Sleeves make a dramatic statement at The Museum at FIT

NEW YORK—Sleeves may function chiefly as the part of clothing that cover the arms, or at least part of them. But they can do more than just protect skin from the elements or provide a measure of modesty.

In the hands of creative fashion designers, sleeves can provide drama and theatricality, indicate status and social standing, cast a spell of allure and glamour, convey strength and formidability, or fragility and a sense of being vulnerable. Their styles can cross centuries, borders, gender, or body types.

Sleeves can become in themselves a canvas for all kinds of embellishment and adornment. The range of shapes, lengths, frills, and technical details fills a whole landscape of design.

The current exhibit Statement Sleeves at The Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York defines the term as “a sleeve style that is exaggerated, embellished, elaborately constructed or otherwise eye-catching to the extent that it defines a garment.”

The exhibit, running until August 25, 2024 and curated by Colleen Hill, invites the viewer to explore a rich collection based on the type of sleeve and not chronology. Certain styles have been around for centuries, such as the bell or the raglan, but are continuously reinterpreted by designers. Other sleeve construction designs may be very simple yet the feathers, sequins, embroidery, and ruffles transform them into wearable pieces of art.

Even the ancient Egyptians were found to have been stylishly pleating sleeves, as seen in a 5,000-year-old linen dress at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archeology in London. 

Sleeves throughout history have been revealed through portraiture, paintings and photographs. Trends like the puffed sleeve repeat themselves through various eras in different centuries. 

Recently, because of the amount of interaction done through Zoom meetings and video calls, sleeves became a fashionable way of expressing ourselves in a pandemic-altered world.

The 70-plus pieces at FIT’s Statement Sleeves may seem deceptively small, but we were entranced for hours at the beauty, the skills, the range of shapes and even the sheer ingenuity of sleeves that were created for wheelchair-bound wearers.

Sleeves are often seen more than other parts of an outfit, such as when one is seated at a desk, a counter, at the dinner table or viewed on a screen. This visibility is what makes them a powerful tool in design, whether they puff out dramatically or drape fluidly, stick out stiffly or extend on slightly, whether they are in practical denim or lush brocade. They can awe, repel, entice and invite one to take a second look, a closer inspection and more than a moment to appreciate their style and creation.