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I honestly never thought I would jump on the OTS top bandwagon. I mean, I'm a mom. With one little girl I regularly balance on my hip and two boys I like to play with. I can't have a top that constantly needs adjusted back into place or - heaven forbid - creating an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction situation. Cause there ain't nothing to keep this kinda top up!
I took the leap off the shoulder this spring (see below) with stripes because that's my security blanket. But apparently yellow is the color of summer for me this year because I couldn't resist this ruffled (split back) top.
An OTS style is never going to be a "day with the kids" top for me. But I'm kinda diggin it for dates and girls' nights out. An OTS top can be dressed down with distressed denim for daytime functions, paired with white or colored denim for a festive look, or paired with dark shorts and high wedges for a night out. With its split back, this top doesn't tuck very easily, but typically you could do a full or partial tuck to enhance each look.
This particular top is from the clearance rack at Target (okay, the $5 price tag helped me pull the trigger), but I found the mother load of OTS tops at H&M. Seriously, I typed in "off the shoulder top" and more than 200 options were displayed. And although there was one 100% silk option for $99, the vast majority were under $25 (and as low as $7) so it's a great retailer to browse if you're not looking to make a huge investment in this style
This striped OTS top hasn't gotten tons of use as I suspected, but I got it during one of LOFT's ever-present promos for about $13. This one offers more options for tucking, as pictured, and the longer sleeve length makes me hopeful it will be in the "special occasion" rotation into the fall months.
Have you gone all in for off the shoulder? If you haven't tried it at all, I'd suggest that you may just need to find one that fits your shape and style. I hope these looks have inspired you to see how one may fit into your wardrobe.