Bardot tops: we chart our collective love affair with the off-shoulder top

TrendsLifestyleKaren Dacre

August is a time for reflection: have you drunk enough rosé? Taken enough holidays? Spent enough of your hard-earned cash on clothes that are far too skimpy to merit more than two days of airtime on our breezy British shores?

If the last is true, it is highly likely that you have already built a firm and lasting friendship with an off-shoulder top - an item broadly considered to be summer’s greatest hit. Take a look around your office, cast your eyes up and down the Tube carriage and you’ll see them: clavicles everywhere. 

As with all of the best summer flings, our collective love affair with the off-shoulder top is one that took hold before common sense was allowed to get in the way. You see, while our off-shoulder friends may look delightful, they’re not exactly the most practical. 

Among the drawbacks there’s the issue of underwear.

Where the average pain threshold is concerned, wearing a strapless bra is tantamount to sticking needles in your feet. But enough with the negativity. It’s silly season and an off-shoulder top from your favourite high street mecca of choice is precisely the armoury you need to face it with.  

If you’re yet to invest in the off-shoulder top of your dreams, firstly, what on earth have you been doing with your life? Secondly, you’re in luck, because despite the black hole that is the high street in August (as a general rule, if you’re not sale shopping don’t bother) there are still off-shoulder love affairs to be forged. 

Begin your quest by looking for one in a neutral shade. If you want your top to have a bit of longevity, blue cotton is the way to go.

Not least because it’s a shade you’re unlikely to tire of before September is out. But also because this summer’s blue cotton moment is set to continue into autumn and beyond. It’s also advisable to opt for a Bardot in a slouchy shape. Anything too fitted will make you look like you’re trying too hard. 

Among the nicest off-shoulders around at the moment is a gingham-print style from Mango, which looks ace worn with sawn-off denim shorts, and a cotton tabard style from Cos, which looks chic layered over a pair of simple navy slacks.

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Bardot tops: we chart our collective love affair with the off-shoulder topFashion EditorGalleryPublishedMedium width1Tuesday, August 2, 2016 - 11:15OnEnable video endboarddefault