I love kimonos. There's something very fancy and chic about them, and I really like pairing them with my daily outfits because they add an extra layer full of color and spontaneity. However, I must say it's not as easy as it looks to put on a kimono robe or jacket every single day: they are usually quite long and require a bit of height on your shoes (if you're a tiny mushroom as I am) or, are made of the thinnest and most delicate materials as silk or chiffon that it would be a pity to ruin any of them on a commute to University.

So, in today's outfit post, I wanted to show you a different kind of kimono to wear everyday, which is super comfortable, classy and able to suffer our day to day routines. It's a cropped kimono top, which is practically a 4x4 clothing piece! I love that I can style this top from Lightinthebox in very different ways: either Summer or Autumn on its own or layering it with a turtleneck or top. I paired the cropped kimono with a pleated maxi skirt and low heeled sandals for a stroll at the town after work, which was quite funny, as I didn't remember the cobbled streets here were so, so tortuously sloping. Add to that the horrible heat wave that's been around the last week and the super thick fabric of the top which equals as me dying slowly while shooting this pictures. But, everything went smoothly and here I am another week with the pictures for the outfit post just right in time!

Any more ideas on how to wear a cropped kimono, or a regular kimono? Check the following!

#1 Play with heights
I like to mix different heights and shapes when pairing any sort of cropped upper part with a high waisted bottom piece. I like the way high waisted skirts and pants look with crop tops and fancy tops which are a bit shorter in their cuts that usually: they'll help you look a bit taller!

#2 Colors everywhere
I'm a huge advocate of wearing bright colors. They just help anything cheer up and lift the spirits on a gloomy day! My way is to pair colorful, statement pieces with others that just balance the look, always looking for monochromes and plainer clothes, like a basic and minimal pleated skirt or a pair of tailored pants. This way, color always win the protagonism on the look!

#3 Layer up
Just in case you do not like to show a lot of skin or your stomach, which used to happen a lot to me a while ago, just wear your favorite cropped piece above a simple tank top, T-shirt or even a turtleneck for Winter! You'll not also achieve an unconventional way to style a cropped top, but also, make the best of that bargain by using it in different ways and seasons.

I was wearing:

Lightinthebox red knot cropped kimono

Stradivarius black pleated maxi skirt

Stonefly sandals

“This blog post was sponsored by Lightinthebox”