Killer Sleeves: The Silent Champion of Fall 2015

Laia GarciaWriter

Updated Mon, March 16, 2015 at 4:04 PM UTC

A Balloon Sleeve at Alberta Ferretti — No one does a hyperfeminine look the way Ferretti can. For her fall collection, this meant lace trims and a slightly cropped shape.
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A Balloon Sleeve at Anna Sui — Sui loves a '70s boho look, and for her Fall collection, the influence could be felt in the balloon sleeves with lace trim.
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A Balloon Sleeve at Chloe — As Fleetwood Mac played on the soundtrack, models waltzed the runway in sheer floral blouses with subtle balloon sleeves.
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A Balloon Sleeve at Donna Karan — Karan's signature romanticism was reflected in sheer, floral appliqued sleeves whose stiff fabric added a dose of drama.
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A Balloon Sleeve at Giles — Giles loves drama, and this crisp cotton shirt dress with an oversized satin sash tied into a bow, and exaggerated sleeves and pearl-embroidered cuff detail is fit for a queen.
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A Balloon Sleeve at Undercover — Undercover loves to take classic shapes and turn them on their head, like this oversized varsity jacket with the most decadent sleeves a collegiate staple has ever seen.
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A Balloon Sleeve at Victoria Beckham — Beckham always cuts an imposing silhouette, and this turtleneck with a sort of recessed balloon sleeve is an unexpected addition to "power dressing."
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A Balloon Sleeve at Veronique Branquinho — Sweet dreams are made of this.
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A Bell Sleeve at Celine — A knitted dress with a floral qppliqued skirt and oversized tweed bell sleeves that could easily hide a knife or two. For cooking purposes only, of course. Phoebe Philo redefines femininity again.
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A Bell Sleeve at Giambattista Valli — The updated princess look at Valli was all about the arms, with a strong shoulder and a bit of a fluorish at the wrist.
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A Bell Sleeve at Gucci — New designer Alessandro Michele's bohemian vision for Gucci includes with a slouchy bell sleeve, of course.
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A Bell Sleeve at Louis Vuitton — Nicolas Ghesquiére's futurist vision at Vuitton includes a bell sleeve that is more Judy Jetson than Janis Joplin.
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A Bell Sleeve at Oscar de la Renta — A feminine blouse deserves a little bit of flounce.
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An Embellished Sleeve at Celine — Not content with breaking out hearts with an oversized bell sleeve, Philo gives us the fur cuffs to end all fur cuffs, on a leather trenchcoat, with a matching oversized collar. Bring it on winter, bring it on.
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An Embellished Sleeve at Chanel — Shine bright like a tweed coat with sleeves made out of feathers and diamonds.
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An Embellished Sleeve at Christopher Kane — A delicate wave of ruffles exalts the sense of sensuality and romanticism that Kane was going for with this collection.
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An Embellished Sleeve at Giles — The tuxedo sleeve is born at Giles.
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An Embellished Sleeve at Marni — Consuelo Castiglioni says "I am woman, hear me roar" with her full-on fur sleeves.
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An Embellished Sleeve at Michael Kors — The simple white shirt gets a makeover with a feminine, yet minimal ruffled sleeve.
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An Embellished Sleeve at Ports 1961 — Ports 1961 began with a white shirt in 1961 so it makes sense that a white shirt is what's taking it into the future. Who can resist some pom-poms?
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An Extra Long Sleeve at Coperni Femme — A simple crewneck sweater becomes an avant-garde piece with the addition of cutout, knee-length ribbed cuff sleeves.
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An Extra Long Sleeve at Derek Lam — The sleeves in this crossver top are long enough to show off just a sliver of your manicure.
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An Extra Long Sleeve at Giorgio Armani — Fashion people love to call things "effortless," but there's no other way to describe this slouchy turtleneck sweater with raw edges.
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An Extra Long Sleeve at Jacquemus — Jacquemus' playful Fall collection wouldn't have been complete without a classic white shirt gone mad. For ease of movement, stick your hands out through the placket.
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An Extra Long Sleeve at Lemaire — Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran's collection was all quiet sophistication, perfectly embodied in this ecru jumper worn over a button-down shirt with extra long sleeves.
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An Extra Long Sleeve at Maiyet — There is a sense of carelessness in the swingy, silk separates at Maiyet.The cowl at the neck, the raw edges of the skirt, the length of the sleeves.
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An Extra Long Sleeve at Marni — An extra long sleeve deserves an extra large, golden cufflink.
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An Extra Long Sleeve at Marques'Almeida — At Marques'Almeida the cool vibes came from asymmetric sleeves.
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An Extra Long Sleeve at Mulberry — Nothing cozier than a chunky knit sweater and a matching chunky knit skirt.
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An Extra Long Sleeve at Nina Ricci — New designer Guillaume Henry knows what girls like. (To hide our hands inside our sweaters.)
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An Extra Long Sleeve at Proenza Schouler — There's a slight madcap feel running through this Proenza Schouler collection; the pleats, the color contrast, the obi belt, and of course, the extra long sleeves, all come together to make an inalienably cool dress.
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An Extra Long Sleeve at Rag & Bone — An extra-thin, extra-long tank is the perfect layering piece.
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An Extra Long Sleeve at The Row — Mary-Kate Olsen shows the best way to avenge those who called her early college look "homeless chic," is to reappropriate the proportions and turn them into the most luxurious sweater.
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An Extra Long Sleeve at Stella McCartney — A bit of a kooky grandma vibe emanates from this look at Stella McCartney.
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A Mutton Sleeve at Balenciaga — The mutton sleeve on the Fall runways was definitely an updated version of the standard 1800's sleeve, but the sentiment remains the same. Large volume at the shoulders that tapers off dramatically into the wrist.
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A Mutton Sleeve at Delpozo — Delpozo loves bold shapes, and these sleeves – which definitely bring to mind trees – are the chicest take on the mutton.
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A Mutton Sleeve at Donna Karan — A subtle take on the trend, but the subtle voluminous shoulder remains.
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A Mutton Sleeve at Jacquemus — Jacquemus' sleeve appliques make a perfect mutton sleeve tromp l'oeil.
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A Mutton Sleeve at J.W. Anderson — Anderson's elongated mutton shape veers closely to a balloon shape, but the roots are unmistakeable, especially when you add the peplum detail and buttond details at the cuff.
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A Mutton Sleeve Jil Sander — Elongated, and with cutouts, Rodolfo Paglialunga's sleek, minimal take on this Victorian shape.
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A Mutton Sleeve at Louis Vuitton — Nicolas Ghesquiére ruched sleeves in a velvet jacquard was a little bit goth and lot rock & roll.
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A Mutton Sleeve at Miu Miu — Miuccia Prada's anything-goes Fall collection for Miu Miu features layered tops with the distinct broad shoulder, it is the mix of prints and fabrics that makes this look distinctly modern.
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A Mutton Sleeve at Simone Rocha — Simone Rocha's collection was a bit haunting and slightly funereal, so it makes sense that there was a Victorian influence in some of her silhouettes.
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Amidst all the over-the-top trends that emerged during fashion month— think bejeweled headphones, face jewelry, and Looney Tunes characters— a quieter change was taking place on an often overlooked part of the body often in fashion: the arms.

