If you only have one sleeve, make it BIG

September 20, 2019

I have SO much love for the big sleeves trend right now. A love affair that undoubtedly began with this dress but has just taken flight with all the big sleeved beauties out there in RTW and pattern land. And this new top is just about one sleeve. One really big sleeve.

I pinned this incredible Joanna Ortiz dress a while ago and a few months later spied this instagram post which I promptly saved to an inspiration collection. A lot of my saved inspirations get forgotten but this one I could NOT get out of my head. Those shoulder pleats! The design seemed simple enough so I scouted around for a pattern to modify before darling Silva offered to draft a pattern for me.

Inspired by the original, I also went red and white and chose this viscose/linen blend – Red Fields (sold out online but Melbourne still has a little left). It was a toss-up between that and Florist’s Choice, a similar print which has identical weight and body.

So this print is not my norm – at all – but it’s so nice to wear something different, with colour, that just feels happy and, for me, the right amount of dressy. It’s definitely a ‘party up the top’ kind of top but I’ll no doubt wear it mostly with jeans. I’m wearing it here with my Chiara Pants.

It’s a very quick sew, and the elastic around the neckline makes it super comfortable. The sleeve is about three quarter length but I like to push up the (elastic) cuff to my elbow for maximum sleeve volume.

I’ve since made another in our Complex Kitty linen (also available in stretch cotton and silk satin) which sits way more comfortably in my usual safe colour zone, so it’s nice to have the two options.

I think I’ve got one more of these one-sleeved wonders to make – in a plain – but I do plan on riding the this big sleeve wave with some other patterns while I can. Are you loving big sleeves too?

Outdoor photography by Nikole Ramsay