Fashion has a new version of the chicken-and-egg question, and it goes like this: which came first, the crop top or the ab crack?
If you don’t know what an ab crack is, allow me to enlighten you. It is the hollow that runs vertically down the centre of the abdominal muscles, from the breastbone to the tummy button – but only if those abdominal muscles are extremely toned, and the shape of the musculature revealed by very low levels of body fat. If you want to see an ab crack in all its glory, head to the Instagram pages of Emily Ratajkowski, or Kendall Jenner, or either Hadid sister. Although, be warned: you may find yourself overwhelmed by nostalgia for the relatively forgiving age of the thigh gap.
In 2016, statement abs are fashion’s favourite body part. The 00s were all about legs (the rise of the denim cut-off) and the 90s were all about cleavage (Hello Boys, the 1994 Wonderbra ad starring Eva Herzigova, was voted the most iconic advertising image of all time). But this decade, across the spectrum of fashion from celebrity to streetstyle to catwalk, focus has shifted to the mid-section. Taylor Swift, whose wholesome and accessible style has made her a huge influence on young fashion consumers, made crop tops worn with shorts or mini skirts her signature look on last year’s 1989 tour and has kept it since. At the Grammys in February, she wore an orange bandeau top that finished way clear of the waist of her fuchsia skirt. Streetstyle stars have pushed the look further: Danish blogger Marie Jensen sometimes wears a crop top-style Nike sports bra with a full midi skirt to Paris fashion week. On the catwalk, slivers of waist-level flesh have shown up everywhere from Dior to Dolce & Gabbana, Versace to Jacquemus. Even bridalwear is getting in on the act. Last year on the Reem Acra bridal catwalk, a lace blouse that ended at the lower ribs, exposing four inches at the waist above a formal ivory silk skirt, was just one of several ab-exposing wedding gowns.
The 90s revival, a slow-burn influence on fashion for most of the last decade, was the prime mover behind the crop top’s rise to catwalk status. In the first series of Friends, in 1994, sassily tied-above-the-waist plaid shirts were a signature look for Rachel. Low-slung trousers and shrunken vests were a favourite of 90s pin-ups from Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera to the Spice Girls. The crop top momentum snowballed with the arrival of high-waisted jeans, which crossed over from Shoreditch-hipster to Topshop-mainstream – because a crop top will ensure everyone in the club notices your newly-purchased high-waisted jeans. Having been consigned to market-stall partywear for a decade, its rehabilitation into high fashion society was confirmed at 2014’s Met Gala, when Cara Delevingne, Rihanna and Margot Robbie all chose outfits that bared a toned slice of ab.
But fashion is only half the story here. The catwalk show that has had most influence on this trend doesn’t happen during New York, London, Milan or Paris fashion weeks. It is, instead, the Victoria’s Secret show. Because when you wear a crop top, its purpose is to frame what lies just beneath: specifically, the abs. In a culture obsessed with fitness, toned abs are the ultimate prize. “Strong is Sexy” proclaimed the cover of September’s Self magazine, on which Serena Williams bared her six-pack in a crop top and tiny sprint shorts. Many of the most fashionable exercise trends of the decade – Pilates, and ballet-based barre classes, for instance – target a tight, zipped-in ribcage and pancake-flat abs as key goals.
Abs have become the acceptable face of body perfectionism. We are more sensitive now to the damage wrought by endless images of unhealthily thin bodies. Twenty years ago, it was normal for magazines to suggest ways to get “thin thighs”. This would be frowned upon now, but having “toned abs” is still an acceptable public goal, because it foregrounds exercise, strength and hard work. (Never mind that you can tone your abs as much as you like, but the effect won’t be visible unless you lose any fat that lies on top.) And in 2016, abs are also the respectable way to signal sexiness: both Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé often accent their curves by wearing a tight skirt and a clingy-but-not-revealing top, with a belt-width strip of flesh visible at the waist. The silhouette is similar to that created by a corseted cocktail dress: but instead of squeezing herself into a corset, the wearer must spend two hours a day in the gym. Progress? Now, there’s a question.
