I'm not buying anything online due to the virus, but one day, when this is all over....
Currently, I am on the hunt for the biggest balloon sleeve (I've also seen them called "bishop sleeves"). They've come in and out of style the last few years, but all of the ones I've seen in stores (during the before time) are wimpy and itsy-bitsy. What I'm basically looking for is two skirts on my arms. This is a beautiful dress but the sleeves are not big enough:
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| Gorgeous dress by Vampire's Wife, knocked off by goth brands in 3...2... |
This blouse at Nasty Gal is almost big enough, but I hate this fabric. I can feel how scratchy this is just by looking at it.
My perfect top will also have big cuffs. I hate the thin elastic a lot of styles have around big balloon sleeves--it is the absolute minimum you need to make a bell sleeve into a balloon sleeve. So this is the silhouette I'd like, but at the forearm, not the elbow. This is a mutton leg sleeve, btw:
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| toteme vignola |
Not a fan of the buttons and collar of this River Island top, but the sleeves look good. I'd love to go bigger than this though.
Since lolita doesn't do things halfway, I took a look at a few brands, and this top by Devil Inspired is a good size, though I'd go even bigger. Like, I'm not joking when I say I just want two skirts on my arms.
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| Devil Inspired |
I'd basically never, ever wear satin, but wow does it look great with these sleeves:
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| alex and revauthier |
Goth brands are very behind the times and aren't offering good dupes...maybe in another year or so. The best I saw was this punkrave turtleneck, which has sad sleeves.
If someone would like to knock off this Vampire's Wife $500 top, I'd be interested:
Cruising further back is this 2008 dress by Ossie Clark. Would love it if this had a cuff. But it's definitely a big sleeve.
Alas, I still have to wait for the big balloon sleeves of my dreams, or sew cuffs onto two skirts and attach those to my sleeves.
I've also been obsessed with big sleeves lately! Lusting after the work of I Do Declare https://www.instagram.com/ixdoxdeclare/?hl=en
ReplyDeleteThose are gorgeous! (and always sold out--I mean, I know it's an indie operation, but come on!)
DeleteI'm into playing with sleeve styles and before I moved I was studying up on how to draft these kinds of sleeves. I'm skeptical that they'd look good on me given I have Joan Crawford shoulders. I think the reason you won't see them in ready to wear very often is probably the amount of material required. That's why you'll see a wimpy mutton or bishop's sleeve instead of a fuller one, more fabric costs more money. Also they'll rarely be set into a nicely tailored button cuff because an elasticated one will apply to the many varied sizes. It's similar to knee high boots and how they're no longer beautifully tailored and laced up but instead are those hideous spandex sock things... You might find you're better off perusing vintage clothing shops because the 70's weren't afraid to exaggerate, probably not as big as skirts mind you lol.
ReplyDeletemore fabric costs more money for real. And even if they did use enough fabric, it would be low-quality. Diy is the way to go...
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