11 Going Out Tops, Because Everyone Loves A Going Out Top

It’s hard to exactly explain what makes an ideal “going out the top.” So first, let’s start with what makes a “going out top” in general.

I started using the term somewhere between 8th and 9th grade, when I had become newly aware that there was a difference between wearing a T-shirt and Soffe shorts to a girls pizza party and jeans and whatever the hell I was supposed to wear to see a movie with (gasp!) both girls and boys.

There’s a certain sense of dressiness when you’re talking about a going out top, but most importantly, an implied sexiness. A going out top is a top that gets you noticed and that you feel unabashedly confident in. And while it can be simple (my favorite going out top in all history was a silk racerback A.L.C. tank from Intermix circa 2007), there’s always somewhat of an “aha” moment about it: a ruffle, a cut-out, a smocking.