Sleeve Talk

There was a time when fashionistas, the world over shunned the sleeves. But now celebrities the world over and even in India are embracing the season’s biggest sleeve trends. Janice Goveas studies these trends to unravel the ‘sleeve story’!

Statement sleeves are running amok in the global fashion circuit – puffed, caped, ruffled, flared. Statement sleeves were predicted to be the biggest trend of 2017 and might we say are here to stay?

While cold shoulders were in vogue in the latter part of 2016, the statement sleeve trend has trickled down from this and the bohemian trend. The trend first got noticed at Festival De Cannes where Sonam Kapoor played along the season’s big trend. In India Sonakshi Sinha to Alia Bhatt, everyone's sporting this trend. This trend can actually make your arms look thin. Flowy and big silhouettes give an illusion of slimmer, toned arms.

“While evoking retro sixties and seventies aesthetics, giant eye-catching sleeves are a key look for resort and one that’s sure to dominate next summer as well,” predicts designer Althea Krishna, whose Demonetisation collection heavily featured lots of power sleeves with ruffles or flare. Gucci’s spring ready to wear 2017 collection featured over-the-top drama and flare, courtesy its power-sleeved outfits, top heavy blouses and even the architectural shaped ones.

“First we had statement jewellery, then statement bags and now statement sleeves! Or hang on, was the jewellery and bags trend the other way around? Anyway, passing trends often comes back full circle. Who doesn’t remember Zeenat Aman’s bell sleeves in Dum Maro Dum or Kareena’s net sleeve blouses? Sleeves can add drama to any outfit - I’d choose off shoulders for a little bit of sexy skin show or bell sleeves to hide fat arms (sigh),” says Aneesha Singh from Mumbai. If you are the one who wears your heart on your sleeve, then read on:

COLD SHOULDER SLEEVES