While hems rise and fall like empires, and pant legs go from flared to skinny to jeggings to culottes, sleeves have generally stayed the same. Since the ‘90s we have more or less favored a straight sleeve, and whether it’s short, elbow-length, or long. The sleeve has stayed the course. Until now.

We first noticed a sea change in sleeves in New York, when designers like Delpozo and Donna Karan sent looks down the runway in a modernized version of the mutton sleeve. This was popular in Victorian times, characterized by a voluminous detail near the shoulder, which tapers down into the wrist—you know, it looks like a leg of mutton, and if you don’t know what a mutton means, it’s a lamb! The mutton continued to make an appearance on runways in London, at Simone Rocha, in Milan at Marni and Jil Sander, and in Paris at Miu Miu and Louis Vuitton, but it’s not the only shape that designers have in mind for us next season. The extra-long sleeve, one that’s four to five inches longer than your finger tips, the one that makes you feel the coziest when you hide your arms inside it, and maybe you pretend you are a ghost with the sleeves hanging limply over your hands, was also a major contender this season, showing up in the collections of everyone from The Row, to Giorgio Armani, to Stella McCartney.

Elsewhere, we saw designers experiment with the balloon sleeve (Chloe), with the bell sleeve (Celine), and the overtly-embellished sleeve (Chanel).

But why sleeves and why now? It seems like the two opposing movements in fashion – the minimalists and the maximalists – have both been slowly moving towards the same direction in an attempt to further define their aesthetics. A minimalist like The Row, might seem to elongate a sleeve as a way to add a special element to an otherwise classic sweater shape, while someone like J.W. Anderson – in his search to make a more decadent collection – added an exaggerated sleeve shape in order to have his woman cause a stir when she walks into a room. There is something about a statement sleeve that is more dramatic than say, a pair of super wide-leg trousers or a very short skirt, perhaps because it’s so unusual.

Here are our favorite sleeves from the fall 2015 collections.

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