enough, or dressy enough to wear an outfit including this. ^ I thought, Oh I'll just wear it for my Birthday instead, but ever since I realized how often I wear white or cream, I really feel like being different now. I think I'm going to go with the red bra, I'm not sure how the blue will work out, I didn't realize the top included a panel of nude mesh until later :/ So we will see. 

Also I have been checking the NastyGal site on and off for this bodysuit which I saw, dawdled on buying, and when I came back to the page it was sold out. Then it came back in stock again, I hemmed and hawwed and then it sold out. So what a surprise it was 2 nights ago when I went to look at the picture per chance (haha because other people don't think to do that but I do! I get what I want ><) and they had my size again! As I was paying it displayed in my cart that it was the only one in that size left so I'm rather excited. 

There's just something great about a bandage bodycon bodysuit, especially one that resembles so many other high end pieces to me that I can't quite recall or put my finger on (I was going to say Herve Leger, but is that right?).

Anyway, thanks for tuning in guys! Ta-ta!