Can we talk about cap sleeves?

April

I notice that many people listed them among their items in my thread on "I won't give an item a second look if it has..." and I know that in general Angie feels sleeveless is a better look than a cap sleeve.

But is that only if you're not happy with your upper arms? If upper arms are not a problem area, is a cap sleeve still a bad thing?

Another way to put it is, who can wear this style vs. who should probably avoid it?

14 years ago

Dressing

30 replies

Latest reply was from mrseccentric

Irene

Veteran

I like them and probably have had an item with them in the past. I don't pay much attention to sleeves though, so I don't even remember

14 years ago

Anonymous

Just a few thoughts...I avoid cap sleeves because they make my shoulders look broader than they are. I also feel like they draw more attention to my aging upper arms than something sleeveless does. For some this sleeve may add more inches visually to a large bust. A lot depends on the length and volume of the sleeve.
For someone with thin arms (which I once had) the volume of a cap sleeve will make the arms look even more like sticks. The grown on cap sleeve with no shoulder seam works better. It might also have something to do with the neckline of the garment and how much fabric there is between the neck and end of the sleeve.

14 years ago

yellowgirl

Active Member

I have broad shoulders and a full bust. I've learned I look better either sleeveless or with an elbow-length and longer sleeve. It has to do with the whole horizontal line thing. The horizontal lines of the sleeves hit at the widest part of my body - not my best look.

14 years ago

rae

(website)

Veteran

I think they draw *more* attention to the upper arm area, because the sleeve ends right there. I don't love them because they draw attention to the shoulders for the same reason. I'd rather do a nice half sleeve or give the arm a longer line with a sleeveless top.

14 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Good points, Joy.

I'm happy with my arms and I *still* don't wear cap sleeves (apart from one dress). But I will wear a little puffed sleeve with a gathered crown. My dainty shoulder line likes those. But my same dainty shoulder line loves to wear sleeveless.

Some ladies though, look sensational with cap sleeves. My client yesterday wears a grown-on cap sleeve extremely well. Maya and Fernanda wear cap sleeves well too.

14 years ago

Cilleena

Veteran

I think cap sleeves are just a little hard to pull off. I don't think they are a bad look persay, but they do draw more attention to the upper arm area, where some people don't want to draw attention. I think cap sleeves are cute on someone with awesome arms though.

14 years ago

Queen Mum

Veteran

What everyone else said. If you can wear them, more power to you. I've yet to meet a cap sleeve that was flattering on me, and it has nothing to do with my arms because I go sleeveless all summer long. I would imagine that a pear can pull off a cap sleeve nicely.

14 years ago

Diana

Veteran

I love cap sleeves and I love puffy cap sleeves even more... I know this makes me part of a lonely minority. I don't actually love my upper arms (they could be a little thinner and a little more toned) but I don't hate them and don't really feel that they need to be hidden. I also have narrower and sloping shoulders, and the wider line of a cap sleeve (vs. sleeveless) helps to widen them visually and balance my larger lower half. (So you could think of it as making me look more hourglass vs. more pear). This is also, for contrast, the reason why I don't look good in things like racerback or halter tops - they make my shoulders look even slopier.

14 years ago

Maya

Veteran

I'm in the lonely corner with Diana. As Angie mentioned, I can pull off cap sleeves well. But I also don't have much of an issue with how they look on other people, nor do I think sleeveless is inherently more flattering.

14 years ago

crazyone

Veteran

add me to the wear them all the time group...

14 years ago

(website)

Veteran

I love cap sleeves. I *think* it's partly because I'm so short-waisted, they seem to work better proportionally than regular short sleeves. I like them better than both short sleeves and sleevelessness.

14 years ago

greenglove

(website)

Veteran

Cap sleeves are much more flattering to me than a traditional short sleeve because of where it hits on my arm. It hits on a place that is before my arm gets a bit thinner where a short sleeve hits right where the second muscle of my arm is making them appear much larger than they are. I also have broad shoulders and love the look of a cap sleeve. I will not wear short sleeve. I love 3/4, long,sleeveless or cap. All of my fitted T's are cap.

14 years ago

(website)

Veteran

I am on the cap and puff sleeve team! Like Jean, I don't care for the traditional short sleeve and where it stops on my arm. I always thought I was a pear, although I'm hourglass, but I still don't mind balancing the hips with a bit of emphasis up at my shoulder line

14 years ago

taylor

Veteran

I have a couple that I wear with pencil skirts...I think they add a bit of sweetness. I am not sure it is the best sleeve for me though.

