This post comes courtesy of Tracie Beardsley of Fab Frocks, a boutique which specialises in occasion
wear with starting prices comparable with high street shops such as Coast and Monsoon. Staff at Fab Frocks pride themselves on being able to dress real women of all shapes and sizes – with sizes 4 to 24 in stock.
“As soon as BBC’s ‘Strictly’ hits our screens, customers inundate me wanting evening dresses and party dresses with sleeves. “We see them on TV but can’t find them in the shops!” is their battle cry. But the good news is, at last evening dresses with sleeves are available. And they are available to us lesser mortals as well as celebrities. You will also be pleased to hear many come without the silly celebrity price tag too! Our latest party wear collections include dresses with sleeves from just £55.
The other great factor in the sleeve debate is finding a dress with sleeves that doesn’t make the style look old-fashioned. Once more, it’s good news. Occasion wear designers seem to have got it right this season with on-trend dresses with gorgeous sleeve detail. These not only look great but cover those bingo wings which are the bane of all female bodies.
DRESSES WITH SLEEVES – WHICH STYLE FOR ME?
There are so many styles of sleeves to choose from now – batwing, bell, cape, lace and cold-shoulder. Batwing is a great choice if you fancy some glamour and don’t want your arms restricted. You do tend to need long arms to carry this look off. Get it wrong and you can look like you are auditioning for Halloween! Cape sleeves are a variation on this theme. This style of sleeve by Dressed Up is proving really popular with our plus-size customers as it allows easy
movement and yet still covers the upper parts of your arms.
Another sleeve look is bell sleeves. These are finally finding their way into occasion wear and also look set to be big for 2018. They add retro glamour to a dress and give the sleeves a softer line which is more feminine.
Lace sleeves have revolutionised evening wear. This fabric is delicate rather than solid so doesn’t look heavy on your arms. It also has stretch in it so works for most arm widths. I am amazed how many of our sixteen year old prom dress customers are loving this look. Testament to the fact that dresses with sleeves are no longer just for great grandma on her world cruise!
And finally, cold-shoulder sleeves which rocked the summer party look are set to stay for autumn and winter. Who hasn’t got tidy shoulder tops? Just revealing this little bit of skin gives the sleeves added interest and makes the whole look far younger.
So why not roll up your sleeves and get stuck in to looking at our new collections and become part of our great cover-up!”