Halter Tops

“Halter top” can refer to either a dress or a separate shirt which comprises a body and a thin  strap which goes behind the neck and is tied around the nape to hold it up. The terms halter tops and tank+tops are often used interchangeably, but the basic difference lies in the presence of two strings that go over the shoulder in a tank top. Halter tops can be part of any outfit from a dress combo for a night on the town to a bikini for a day on the beach.

Halter Tops

History of the halter top

The history of halter tops dates back to the days of early India where it was worn by queens and maids of honor. However its true geographical origin was in Africa, from where it gained popularity and spread as a preferred form of clothing form for women living all over the world and in the tropics especially. Halter tops are essentially summer clothing worn to beat the piping heat of the day and at times during the night. Originally they were spare pieces of cloth sewed together and supported by a string, but as its popularity grew they began to become more elegantly designed and the fabric used turned to silk and other expensive and lightweight materials.

Dressy Halter Tops

Designing halter tops

Halters tops designed today are often made of fabric that clings to the body, defining the shoulder line and bust and exposing the back and arms. A halter top exposes most of the wearer’s back, giving it the edge of seduction. This makes it  preferred clothing for those women who have a figure that they would like to show off. That is why generally it is seen worn by models or petite women with a slender bust line.  Halter tops can make you look sexy without being vulgar. Various designs have evolved over the years to make them look more elegant than casual beach wear.

Models and accessories

Aside from bathing suits, halter tops come in a variety of clothing designs, from babydolls to camisoles, as well as bustiers and jerseys. Fabrics available range from dressy silks and floral patterns to tie-dyes. Although the low-cut neck with plenty of cleavage is more typical, you can also get halters with smock-style necks or criss-cross straps that raise the neckline. Various types of bust shaping and padding are also common. Undergarments worn with halter tops should be designed in a way to make sure that the bra straps are either absent, in the form of strapless bras, or so that the brassiere strap blends into the strap of the halter neck.

Sexy Halter Tops

Economic viability

What makes halter tops a wonder is that all you need to make one is couple of strings, two handkerchief a needle and a thread and there you have the most trendy and sexy women’s wear.  Improvising on dresses and swimsuits have made halter tops the most common site at beaches all over the world amongst bikini wearers as they turn out to be the most appropriate as bikini tops. In the sports arena, athletes prefer wearing halter necks as they are small and provide freedom of movement for arms and shoulders.

Precautions on social acceptability

Halter tops aren’t really very well appreciated by the conservative society hence many countries educate foreign visitors to be careful about their dress code and not wear anything that reveals too muck of bare flesh. It would be inappropriate to say that they totally discourage halter tops but advise wearers to wear a wrap around to deliver the onlookers from temptation. And of course in some countries where women are obligated to cover up to varying degrees because of religious strictures, halters are simply not appropriate as outer wear.