14 years ago

Kristine

Veteran

I have thin arms and I love cap sleeves, I think they soften my angular lines. I rarely wear sleeveless tops, for some reason I just don't like the look on me.

14 years ago

yellowgirl

Active Member

I posted earlier that I don't wear cap sleeves, then I went to the gym and I realilzed that ALL my workout tees have cap sleeves and I like them! For some reason, I like it that my shoulders are emphasized when I'm in workout gear, but not so much in my daily clothing. Interesting...

14 years ago

Kate

Veteran

I don't like cap sleeves because they make my shoulders look broader (IT is my secondary body type) and look unpolished to my eye. I prefer my sleeve hems to be parallel to the ground, or tank tops.

14 years ago

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

i have broad shoulders and a large bust - and i love cap sleeves! i think Kate makes a good point in this - i like cap sleeves where the hem is at an angle to the ground, not parallel to it. to my eye this makes the cap sleeve less 'linebackerish'. summers here get very hot and the sun is strong, so i like that cap sleeves offer my shoulders sun protection, without making me feel hot like any longer sleeve tends to do.

i also suspect that i like a little extra coverage because of my large bust - i don't think this makes any sense, but there ya go! (rolling eyes at self) steph

14 years ago

crazyone

Veteran

Steph, I think that makes sense (about being large busted and liking a little extra coverage). One problem with sleeveless is that you add another factor into the equation: arm hole size. I think the problem with a lot of sleeveless garments is that the armholes are always cut rather large, so depending on your arm size, a fair amount of side bra gets seen. And I may be wrong, but I think larger busted women are often more careful about their bra getting seen.

14 years ago

Scarlet

Veteran

I wear cap sleeves with abandon...

14 years ago

Aida

Veteran

I wear cap sleeves, slightly puffed sleeves, regular short sleeves, sleeveless, halter... And I have a broad shoulder line. If I'm wearing a sleeve that adds width or optical width, I usually balance with flared pants. Usually

14 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I wear cap sleeves and sleeveless styles pretty comfortably, and I definitely do not have slim upper arms. I don't like short sleeves that come down to the mid-upper arm, maybe because I'm short-waisted and large-chested, and that length makes me look big and matronly. I have fairly broad shoulders, but I think a cap sleeve helps balance out the width of my hips, too.

14 years ago

annette

Active Member

I love them. I think they look more feminine than sleeveless or regular short sleeves. I don't hate my arms, I guess, as they are body parts I never think about!

14 years ago

Rachel

Active Member

So I hope this is right, a cap sleeve is just any sleeve which stops between the top of the shoulder and the elbow? Roughly? If this is so, I don't mid cap sleeves, some are more flattering than others on me but I have reasonably thin upper arms and have never thought about whether the cut makes my arm look bigger. Now I'm going to have to try on my tops and check out all the sleeves lol.

14 years ago

ImogenL

(website)

Active Member

Cap sleeves are not all the same. The ones that end with a horizontal hem are generally less flattering unless you have very slim/toned arms. The ones that end on the diagonal can actually be a great option for a fuller upper arm.

14 years ago

anne

Veteran

No Rachel, cap sleeves are a much smaller subset of these. Here's an example
http://www.google.com.au/imgre.....8;dur=5454

14 years ago

Jonesy

Veteran

I think it depends on the particular cap sleeve. The example Anne linked to is a fashion crime for my body, especially paired with the high crew neck :). But when I did a Google images search for cap sleeves, I also got this example (below) which is workable for my body. I think because the sleeves are loose, and they are paired with a deep V-neck, they are wearable for me. But perhaps the example I'm linking to isn't a "true" cap sleeve? Maybe to be considered a cap, the sleeves must look like a little baseball cap sitting on your shoulders?

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14 years ago

(website)

Veteran

I thought these were what cap sleeves were. One is a tee with the regular shoulder seam and a small, fitted sleeve capping the shoulder. The other is all one piece of fabric with no seams but still hugs the top of the shoulder in the same way.

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14 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

I like them, personally, but I think they're one of those things that is either very flattering or totally unflattering on a person. They can sometimes make your upper arm look thicker, which is not a bad thing on me. I've got skinny arms, and for some reason cap sleeves make them look more muscular.

One of the problems I've found with cap sleeves, however, is that they often fit very tight to the armpit, which in hot weather leads to sweatstain problems...

14 years ago

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