Diana Amaya - December 22, 2020

How To Wear Big Sleeves Under Your Coat

While we thoroughly appreciate the joys of getting dressed, we understand the process is not always without conundrum. Fortunately, styling and getting dressed is our bread and butter so we come bearing solutions. 

The Conundrum 

If you love trying new trends, you've probably indulged in a dramatic sleeve or two. Perhaps you bought a chunky bishop sleeve sweater (a long full sleeve gathered at the wristband, see above), or a flattering wide-sleeve piece, only to discover you need a new coat in order to actually wear it out of the house

The Pricier Solution

If you already have it, your best bet is a cocoon style coat with roomy sleeves, or you can opt for an over the shoulder look with any coat. If you don't already have one, a cocoon coat is a great addition to any winter wardrobe. 

The Clever Quick Fix 

How do we get these sleeves into regular shmegular sized coat sleeves?

Maybe you have one really good coat and you don't want to buy another one. Maybe you're traveling with just one sleek low-profile coat but you live for a bishop sleeve. The answer is folding! Yes, really, that's it. It's not earth-shattering but it really makes all the difference. If you go full-force with these sleeves into a standard fitted coat, you're arms will look and feel like stuffed sausages. The many folds will simply take up too much space. 

The solution is to take a second before putting on the coat, and creating one single large fold in the sweater sleeve, holding it in place with that same hand while you slide into the first coat sleeve. Repeat with your other arm, hold the fold in place, and ask a kind soul who's with you on your way out the door to pull the coat onto your shoulder. If you pull it up yourself it may compromise your expert folding. Admittedly, this added another conundrum when I used this trick myself, but a little stretchy hair-tie did the trick.

Voila! When you create one clean fold instead of a pile of folds, you've created a smooth and manageable three layers of fabric. It's more comfortable for you to move around without having to compromise those gorgeous dramatic sweaters.