Cropped Cardigans

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I tend to wear A-line dresses for work, like the picture attached. The combination of the shape of the dress and my short torso means that when I wear a normal length cardi I might as well be wearing a sack. I'm fed up of looking scruffy, so I'd like to get some reasonable quality cropped cardis to wear instead (I did get some a few years back but they were a few quid from primark and are a couple of years past their best...). I'm not fussed whether they have buttons or not, but don't want anything that strays into bolero territory. 3/4 sleeves are preferable, because I always push up longer sleeves anyway and then they get all saggy. Don't really want to spend more than £25 per cardi and ideally less, and a choice of colours would be nice.

Does anyone know of anything that might fit the bill? Thanks :)

I'd suggest some short, fitted jackets instead. A wardrobe based on cardigans will inevitably look dowdy - unless you are already spectacularly stylish ...

I'm definitely not spectacularly stylish, but I do like to be comfy 😬

Sounds like you and I have a similar work style! They do a cropped silk and cotton mix cardi at Woolovers - I have several in different colours; what they offer changes with the season. They seem to do a lot of offers so worth signing up for the mailing list and seeing what they send you before you order!
www.woolovers.com/womens/cardigan/womens-cotton-silk-34-sleeve-crop-cardigan-blue-6988

Boden do good cropped cardigans to go with dresses but you'll need to look in the sale on your budget. There are always reductions though and they do them every year so worth keeping an eye out to catch a bargain.

ASOS has a few options in your price range but they are mainly quite casual.

Joanieclothing might have something suitable?

Bravissimo do a pretty cropped cardigan. You could try the 'least' curvy of the range if you don't have the gaping problem at the front like I do.
www.bravissimo.com/products/crop-notch-neck-cardigan-black-pt480blk/

Thanks everyone :) lots of options to look at

Oh I have a cardi like this from Hobbs... maybe worth checking out eBay?

For example: rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F192819309619

Vintage style brands like Collectif often have waist length/cropped cardies. Might be more than £25 each but their sales are good. Voodoo Vixen, Hell Bunny, Lindy Bop might be cheaper

QuaterMiss oh cardi lovers revolt! I beg to differ. A proper cardi is the epitome of chic!

Hobbs do this exact style

Loving the image of the Cardi Army!

Yes, of course, ideally they should look chic. But mostly they just look inoffensive and comfy.

And I do rather feel that we owe it to ourselves to look fierce rather than otherwise.

I found some in New Look in the summer. They were quite thin, but cheap as chips, and they came in several colours. Worth a look to see if they have something similar.

And I do rather feel that we owe it to ourselves to look fierce rather than otherwise.

I'm increasingly coming round to the idea that being invisible is the middle aged woman's superpower that can be harnessed to hide how subversive we are. Underestimate the cardigan wearer at your peril!

Cropped Cardi

I have a couple of these. They look smart enough and I like the big buttons. Sizing is a bit mean, I'm a 14 and need the XL.

I have a nice one from landsend. Don't know if they still sell them.

I love a cropped cardi, I just got a Boden cashmere one for £50 in the sale. I've got a cotton one from there too tho it's getting a bit tatty. I think they look great with a smart dress, especially something high-waisted.

This is the eternal dilemma! Watching with interest.

My favourite cardigan of all time is waist length, V neck, and ribbed from the waist down but looser on top with loose sleeves. With just the top button done up it sits perfectly with a dress, but for some reason I cannot find a single other cardi in the world in that design. I cannot for the life of me figure out how people wear the ones that are loose at the waist and then ribbed at the hem, especially when they button to the neck.

I also had an absolutely perfect jersey blazer which complemented every single dress I own, but it evaporated one day

Thank you everyone :) the vintage suggestion was a good shout - ended up ordering a couple of these from Misfit London. Never heard of them before so will see what the quality is like when they arrive...

Google MAK cardigans. They have cropped cardigans in a huge number of colours and a lot of the popular vintage cropped cardigans such as from Pin up girl clothing and Modcloth are rebranded MAK cardigans. You can get the real thing from Ebay or Amazon a lot cheaper.

Here is a blog post that explains it a lot better than me:
missamymay.com/2016/01/29/the-perfect-cropped-cardigan/