Some women don’t like to wear three quarter sleeved tops and toppers in Winter, whereas others are happy sporting “cropped sleeves” all year round. Of course, living in mild Winter climates like Southern California, Florida and Texas makes wearing cropped sleeves easy, but I’m talking about wearing this sleeve length in colder climates. 

None of my Seattle clients object to wearing three quarter sleeve knitwear in Winter as long as the pieces are warm, and woolly, and can be worn under a jacket or coat. Some of my clients layer long sleeved T-shirts, turtlenecks, shirts and blouses under cropped sleeve knitwear for forearm coverage. 

Some of my clients wear flimsy three quarter sleeve tops in Winter, especially when they run warm and spend all day in a heated environment. Some will wear them under long-sleeved blazers and jackets, and pop a coat over the lot when heading outside to brave the elements.  

Outerwear is a different story. There is often resistance to three quarter sleeve outerwear styles for practical reasons. You generally want arm coverage when it’s cold enough to wear a wool coat, so baring forearms makes little sense. That said, I do have clients who run very warm and welcome a breezy three quarter sleeve coat. I also have a client who likes to wear opera length gloves with her cropped sleeve wool coat. And I have clients who enjoy wearing lightweight three quarter sleeve coats, cropped and longer lengths, indoors at the office. 

Despite feeling cold at the drop of a hat, I wear cozy and warm three quarter sleeve cashmere and merino wool pullovers in Winter. I layer a camisole underneath and generally feel warm enough indoors. I add a blazer, jacket and/or coat layer when I’m heading outside. I often scrunch the sleeves of long sleeved pullovers, so I’m creating a three quarter sleeve effect with full length sleeves anyway.

I don’t wear blouses and shirts with three quarter length sleeves in Winter. That’s a Summer look for my style. I also don’t wear three quarter sleeved outerwear in Winter. I love the idea of opera length gloves, but haven’t tried that look because I worry I’ll be too cold. I do have three quarter sleeve wool coats that I wear in late Spring when it’s much warmer. 

Over to you. Do you wear three quarter sleeved tops and toppers in Winter?