Sleeves are an essential component of a clothing's design as it helps to create structure as well as determine the final aesthetic of your garment. There are many different types of sleeve designs. 

Women's blouses and dresses have various sleeve types, whereas men's garments tend to have minimalistic and simple sleeve designs. Before getting into the different sleeve designs, let us briefly describe a sleeve. 

What Are Sleeves?

A sleeve is the part of a garment's fabric that extends down to the cuff. Essentially, dresses, shirts, jackets, and more have sleeves. The numerous types of sleeves are named according to the following metrics:

• Sleeve length- Long sleeve design, mid or short sleeves design.
• The overall fit of the sleeve- Tight or loose-fitting 
• Sleeve's outline or shape
• Sleeve's styling details
• Sleeve pattern- Your shirt or dress sleeve pattern is more of a fashion statement, and different countries have distinct sleeve patterns.

So, can you do without sleeves? You are likely to have come across sleeveless clothes and may wonder if sleeves serve a purpose—more on that in the next section.

What Is The Purpose of Sleeves?

Besides their aesthetic contributions, sleeves offer a covering or protection to your arms. Protection, in this case, goes two ways: from excessive sunlight or cold. 

Hopefully, by the time we are done with this piece, you will be able to identify the best sleeve designs for your use cases during different weather conditions. Here are some of the types of sleeves.

The Different Types of Sleeve Designs

The two basic types of sleeves are classified according to their outline, namely straight and shaped sleeves. 

Straight sleeves

Straight sleeves are generally loose-fitting as they are not naturally tailored to curve with your arm's outline. An example of this sleeve type is the regular or set-in sleeves, designed in different lengths and styles:

• Short sleeves- falls right between your elbow and shoulders; Coco Crush Top
• Mid-length- falls right between your elbow and wrist; It's a Jungle Asymmetrical Top
• Long sleeves- falls perfectly right at your wrist; Take Me To The Tropics Shirt

Shaped sleeves

Conversely, shaped sleeves are better fitting as they adhere to the natural curve of your arm. A few examples include:

• Puff sleeves
• Cap sleeves
• Bell sleeves 
• Raglan sleeves
• Kimono sleeves
• Balloon sleeves
• Mutton leg sleeves
• Lantern sleeves
• Off-shoulder sleeves
• Dolman sleeves

All the above are some of the most stylish sleeve designs in reference to current fashion trends and aesthetics among different age groups. 

Latest and Stylish Sleeve Designs for Women

Fashion trends keep on evolving yearly. Our Pause collection is always a step ahead to provide you with a sustainable wardrobe with timeless and unique pieces that can withstand the test of time. The collection includes tops, bottoms, jackets, and dresses of different hand-sleeve designs. 

Some of our items may have the following stylish sleeve designs: 

Puff sleeves

They are not necessarily a new sleeve design and are a bit fuller as they are made with gathers. 

Cap sleeves

Do not extend below the armpit and are therefore very short. Our Night Dive Dress is an excellent example of this dress sleeve design.

Bell sleeves

Bell sleeves are among the latest and trendiest sleeve designs that you can trace back to the gilded age and is therefore not a new sleeve design. It takes the shape of a bell and may extend up to the elbow or down to the wrist. The Emerald Bay Playsuit embodies this feminine and stylish dress sleeve design. 

Raglan sleeves

These sleeves consist of a single fabric for a more casual fit, structure, and arm movement. The sleeve usually extends from the neckline of garments such as bodycon dresses. 

Kimono sleeves

The sleeves merge with the bodice(upper part of the garment) and extend to the wrist. It is a popular dress sleeve design for women's dresses and blouses. 

Balloon sleeves

Balloon sleeves extend from the shoulders to the wrist and puff out at the arm. It is one of the latest sleeve designs that has been gaining much traction and has been used on shirts, dresses, and top sleeve designs.

Dolman sleeves

They are also known as batwing sleeves as they mimic a bat's wing. They are a one-piece shirt or dress sleeve design with a deep armhole that extends to the waist. The sleeves are wide at the shoulders, then tight and tapered at the wrist.

Mutton leg sleeves

They usually take the shape of a sheep's leg, whereby the upper part (from the shoulders to the elbow) is inflated, and the rest of the fabric that extends to the wrist is form-fitting. 

Lantern sleeves

They are an example of a full sleeve design but may also vary in length. The sleeves separate into two sections, with the top part extending from the sleeve head to the wrist, forming gathers that slightly puff out to create a lantern shape.

Off-shoulder sleeves

They are partly merged with the garment at the sleeve cap but generally fall across the shoulders with full sleeve designs extending up to the wrist. It is among the latest sleeve designs for women's dresses, tops, and jackets.

Unique Clothes to Elevate Your Style

If you are still unsure about the right sleeve type for you, we are here to help! Our styling experts are available around the clock to provide personalised styling assistance. 

Bombay Shirt Company has brands like Pause, which caters to women of all body sizes and offers an amazing collection of tops, bottoms, jackets, jumpsuits, and dresses. 

Bombay Shirt Company also customises men's shirts for all occasions with a guaranteed great fit. 

Contact one of our experienced stylists today to get help with the right sleeve for your shoulder type.