Sleeveless works brilliantly in a heated venue in July. It works considerably less brilliantly in a draughty country house in February when you are trying to look elegant while quietly freezing through three courses and a speech. Sleeves solve that problem without asking you to layer a cover-up over something beautiful. And at black tie level, a well-cut sleeve is not a compromise. It is a design decision that can make a dress feel more considered, more interesting, more genuinely grown up than its strapless counterpart. We have been pulling together the black tie dresses where sleeves are the whole point. Long sleeves in silk and crepe that feel evening-appropriate and genuinely luxurious. Three quarter lengths that photograph brilliantly. Sheer sleeves that add coverage without heaviness, which is its own kind of genius. These are not dresses where sleeves have been added as an afterthought. Every one of them is built around the idea that covering your arms can be the most elegant choice in the room. Warmth and formality are not in opposition. They never were.
Claire's Picks
← Black Tie Dresses Worth Having in Your WardrobeBlack Tie Dresses Sleeves Worth the Extra Layer
Sleeveless works brilliantly in a heated venue in July. It works considerably less brilliantly in a draughty country house in February when you are trying to look elegant while quietly freezing through three courses and a speech. Sleeves solve that problem without asking you to layer a cover-up over something beautiful. And at black tie level, a well-cut sleeve is not a compromise. It is a design decision that can make a dress feel more considered, more interesting, more genuinely grown up than its strapless counterpart. We have been pulling together the black tie dresses where sleeves are the whole point. Long sleeves in silk and crepe that feel evening-appropriate and genuinely luxurious. Three quarter lengths that photograph brilliantly. Sheer sleeves that add coverage without heaviness, which is its own kind of genius. These are not dresses where sleeves have been added as an afterthought. Every one of them is built around the idea that covering your arms can be the most elegant choice in the room. Warmth and formality are not in opposition. They never were.
4 items
