Everyone has different tastes in clothing, body types, and complexion. All of these variables will determine whether or not a particular summer top suits them. We understand that our list of the top 7 summer tops might not match your taste, however, by using our buying guide below, we hope to help you understand the most important factors when it comes to choosing a summer top on your own. We have also included some information on how much you should expect to pay for a quality top.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Summer Top
Skin undertone
Hold onto your hats, folks. We’re about to get technical!
One way to choose a summer top is to base it on the undertones of your skin. This is relatively simple to do. If you want to work out your skin undertone, simply take a look at the veins in your wrist. If they seem greenish, you have what is known as a cool undertone. If you have a hint of purple in your veins, your skin undertone is warm.
For a summer top that compliments your skin, don’t wear colors that completely match the undertone of your skin. If you do this, you run the risk of looking washed out, tired, or ill. If you have a cool skin undertone, choose blues, greens, deep purples, and lavender. If you consider yourself to be very pale, opt for neutral colors like grey, natural shades of green, and pale rose.
If you have a warm skin undertone, choose cool colors, like cream, olive, and honey. Sounds delicious, right? Warm skin tones also suit reds and corals. If you want to create a contrast with your skin, wear white to show off your warm skin tones. This also works well if you’ve developed a tan over the summer months.
Hair color
Certain colored tops look good with certain hair colors. Some (if not all) of these colors will overlap with the colors that suit your skin undertone.
Brunettes tend to suit saturated tones like deep pinks, greens, and bright blues. Purple looks great on brunettes as does any shade of red.
Blondes suit mustard, pink, blue, gray, pale greens, and you guessed it… purple!
Redheads suit green better than most people. If you are ginger or red-haired, you can wear almost every shade of green apart from any yellowish greens. Wearing yellow will make you look washed out. Blue is also very flattering on a redhead.
Black-haired women suit bold colors. You can choose any color but don’t make it pastel. This will not compliment your hair. If you want our opinion, red tops can stop traffic if you are a raven-haired beauty.
Body shape
If you are concerned that you are a little overweight or a little underweight, you can make yourself look wider or thinner using the patterns of your summer top. For example, small patterns and vertical stripes will make you look thinner. Large patterns and horizontal stripes will make you look wider.
Style
Summer tops come in a variety of styles, designs, and shapes. You can choose baggy oversized t-shirts, tiny crop tops, one-shoulder, no sleeves, and a halterneck. The list goes on and on. It is important to note that although many people who are not confident about their weight or their body choose to hide it with baggy t-shirts, this is often counterproductive and can make you seem bigger than you are.
Material
In summertime heat, you want to wear a material that is breathable and will keep you cool. Opt for materials like cotton, polyester, rayon, silk, and linen.
Ethically-sourced
A lot of cheap clothing comes from sweatshops. Check who is making your summer top before you accidentally support child labor.
Summer Tops: Price Range
The price of summer tops varies depending on the store, brand, and a plethora of other factors. You can usually get a high-quality summer top for as little as $15 - sometimes less if it is on sale. During our research, we found designer summer tops that were being sold for as much as $300. The amount you spend on a shirt is entirely up to you and your personal preference.
How We Chose Our Favorite Summer Tops
We considered several factors when it came to choosing summer tops for our recommendations list. These included the material used in the top, how well it fits, what other customers had to say about their purchase, and even the value for money. Rest assured, our suggestions were only made after extensive research. We would not recommend any summer tops we would not wear ourselves!
