News

Jul 13, 2023

The Art of the Fitted Top and Huge Pants—Summer’s No

By Rachel Besser All products featured on Vogue are independently selected by

By Rachel Besser

All products featured on Vogue are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The era of big oversized pants is now, and the loosely-slung bottom's meteoric rise brings with it an outfit combination that refuses to lose esteem: big pants with tiny and snugly-fitted tops. Open any social media app and find an iteration of it. To wit, the combo has its own hashtag on TikTok (#BigPantsLittleTop), boasting 5.3 million views to date. What started as an internet trend that riffed off ’90s-era and Aliyah-inspired crop tops with denim and early ’00s Avril Lavigne–esque flowing, punk-inspired cargo pants with a tank, is now an omnipresent outfit pairing for the stylish set.

Brands like Jacquemus, Chanel, Casablanca, and Christopher John Rogers are putting a more pointed and high-brow spin on the pairing. Jacquemus's spring runway was a lesson in tonal color-blocking with a fuschia bralette and button-up shirt worn with oversized powder pink denim. Chanel's recent runway reinstated fitted graphic tees as the wardrobe staple to tuck into oversized joggers. Alyx demonstrated how the little top doesn't need to be a cropped silhouette—little can also mean fitted. Christopher John Rogers upped the ante even further with #BigPantsLittleTop as evening wear. The little top, in this case, became corsetry worthy of a black tie affair paired with equally fancy and oversized trousers. It's even permeated the menswear space. One look at Paris Fashion Week, and it's clear the summer look du jour for men follows suit: Undershirt tanks (little tops) are getting tucked into loose denim or trousers (big pants).

From fitted tanks to body-hugging graphic tees and belly-baring crop tops, here are the 14 big pants and fitted top outfit combos to consider wearing all summer long.