Shrugs for women are an additional piece of garment worn on top of an outfit. The shrug is not the main outfit, its’ more like a jacket. They can be paired up with tops, tees, tunics, dresses, kurtis,  skrits, pants, jeans and even leggings online. They add to your cool and chic quotient. They are a great way to accessorize even a dull or a routine outfit.

The shrug is not a routine design. The only element that is routine about a shrug is that it opens from the front and is a loose jacket. There are long and short shrugs, narrow and flared shrugs, shrugs with sleeves and without and the likes. There are new trends emerging in shrugs on a regular basis. Let’s see how to style a few shrug patterns that are most popular.

Even before we launch into understanding the styling element of a shrug, it important to note that there are shrugs available in all kinds of fabric – right from cotton to velvet with a little bit of silk, yarn and chiffon thrown in the middle. Yes! That wide is the range. Naturally, not every shrug type is casual and not everyone of them can be worn anywhere and anyhow. While the range is big, the following few styles are dominating and ever green.

Long shrug – A long shrug by definition is a shrug for women that go beyond the thighs. The length can stop at mid thigh level, knee level, calf level or it can go all the way down to the ankle level. All these fall under the long shrug category. They are long, graceful, flowy and charming. The best ways to style this kind of shrug is to pair it up with clothing that is snug or close to the body so the shrug is accentuated. This way it gives the wearer the feeling of a breezy diva. Tops, tees, shorts, skinny jeans, ripped jeans minis and even leggings online can be paired up with these shrugs for women.

Cropped shrug – The cropped shrug is short and is just the right length to stop at the waist level of the wearer. It is styled as a close fit to the body. In the Indian context, this kind of shrug is a good replacement for the dupatta as it covers the modesty aspect with style. The cropped shrug can be paired up with dresses, skirts, palazzo and kurtis. The cropped shirt is available in almost all kinds of fabric right from cotton to spandex. Choosing the right cropped shrug in the right combination of color and fabric is the secret to a cool look.

Essentially these are the two kinds of popular shrugs. However there are variations like lacy shrugs, fringed shrugs, kaftan shrugs and so on. They are all a spinoff of the basic shrug. You can try out a few of the basic versions before plunging into bold and statement shrugs to sculpt your look. It is always best to test the waters before diving deep.

Image Source: Youtube.com