Puff sleeves have been around for decades. They were popular in the Renaissance period. They were fashionable in the 19th Century (think of the novel Anne of Green Gables where the main character, Anne, said it would give her a ‘thrill’ to wear a dress with ‘puffed sleeves’). And they’ve dominated the past few summers in the northern hemisphere. It’s safe to say, they’re a timeless trend, and since The Piebald’s all about helping you to find investment pieces to build your capsule wardrobe, we suggest adding a blouse – or dress – with puff sleeves to your collection.
Why puff sleeves?
Wearing a shirt or dress with puff sleeves is a really easy way to get an effortlessly elegant and feminine look – which makes dressing for the boardroom or a smart event really simple. Since a puff sleeve is a timeless trend, this would be an investment piece for your wardrobe … a little number that would never go out of style.
By accentuating your arms, puff sleeves usually make your waist look narrow, and you can play into the smart look by pairing your blouse with pleated trousers, form-fitting black or white jeans, a pencil skirt and heels. Or, downplay your look with casual denim and sneakers.
One thing to note is try to create another focal point in your look so as to create balance … as much as you want the puff sleeve to draw attention to your shoulders – which it will – you also want to draw attention down (for example to a V-shaped pleated skirt or pointed-toe shoes) or up (to a hat or headband).
Let’s elaborate on how to wear a puff sleeve with an example…
The handwoven puff-sleeve blouse in The Piebald Boutique has leg-of-mutton sleeves, which means the shoulders and upper arms are accentuated and the material gathers again at the elbows to the forearm. This gives a really lovely statement sleeve which makes it so easy to look glam.
The bare décolletage with the square neckline plus the bare forearm from the three-quarter sleeves shows a bit of skin helps to create balance and not overwhelm your look. Adding pointed heels helps to give your look another focal point so all the attention isn’t only on your sleeves. A pretty headband or clip could work too to draw attention away from the sleeves only.
It’s just as easy to downplay this blouse for a more casual style too. This blouse also has ruching (pleats) at the bust – another trend we’ll continue to see in the summer months. From under the bust to the waist-line, the blouse has an A-line flare which is flattering and comfortable. For a tailored look, we suggest pairing it with form-fitting bottoms, but baggier pants will toughen up this feminine blouse for more casual, bohemian chic look.
Let’s get specific on styling this blouse…
For a smart evening look, pair your blouse with a pencil, slip or pleated skirt; black or white skinny or straight-leg jeans; and pointed-toe heels. For the office, we’d opt for tailored pants. Fancy playing into the voluminous silhouette? Pair this top with wide-leg trousers … dainty heels will help to tone down the look. Try to stick to monochrome for an elegant and effortless style but for a smart daytime event (like high tea) you could add a pop of colour for your heels, trousers or skirt.
For a casual look, pull on some light denims and sneakers. Baggy, 90s-style jeans will give a tough and edgy vibe to this feminine blouse. This outfit can easily take you from the kids’ soccer game through to lunch with the girls and even casual sundowners.
When the warmer weather rolls in, we’ll pair this blouse with some white, black or denim shorts for daytime braais. The three-quarter sleeves will help fight off the chill on springtime evenings. Pair this look with sneakers or sandals.
Do you have any questions or styling tips you’d like to share? Email boutique@thepiebald.com, we’d love to hear from you.