Sandhya Garg — Separates
A Dress Is One Outfit. A Good Top Is Four.
Tops · Jackets · Kimonos · Trousers · XS–3XL
Quick Answer
A dress arrives as a finished outfit and stays that way. A top changes with everything you already own — jeans on Saturday, trousers on Monday, a skirt for dinner. Three practical consequences: a good top is the cheapest way to make an existing wardrobe feel new, separates pack flatter than dresses and make more outfits per suitcase, and a statement top solves the hardest problem in dressing — the smart evening that isn't quite formal enough for a dress.
I design mostly dresses, and I'll happily argue for them. But there's a case for separates that dress labels rarely make, and it's the more useful advice for anyone who already owns a few good dresses and is wondering what to buy next.
I'm a Project Runway designer, and here's the honest arithmetic.
A jacket, a top and a pair of trousers. Between them, more outfits than three dresses would give you.
Three Reasons to Buy a Top Instead of Another Dress
1 · It renews clothes you already own
A new dress adds one outfit. A new top changes every pair of trousers, jeans and skirts in your wardrobe — and it changes the half of you that people actually look at, since conversation happens from the waist up. If you want the biggest visible difference for the smallest spend, it isn't a fourth dress.
2 · Separates pack flatter and go further
One top and one pair of trousers take about half the case space of a maxi dress and produce more combinations, because each piece recombines with everything else. It's the principle behind every capsule wardrobe ever written — set out in full in ten pieces, one palette.
3 · It solves the evening that isn't formal enough for a dress
Dinner with friends. A gallery opening. Drinks after work. A dress feels like too much, and jeans and a t-shirt feel like too little — this gap is where most people say they have nothing to wear, and it's exactly what a statement top is for. Something embroidered, pleated or printed on top, and whatever you already trust on the bottom.
A dress arrives as a finished outfit. A top is an ingredient — which is why it's the better buy once you already own the dresses.
Ten Separates · XS to 3XL · Verified In Stock
The Separates Edit
Evening Tops — For the Smart Night That Isn't Formal
Daytime Tops — With Jeans, With Everything
Jackets — The Piece That Finishes Everything
Kimonos & Bottoms — The Rest of the Outfit
Most styles XS · S · M · L · XL · XXL · XXXL · Size chart · Made to measure
Separates Questions, Answered
What should I wear when a dress feels too formal but jeans feel too casual?
A statement top with something plain underneath. Something embroidered, pleated or printed on top, with trousers or dark jeans below, does exactly the job — it's dressed enough for dinner or an opening without being an occasion outfit. This gap is where most people say they have nothing to wear.
Are separates better than dresses for travel?
Generally yes, for packing arithmetic. One top and one pair of trousers take roughly half the case space of a maxi dress and make more combinations, since each piece recombines with everything else. Dresses still win on effort — a dress is one decision.
What top goes with wide-leg trousers?
Something that defines the waist, since a wide leg is doing all the volume. A wrap top, a tucked-in printed top or a fitted top under an open jacket all work. Avoid volume on top and bottom at once unless one of them is clearly belted.
How do I bring a bold colour or print into my wardrobe without committing?
Start with a top or a jacket. Both cost less than a dress, both sit against things you already own, and a jacket in particular can come off if you change your mind at the door. The full approach is in the print ladder.
Do tops and jackets come in plus sizes?
Most run XS to XXXL, graded individually rather than scaled up, and made to measure is available. Wrap tops and one-size kimonos are the most size-flexible pieces here.
The Smaller Purchase
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Keep Reading
Packing
Ten Pieces, One Palette
Why separates travel better.
Low Risk
The Print Ladder
A jacket is rung two.
Buying Better
Five Resolutions
Buy for the life you have.
Your Colours
The 30-Second Colour Test
Test a shade on a top first.
About the Writer
Sandhya Garg is a Project Runway Season 13 designer who won two challenges on the show and presented her collection at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. She studied womenswear and pattern cutting at London College of Fashion and worked at Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Liberty London, and Alice Temperley — featured in Marie Claire, Elle, Cosmopolitan and Vogue online, in sizes XS–3XL.
Project Runway · Vogue · Marie Claire · XS–3XL
Buy the ingredient, not the outfit.
Sandhya Garg is a Los Angeles boutique creating limited-edition artisanal dresses, tops and jackets in original hand-drawn prints, hand embroidery and heritage textiles. Sizes XS–3XL, shipped from Scottsdale within 1–3 days.
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