No Hiding Allowed – Arms and Sleeves

Many years ago, I heard the following joke: Where do kings keep their armies? In their sleevies!

In all seriousness, if I was not bound by tzniut (modesty/dignity) to cover my arms, I would wear sleeveless tops most of the time. I like my arms. Not everyone likes their arms though and that’s a shame because our arms do so much for us. Having said that, there are ways to dress the arms to make them look their best. We can even play them up or down depending on how we feel on any given day. 

The way for arms to look their best is to give them definition. This means that we need to see them and clearly differentiate between them and the torso. Getting good definition is mainly about the right sleeves. 

There are several different sleeve lengths:

Sleeveless – no sleeve at all, exposes the shoulder.

Cap sleeve – just covers the shoulder and falls at the top of the arm. 

Short sleeve – falls anywhere on the upper arm between the top of the arm and the elbow.

½ sleeve – falls to the top of the elbow or right on the elbow.

¾ sleeve – covers the elbow and falls on the lower arm.

Bracelet sleeve – falls just above the wrist.

Long sleeve – covers the wrist and falls at the top of the hand.

The most flattering sleeve is the ¾ sleeve. It falls on the lower arm and it makes the arm appear strong and shapely. It also shows a little skin which is considered youthful but it’s done in a very tasteful way. The ½ sleeve is close enough to tie with the ¾ sleeve if you are OK with your elbows being visible. Again, the lower arm is exposed which plays up a long and shapely arm. These sleeves also leave room for fabulous bracelets which can play up the lower arms. 

It may seem counterintuitive, but sleeveless is actually the second most flattering sleeve. Why? Because it doesn’t cut into the arm anywhere which would draw attention to the arm. And sleeveless is not out of bounds for us when we layer it. Wearing a sleeveless blouse over a sleeved shell can work well as long as the shell has fitted sleeves. 

The long sleeve takes third place here. When it’s fitted, it covers the skin without hiding the arm. However, since it doesn’t show any skin on the arm, it can look a little unsophisticated. And on a practical level, long sleeves get in the way which is why we often push or roll up our sleeves when doing chores or cooking. These sleeves also don’t leave much room for bracelets.  

One might think that the bracelet sleeve is good but it’s a tricky one. Since it falls just above the wrist, it draws attention to the wrist and hand. If you like the way your hands and wrists look and you want to play them up, then this is a good sleeve length for you. But if you don’t want to play them up for whatever reason, then this sleeve is not a good idea. I have very bony wrists and hands and bracelet sleeves overemphasize that boniness and make my hands look older than they are. Other women might have other issues with their wrists and hands and don’t want them as a focal point.

Short sleeves are tricky because they cut into the upper arm which is usually proportionately wider than the lower arm. This overemphasizes the width of the upper arm. Cap sleeves are the worst because they cut into the widest part of the upper arm and overemphasize that width. Layering these tops with longer-sleeved shells does not make those shorter sleeves any more flattering. 

One thing that all of these sleeves have in common is this: they should be fitted but not skintight. If the sleeves are too big and loose, they look as if you have something to hide under there. If the sleeves are too tight, they draw attention to every detail of the arm’s shape and can be very unflattering. This is true just as much for sleeved shells that you might use under a shorter sleeve or sleeveless overblouse as it is for t-shirts and tops that you might wear on their own. There are blouses that fit a little loose on the arms and those are fine as long as there’s still some good arm definition. 

Here’s the litmus test. Bend your arm at the elbow and place your hand on your waist or hip. There should be a big triangle of air and dead space between your arm and your torso. That air and dead space is what defines your arms and your torso. Fitted sleeves give you that definition.  

The armhole (where the sleeve meets the body of the shirt, usually at the shoulder) can enhance arm definition if it’s small enough. It always needs to be just large enough to accommodate the arm comfortably but it shouldn’t be larger. If it’s larger, the arms lose some definition.