In a summer when blue-sky days have become a distant memory (we’re pretty sure there were a couple in June), dressing for weather that is actually quite cold but pretends to be otherwise has become something of an art – or at least a necessity.
The latest way to manage the unpredictability of “swinter” is by utilising something you already own. I give you sleeves – a simple yet effective way to stay temperate, but fit into current trends.
Sleeves aren’t just the things that fit around your arms on your top; they’re a detail to note, and not in a Mary Portas women-want-to-cover-their-arms way. Sleeves have been Fashion since last winter, when Vogue ran a two-page article singing the praises of the long sleeve.
It has continued this season, too. Rihanna’s oversized bomber jacket has extra-long sleeves and, on the catwalk, hands are getting very little play; see labels like Vetements, Céline, Marques Almeida and JW Anderson. Vetements’ jacket was extreme. It looked as if they had trouser legs sewn on to the shoulder.
Kanye West, who likes a bit of Vetements, is a major supporter of the sleeve – he regularly wears sweatshirts with sleeves that cover his hands. For his APC range last season, he produced the airport sweater – a jumper with longer sleeves to cosy up to in the air-conditioned environment of the (in West’s case, anyway) first class lounge. With the news that most women working in offices are freezing thanks to air-conditioning, it – or similar designs, anyway – would be pretty useful there, too.
Layering is a bit of a cult way to dress right now, with a duster coat worn over a long-sleeved, knee-length dress the uniform of twentysomethings who shop in stores like Monki. To combine the whole sleeve and layering thing, wear a short sleeve over a long one. It’s not exactly revolutionary, but it’s very 90s – think My So-Called Life or Rachel in Friends – so it works, considering that decade is enjoying something of a revival.
However you want to play it, don’t argue with the weather or freeze in a vest because it should be warm outside. Instead, embrace the sleeve, layer up and be warm, cool, dry, stylish and – having cracked the swinter puzzle – just a little bit smug.
