As consumers of fashion, we love when designers think outside the box and deliver collections that give us something fantastical and unexpected. Sometimes what walks the runway won’t make it into production; what we saw served the vision of the designer and added to the spectacle but was never really made to be worn. But sometimes, shockingly, things are actually made available for purchase despite their seeming impracticality.
We saw this with shoes in the Marc Jacobs Fall Winter 2016 collection. The collection’s platform boots were outrageously high, so much so that the show’s casting revolved around the model’s ability to walk in them. Lady Gaga, who stands 5’1″, walked that show and easily appeared to be over 5’7″. Most people assumed that a watered down, commercial version of the boots would be made for sale. But Marc Jacobs went ahead and produced the runway boots. While this isn’t a frequent occurrence, we are seeing something similar play out this season with elongated sleeves.
Super-long sleeves have been a signature look for a brand like Raf Simons (which was strictly a menswear brand until recently) but we haven’t really seen the trend have a significant impact in women’s ready-to-wear. There were one-offs here and there over the years but Fall Winter 2021 has seen the trend emerge in full force. From knitwear to shirting and even puffers, super-long sleeves dominated the collections this season. Click through to see the best super-long sleeved looks from FW21.
And while the trend isn’t the most practical for everyday wear or activities, it certainly makes a statement and has some proven success already. We’ve rounded up some elongated sleeves that you can shop now and add to your wardrobe before the fall collections hit stores.
