I really enjoy wearing sleeveless tops and frocks. And I believe we can all wear the right type of sleeveless garment. There is no need to have slim, toned and young arms to sport the style. That said, it has reached the stage where I’m going to resist the urge to purchase sleeveless tops and dresses as much as possible. And here’s why:
- It has to be at least 30 degrees Celsius outside (that’s 86 Fahrenheit) in order for me to feel comfortable in sleeveless garments sans topper because I run very cold. We hardly ever reach these high temperatures in Seattle.
- Even when I’m on the East Coast during their hot and humid Summers, or in sweltering Asian cities on holiday, I find myself in air conditioning a lot of the time. Most of the public transport has freezing air conditioning too. Sure, I can cover up with a topper when I’m in a/c, but it’s still too cold wearing sleeveless tops with a topper. I find sleeved tops with topper more insulating in arctic air conditioning.
- I don’t want to purchase sleeveless items just to have to cover them up.
- When it’s extremely hot and I’m out and about in the heat, I like to protect my skin from the sun with a silk, linen or cotton-rich sleeve. You’ll often find that people in the hottest parts of the world cover up for skin protection.
Sleeveless tops and dresses sans toppers worked really well when we lived in France and South Africa because their Summers are hot and air conditioning is rare. Those are the conditions I need to feel comfortable in sleeveless stuff.
Many of my clients are against sleeveless clothing for different reasons to me. Covering up untoned arms is top of the list. I try to convince them that they needn’t be ashamed of their arms, but I’m not very persuasive in these situations. Sleeveless garments are often cut too wide baring too much underarm. Some prefer not to wear sleeveless to the office. And some don’t like to layer sleeveless items under jackets because of the increased laundry requirement of the topper.
Of course, there are advantages to wearing sleeveless items. It’s breezy if you run warm, ultra fashionable, and a fab way to showcase arms. There’s no sleeve bunching when you layer over a topper, plus retail stores are full of sleeveless stuff. And on that note, I hope that retailers hear our plea for sleeved clothing.
At this rate, I will need to move to another part of the world, or go on loads of beach holidays before I expand my sleeveless garment collection. Over to you. Are you challenged by sleeveless clothing, and do any of these reasons resonate with you?
