Is it a statement or is it a sleeve? It's both and you will be wearing it by Summer.

Fashion can be a lot like taking an exam with the general rule being, at the end of the day the more time, effort and thought you put in, the greater the result.

Until now.

Enter the statement sleeve. It’s the fashion cheat of the season. Minimal effort, maximum impact. Perfect for lazy people or scaredy-cats who want to inject some roar into their, as the French say, ensembles.

By now you must have seen it. Normal fabric body and then KAPOW! an oversized balloon of a sleeve, or a waterfall of fabric, or a trumpet, or a couple of Sydney Opera House sails on the bicep area.

This play on proportion adds up to the love-child of a fashion maverick and fashion purist. And all for slipping on a shirt or dress with dramatic sleeves. The gaze, this season, is going to be up-top in a good way.

Have a look:

A post shared by The Style Cantina (@thestylecantina) on Aug 26, 2017 at 11:31pm PDT

A post shared by Cooperativa Shop (@cooperativashop) on Sep 10, 2017 at 8:18am PDT

A post shared by Alexa (@alexachung) on Jun 25, 2017 at 9:29am PDT

It’s a bold trend that decidedly non bold people can pull off. Yay!

But it does have its risks and downsides, particularly when you opt for the overly long sleeve:

• You can’t eat soup, or any meals really.
• You can’t use a laptop or do any work that involves using your hands.
• You can’t wear a jacket.
• Forget leaning over to grab that glass of wine. It will end up on the floor. So will the chips. Oh, and the cheese if you are with smart people who like cheese.
• They scare small people because they mistake you for a witch.
• When you pretend to be Stevie Nicks and twirl in them to see your sleeves fly you can fall and hit your head.
• You can never, ever go near a meat grinder, insinkerator, or a vacuum. Actually this is one of the pluses.
• You might be called Popeye by small-minded people.
• You might be accused of shop-lifting.
• People might think you don’t have any hands.

Really, a bit of inconvenience is a small price to pay to look fabulous and fierce. Plus, it’s fun and we could all use some of that.

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