Identifying Sleeves in Clothing

There are many styles of sleeves. Below are some descriptions of just a few popular styles of sleeves you will find in tops and dresses.

All-in-one Sleeve: Sleeve with no armhole, cut in one piece with front and back of blouse with seams down the inside and outside of the arms. Resembles the batwing sleeve and kimono sleeve but not cut as full under the arm. May be combined with a raglan or se-in sleeve with the front cut in either manner and the back cut all-in-one.

Angel Sleeve: Any type of long flowing sleeve. May fit smoothly into the armhole or be gathered. Sometimes split up outer arm to shoulder like and hanging sleeve.

Baby Doll Sleeve: Another name for a tiny Puffed Sleeve.

Balloon Sleeve: Very large puff sleeve extending to elbow set into a regular armhole and frequently made of crisp fabrics. Popular in 1890s and since for evening and wedding dresses.

Barrel Sleeve: Sleeve that fits at armhole and at wrist but is full at the elbow.

Batwing Sleeve: Long sleeve cut with deep armhole almost to waist, made tight at wrist, giving wing-like appearance when arm is extended.

Bell Sleeve: Sleeve made narrow at the top, set into normal armhole, and flaring at lower edge like a bill. Introduced in the second half of the 19th c.

Bishop Sleeve: Full sleeve set into normal armhole and gathered in band at wrist. May also be gathered or puffed at shoulders. Often called "Poet Sleeves" or "Billow Sleeves". Tom Jones Sleeves are a fuller version of this sleeve sometimes with a drop shoulders.

Bracelet Sleeve: Three-quarter length fitted cuffless sleeve allowing a bracelet to show.

Butterfly Sleeve: Wide flaring sleeve set in smoothly at armhole, extending to elbow or wrist, giving a caped effect.

Button Tab Sleeve: A convertible roll-up sleeve made in long sleeve style with buttonholed tab sewed on above elbow. Sleeve is rolled up and fastened to tab with button sewn on underside of sleeve.

Cap Sleeves: Small extension cut on the front and back of a blouse to cover the shoulder. Has a seam at the shoulder fastening front and back of garment together but no armhole seam. Popular in the 1940s and worn at intervals since. In the 1980s flat turn-over cuffs were sometimes added to this type of sleeve.

Cape Sleeve:

1. Circular, or semi -circular, piece place over each shoulder and stitched to blouse giving a caped effect over each arm.
2. Flared piece of fabric cut to extend to neck in raglan style. Introduced in 1920s and featured in late 1960s for cape coats.

Dolman Sleeve: Sleeve fitted at wrist but cut with deep armhole so that it somewhat resembles a cape from the back. So called because it looks somewhat like sleeve in original Dolman which was worn from the 1870s through the 1880s.

Epaulet Sleeve: Sleeve with yoke across top of shoulder cut in one piece with sleeve.

Fitted Sleeve: Full-length, bracelet, or three-quarter length sleeve set into the normal armhole.

Handkerchief Sleeve: Sleeve made with square piece put over shoulder in such a manner that it falls in points like a handkerchief.

Juliet Sleeve: Long sleeve with short puffed top, fitted in lower arm. Named after heroine of William Shakespeare's drama Romeo and Juliet.

Kimono Sleeve: Wide sleeve cut in one piece with front and back of the garment and seamed down outer and under arm like a Japanese Kimono. Also call Kabuki Sleeve and Mandarin Sleeve.

Leg-of-mutton Sleeve: Sleeve with full top gathered or pleated into armhole and tapered to wrist where it looks like a regular sleeve. Also spelled Leg O' Mutton or called a French Gigot Sleeve.

Peasant Sleeve: Full sleeve gathered at top and bottom. May be either short and puffed or long and full.

Petal Sleeve: Short sleeve curved at hem and over-lapping to give a petal-shaped effect in front.

Puffed Sleeve: Short sleeve gathered, either at the armhole or at the cuff band or both, producing a rounded shape. Popular in 1920s and 1930s, revived in late 1960s, and still used for babies and children's wear.

Raglan Sleeve: Sleeve that extends to neckline, set in by seams slanting from underarm front and back. Used since mid - 1850s. A variation is made with an additional seam down outside of arm called a three-seamed raglan. A raglan sleeve is an excellent choice when you have a hard time fitting the shoulders in a blouse.

Roll-Up Sleeve: Sleeve, approximately elbow length, finished only with a narrow hem, designed to be folded --- or rolled up --- at least twice in lieu of a cuff. Popular for women's tailored shirts in the 1950s and 1960s, an outgrowth of earlier fad for wearing long sleeves folded up in this manner.

Set-in Sleeve: Any type of sleeve which is sewed into the natural armhole.

Saddle Sleeve: Variation of Raglan Sleeve in which shoulder portion forms a straight band cut in one piece with the sleeve and seamed to front and back parallel to shoulder, instead of at an angle as in raglan style.

Shirt Sleeve: Tailored wrist-length sleeve with flat-felled seams set smoothly into the armhole. Sometimes has one of two small unpressed pleats where it joins the cuffs. Basic sleeve for men's shirts since late 19th c., may have Barrel or French Cuff --- women's style may have band at cuff.

Suit Sleeve: Sleeve cut in two pieces --- one for under the arm --- one for top of arm. Cut to allow for the bend in the elbow, it is generally used in tailored suits for men and women.

Three-Quarter Sleeve: Sleeve ending between elbow and wrist.

Tom Jones Sleeve: A full billow sleeve, gathered into cuff or ruffle, used on men's shirts, sometimes into a dropped shoulder. Named for style of shirts worn in 18th c. popularized by costumes worn in 1963 film of Henry Fielding's 1749 novel Tom Jones.

Trumpet Sleeve: Sleeve fitting into natural armhole, falling straight to elbow where it flares in the shape of a trumpet.

Tulip Sleeve: Set-in sleeve with bell shape made in several pieces like petals on a flower.