A farewell to arms!
At last an end to exposed bingo wings – thanks to designer with a surprise up her sleeve
IT IS one of the curses of modern fashion – especially for women who don’t have the toned arms of a catwalk model. The ubiquitous high street trend for sleeveless dresses leaves many shoppers out in the cold, both literally and figuratively as they search in vain for designs that won’t expose flabby ‘bingo wings’ or leave their shoulders to the mercy of the elements. But now one enterprising designer has come up with the solution: separate, detachable sleeves that can be used to adapt fashionable frocks. They come in plain black, lace or chiffon, straight or flared, to suit a variety of styles, and can be rolled up to fit into a handbag, just like a pair of gloves. They are the brainchild of Sonia Edwards, from Newport, South Wales, who said she was inspired by her old leg-warmers. She said: ‘I’m in my mid-40s and still want to wear my skimpy dresses and jumpsuits but I felt it was time to cover the wobbly fat on my arms. These worked perfectly.’ She added that her creation, priced from £16 to £35, means shoppers get more value from a dress, and that it would be especially useful in transforming bandeau-style tops, made from one strip of wraparound cloth, when it comes to chilly evenings.
‘I think they are great for parties now or for holiday evening wear,’ she added, saying she expects them to be especially popular with women her age – 45 – and older.
They are available from Sonia’s company Cwtchy Cwtchy – named after the Welsh word for hugging – and she said: ‘They are so simple to make and easy to put on. They can be tied at the back with a ribbon or clear plastic.’
The dominance of sleeveless dresses unsuitable for ‘normal’ women was blamed for a sales slump at Marks & Spencer four years ago, forcing the chain to ensure most of its dresses now have sleeves. But Miss Edwards says M&S is the exception.
Dame Helen Mirren has also voiced her frustration, saying: ‘There are no dresses with sleeves and we need to bring back the sleeve. There are so many wonderful things you can do with sleeves that people used to do, and then they stopped.’
Not that detachable sleeves are an entirely new concept: fashionable Renaissance dresses often had them.