I LOVE a 3rd piece - you know, in an outfit it's the topper, the jacket, the item that pulls everything together. 

Cropped jackets are a great "3rd piece" for summer. They add a little style to an outfit, keep you a but warmer in the A/C and added bonus, cover your arms if you'd prefer not to show them.

It might be a little confusing, though, as to how to wear one of these pieces exactly. 

- First, it usually looks best if they hit at or just below your natural waist.

- Tucking in your shirt usually looks best under a cropped jacket

-Unless the piece below is at least a few inches longer, then you can play with the proportion and make it work.

Below I have 5 examples of how I style my Sarah Liller cropped jacket - the Sophia

Outfit: Sophia Jacket in black linen, Chloe tank in cloud stripe, and Savannah pants in dark olive

Outfit: Josephine dress in black and Sophia jacket in chambray

Outfit: Linen Sophia Jacket in steel grey, Linen Chloe tank in steel grey, Tomales pants in Black

Outfit: Sophia jacket in black jersey, Jessa top in twilight stripe, Loren skirt in black

Outfit: Veronica dress in twilight stripe, Sophia jacket in tuscan sun

How would you wear a cropped jacket? I'd love to hear in the comments!