Venaton Cotton Two-Piece Set: Crop Top and Pencil Skirt

A cotton crop top and pencil skirt set in one colour

Two pieces, one fabric, one colour. Venaton describes this as a cotton set with a long sleeve crop top and a pencil skirt in a classic cut. Worn together they read as a dress with a narrow strip of skin at the waist.

The set comes in grey, pink and navy blue. The fabric is 98% cotton with 2% spandex, and there are two double sizes: S/M and L/XL.

At a glance

The piece: models 77446, 77447 and 77448 by Venaton

Each colour has its own number at the wholesaler. Grey is 77446, pink is 77447 and navy blue is 77448. The description and the composition are the same for all three.

The top is short and close to the body, with a wide round neckline. The maker says long sleeve; on the model the sleeves end on the forearm, so expect them to stop before the wrist if your arms are long. The skirt sits high on the waist, follows the hips and ends below the knee in the photos.

Both pieces show a fine rib in the close-ups. The pink is a very pale, powdery shade.

Who it's for

For you if you like the ease of a dress and the freedom of separates. You can wear the two together, and each piece also works alone: the skirt with a shirt, the top with high-waisted jeans.

It is a close fit and it shows the midriff. If you prefer that covered, this is not your set.

Closer look: what the maker and the photos show

• Cotton set of two pieces (maker's data)
• Crop top with long sleeves according to the maker; sleeves end on the forearm on the model (photos)
• Pencil skirt in a classic cut (maker's data), high waist with a waistband (photos)
• Hem below the knee on the model (photos)
• Fine rib texture on both pieces (photos)
• Small brown tag at the hem of the top (photos)

The maker gives no measurements at all for this set, and does not say how the skirt closes. In the photos we see no zip, which fits a stretch skirt that you pull on, but we can't confirm it.

Fabric and feel: almost all cotton

98% cotton and 2% spandex. That is a high share of cotton for a fitted knit set; many sets like this are mostly synthetic. Cotton breathes and feels dry on the skin, and the bit of spandex helps the skirt and the top keep their shape around the body.

Pale cotton knits can be slightly see-through under strong light. With the pink set, underwear close to your skin tone is the sensible choice.

Fit and silhouette: two double sizes, no table

There are two sizes, S/M and L/XL, and the maker publishes no size table for this set. We can't give you centimetres we don't have.

What we can say from the photos: both pieces are cut close, the skirt starts high on the waist and the top stops a few fingers above it. If you normally wear S or M, take S/M; if you wear L or XL, take L/XL. Between M and L, think about the skirt first, because a pencil skirt that is too tight over the hips will ride up.

Styling: sneakers by day, heels at night

The photos show the set with white sneakers and with dark slip-ons, and that is how we like it too. Flat shoes keep a fitted set relaxed.

For an evening, change to heels and add a short jacket that ends at the waist. An oversized jeans jacket works over the grey. Wear the pieces apart as well: the skirt under a loose white shirt for the office, the top with wide trousers at the weekend.

Occasions

This is a daytime set first. Think of a day in town, a lunch, a birthday at someone's home. With heels it goes to a dinner. For an office with a strict dress code the bare midriff is the problem, so wear the skirt there with a longer top.

Care: follow the label

The maker's data has no care instructions, so go by the labels sewn into the two pieces. Cotton knits can shrink in a hot wash or a dryer, so read the label before the first wash and wash the two pieces together to keep the colour even.

The wow detail: the gap between top and skirt

The top ends just above the waistband, so there is a thin line of skin between two blocks of the same colour. It breaks up what would otherwise be a plain knit dress, and it disappears as soon as you raise the skirt a little or lower your arms.

Fashion that gives back

5% of each sale goes to a cause you choose. The causes are matched to 11 of the 17 SDGs, the global goals set by the United Nations, and you decide where your share goes.

Our promise

Ships from the maker's wholesale partner in Poland, inside the EU, with tracking. The wholesaler lists up to 5 days to prepare an order; within the EU delivery usually takes 2–7 business days after dispatch. Delivery is free within the EU on orders from €69; below that it costs €4.95 in the Netherlands and €6.95 elsewhere in the EU.

You have 14 days after delivery to ask for a return, as long as the set is unworn and still has its tags. Our promise is plain: if what arrives does not match what this page says, send it back within 14 days and we refund you.

More dresses, sets and separates are in our women's fashion collection.