Women often stress over the style, design, and neck of the saree blouse or salwar and often forget about the sleeves, the part of the garment that is always visible. There are so many types of sleeves that even if you choose a simple saree, your trendy sleeve style can turn your look around. Ruffled sleeves, cap sleeves, and layered cape sleeves are just a few of the different types of sleeves that have made their way to women’s hearts and wardrobes.
One of the advantages of having so many types of sleeves is that you will find a design that will suit your body type, especially if you are conscious of your arms. If you like to experiment with trendy sleeve styles, here are 12 fashionable and funky designs and styles you can try.
Types of Sleeves That Will Get You Noticed
From boring fitted sleeves to sophisticated ones, the types of sleeves available for women who love their sarees and ethnic wear are extensive. Here are a few of the different types of sleeves with names for you to consider.
1. Halter Neck Sleeves
If you love to flaunt your toned body, then you can wear the halter neck style, which will have either fitted full or no sleeves. Since the blouse has to be well-fitting, a second skin of sorts, popular choices for halter neck blouse fabrics are cotton, wool, Banarasi or raw silk, or even net, which you can then pair with a raw silk, chiffon, or georgette saree. These types of sleeves also look fantastic on lehengas and gowns.
2. Ruffled Sleeves
The ruffled sleeve is definitely a good choice for those who like long, flowing, and loose-fitting sleeves. You can opt for many pleats or just two or three big pleats. This saree blouse will fall better if it is made with net and should be ideally worn with chiffon or georgette sarees. Anarkalis with ruffled sleeves is also mesmerizing.
3. Bishop Style Flounce Sleeves
This cutesy ballon-like sleeve is a lot of fun and doesn’t need much embellishment. The sleeves are usually long and fluffy, and cuffs at the wrist. The best materials for this kind of sleeve are net, and georgette, and the saree can be of the same fabric. Anarkalis, lehengas, kurtis, and gowns also look fantastic in bishop sleeves.
4. Off Shoulder Flounce Sleeves
For women who like bolder and different types of sleeves that are not so conservative or traditional, this style is for you. The sleeves gracefully fall off your shoulder and give a fun and youthful vibe. The blouse can be worn with contrasting chiffon, net, or georgette saree. This sleeve style pairs well with lehengas and anarkalis.
4. Cap Sleeves
For those with more sober tastes, you will like these sleeves. The sleeves are short and designed to fit the arm giving it an umbrella-like appearance. You can opt for pure silk and raw silk materials and pair them with sarees of the same fabric. Sleeves of this type naturally suit Anarkalis and gowns.
5. Layered Ruffle Sleeves
The layered ruffle sleeve is another trendy look you can try. Instead of just one ruffle it has multiple layers of ruffles. Since the ruffles need to be light, the best materials to opt for are cotton-silk, chiffon, crepe or georgette. Since the blouse is loose and flowing, a saree in the crepe, georgette or chiffon that clings to your body will balance it out. Lehengas and gowns look great with these types of sleeves.
6. Cape Sleeves
Another chic and fashionable style to try is the long and billowy cape sleeves. Different sleeves design includes the sweetheart front neckline with cape sleeves, the closed neck blouse with cape sleeves, the cape sleeves in sheer net, and one-shoulder cape sleeves. Since it is meant to be light and billowy, crepe, georgette or chiffon are good fabrics for sleeves, and sarees in the same fabric will also fall well. Try contrasting colours to mix it up.
7. Petal Sleeves
Though similar to the cap sleeve, this type is stylish in its own way. It pairs well with blouses that have folds that look like flower petals. Blouses made with pure or raw silk will ensure the blouse falls well and can be worn with a saree of a similar colour.
8. Long Bell Sleeves
A long flowing sleeve adds a funky and fun vibe. Sheer net is a good choice for the blouse fabric as it flows gracefully. Since the sleeves are loose, a saree in a contrasting colour and fabrics that cling to the curves, chiffon and georgettes will make the combination spectacular. This design pairs well with lehengas that have flared skirts for dramatic effect.
9. Single Keyhole Sleeves
Who knew just one little hole in the blouse would make this saree blouse look so stylish? For those who don’t want to reveal too much skin, this style is a good choice.
10. Gigot Sleeves
A sleeve that was popularised by the French, this style is wide at the top and fitted at the wrist. Leg of mutton is another of the sleeve names’. The best fabrics for this type of sleeve design are silk or net. Wearing this with a contrasting net saree or chiffon lehenga will make it stand out.
11. Peasant Sleeves
This is one of the more casual sleeve styles. The blouse is long and loose. Popular choices of fabrics are pure silk, raw silk and cotton. Since the blouse is simple, it can be teamed up with a net saree or georgette saree in a contrasting colour.
12. Bow Detailed Sleeves
This is definitely one of the more feminine blouses out there. You can opt for one large bow or smaller bows running along the length of the sleeve. To ensure the bows sit well, cotton is a good choice for the blouse material, and cotton or silk sarees will go well with the blouse. This style pairs well with Anarkalis and gowns that are simple so that the sleeves provide all the drama.
13. Butterfly Sleeves
This is a sleeve design that is true to its name as it gives the appearance of butterfly wings. To get the best out of this look, choose raw silk, organza, and any other sheer material to mimic the translucent butterfly wings.
With so many different types of sleeves design and schemes to choose from, it won’t take you long to find a sleeve that you like and pair it with your favorite saree, lehenga or salwar suit. You can try these sleeve designs in various fabrics and see which one fits and falls the best. Who knew sleeves could be so much fun, right?
Frequently Asked Questions on Types of Sleeves
What are the 3 basic types of sleeves?
The three basic sleeves are the set-in, kimono, and raglan style. The set-in sleeve is stitched at the bodice armhole. In the raglan style, a part of the sleeve is stitched into the bodice. The kimono sleeve borrows its style from the traditional Japanese kimono. The sleeves are cut along with the bodice and do not need to be sewn into the bodice like with the other types of sleeves.
What are the different types of sleeves?
There are such a wide variety of trendy and fashionable sleeves, and the most popular ones are cap sleeves, petal sleeves, cape sleeves, butterfly sleeves, ruffled sleeves, long bell sleeves, single keyhole sleeves, and layered sleeves.
What are the two main types of sleeves?
The two main types of sleeves are set-in sleeves and one-piece sleeves. Set-in sleeves join onto the curved arm scale and join the side seams of the bodice under the arms. The one-piece sleeve is either joined at the center of the underarm or with a seam offset toward the back of the underarm.