Shrugs - are they a bit dated?

[Snowflake65]

I've seen a lovely dress but it has short sleeves.

Someone suggested a lacy shrug to wear with it.

I'd want to wear it all evening to cover up my corned beef arms but do they look a bit dated / middle aged mum?

[Rubyslippers7780]

Not at all!! Totally classic. Better being relaxed and comfortable- not stressing about arms etc... they look really nice too

[acurtis1234]

Yes they are very dated. Don't buy the dress, get one with longer sleeves or find a proper jacket which will go with it.

[JC23]

They are but I bought one earlier this year to wear to a wedding and now I wear it all the time, so versatile

[starsinyourpies]

Very dated. Pashmina or jacket.

[Floisme]

I share your pain but I loathe shrugs and everything they stand for: hiding myself away while simultaneously tannoying to the world that I hate my arms.

Of course the sensible answer is to only buy dresses with sleeves but we don't, do we? I find a cropped, round neck cardi sometimes does the trick. (I don't know why as it's practically the same as a shrug.) But last Christmas I went for a short, fake fur jacket and by the time it was too hot to keep it on, I'd had a few drinks and so had everyone else so I didn't care. I'll probably do the same this year (or wear a dress with sleeves, yeah right )

[Bluntness100]

I have to be honest, I'm not a fan of shrugs either, they are actually quite hard a look to pull off well, they often look like shrunken cardigans and the look from the back seldom flattering. They kind of cut you off in the wrong place. I've honestly never seen someone wearing one and thought, "wow that's a lovely shrug" .

Jacket, pashmina or cardigan in my opinion sorry..

[ZaZathecat]

I don't see what's wrong with something like this
I would have thought it would be very hard to make an actual jacket or cardigan work over an evening dress.

[29redshoes]

Honestly, I do think they are a little dated but I was at a wedding earlier in the year and half the women were wearing them. They can look quite nice IMO.

[Dowser]

I'm not a lover of them but hate being cold so I wear them.
I have my own quirky style anyway.
Not really bothered by my arms.
They are tanned ( yes that's right. Not a typo for toned) and a bit (lot) flabby but I'm practically embracing my 65th year so couldn't give a monkeys.

My philosophy is when I'm 100 I'll look back at being 65 and I don't want to think, God, you were gorgeous why didn't you appreciate yourself.

So, look out flabby brown arms with or without shrug coming through!

[tigerdriverII]

Shrugs: just no. Dated, unflattering and signal what you feel about your arms. Cardigan or jacket or at a push pashmina if you need an extra layer. Or buy dresses with sleeves!

[Snowflake65]

This is the kind of thing that I was thinking of, and I remember seeing someone in one a couple of weeks back (for work, not sparkly) and pondering if it was a look that had had it's day, but it seems that the jury is out on it.

I'm tempted to go with Zaza's that is really lovely.

[Dowser]

But sometimes the dress you like doesn't come with sleeves.
And what do you do about the sleeves when you get too hot?

I like that snowflake ...whatever it's called shrug, semi jacket.

[Bluntness100]

I also think Zazas is nice, it's quite long and not typically shrug like.

[JC23]

It's not fashionable but neither is it offensive. I don't think anyone would give it a second glance OP. Which may or may not be what you're going for!

[mowglik]

I think they can be, esp the kind of thing you posted OP but if you keep it a thin material and not too loose or flappage at the front i think it can look quite neat and stylish. I don't show my arms so have to have a variety of shrugs to wear, these are super cheap and come in all colours and don't look too bad

[Dowser]

Where are those from Mongolia please.
Just what you need if it gets a bit chilly.

[mowglik]

dowser These are from eBay just search for shrug bolero and loads come up. £4-5 so cheap as anything. Only other place I've seen them are market stalls again not much more than £10.

[Pistachiois50pmore]

I think they're quite 90s mum. Is it the sort of dress that you could wear something underneath? I wear a skinny sheer roll-neck under sleeveless dresses sometimes to make them into a pinafore.

[Judydreamsofhorses]

I don't especially love my arms, but pretty much figure no-one else is really looking at them - I am not keen on the whole shrug thing as a look. (No idea if they're fashionable, just not my cup of tea.) If I was really, properly stuck and didn't want to wear proper sleeves I would probably look for a crochet cardi or similar.

[Floisme]

Depending on which part of the arm you want to cover, I've also worn extra long (past the elbow) evening gloves which felt really glamorous. They did slip down a bit towards the end of the evening but by then I wasn't bothered any more.