Dear British high street, do me a favour and sell some tops with sleeves

[caerlaverock]

Have you seen the state of our nations upper arms? We need sleeves, I need sleeves and the slabs of mottled corn beef arms I am subjected too need sleeves.

I wholeheartedly agree

Air conditioned offices require sleeves.

Was in new look earlier and it was wall to wall sleeveless tat.

You know this made me laugh - it is so true. This time last year I came home to England for 2 months from Vegas - it is bloody hot here - the less sleeve the better, and I had forgotten how nippy it gets back home so only had 1 long sleeved top in my suitcase. Was reduced to charity shops to get some long sleeves to survive until my body adjusted. Honestly - you'd think they'd know the climate here by now!!

hear hear. Its driving me mad to the gym to do anti bingo wing exercises

I hear ya.

I hear ya.

Yes to sleeves. My pupils do not want a side of corned beef leaning over them, or see my prickly armpits.
Oh, and while you're there, make all tops at least 3" longer and not made out of tracing paper 'sheer' fabric. Thanks muchly.

Gawd yes to more length and opaqueness

Agree! Particularly given the state of this so-called 'summer' weather!

Yes yes please give us sleeves, and yes to longer length and thicker material. Far too much flammable material in the shops at the mo, if there was a fire everything would melt rather than burn!

yes please. And less plunging necklines. I dont want to see down someones top when she bends slightly.
And right, if you are taller, you are not wider. To get the length I need I often have to get bigger sizes. Which are then too wide. Argh.

Well said.

When we had our summer that hot spell, I was horrified at having to show my bingo wings.
Hardly any tops with sleeves, and as said upthread, what's with all the 'cropped' tops. No one needs to see my midriff, the poor bastards.

It would be a good idea if the clothing industry just accepted that here in the UK we rarely experience a proper version of 'summer'. For most of the year we have to protect ourselves from the elements, which are often as furious in spring/autumn as in winter (let's be honest), yet when summer technically arrives (ie, May onwards) the stores stock up on stupidly unrealistic, aspirational crap which is more suited to California than Manchester, iyswim?

We are supposed to flip from pale and untoned straight into tan and lithe at the drop of a hat. And every year we fall for it - all over again.

I think that in Britain we have to dress intuitively, rather than ideally. Our wardrobes need to be constantly prepared for irrational temp/weather changes, day by day, hour by hour. Sleeveless frocks are only rarely necessary (parties, very hot days, etc) and should probably - logically- be in the minority.....but no, not so.
It's either sleeveless or those flammable balloon sleeves, or 3/4 shit that gets bunched up to the armpit when to attempt to put on a jacket.

And even if you have good arms, sleeveless is still a pain in the arse because 9 times out of 10 you have to locate a cardi or jacket to counteract the cold, which will generally, unless you are very fortunate, destroy the look of the dress.

So you've got the industry churning out crap which imitates Hollywood that hardly any of us can actually wear.

Do they do this to save costs on fabrics? I would gladly pay a few quid more for sleeves.

Agreed.

And while you're at it, British High Street, stop making tops and dresses with necklines so wide you have to safety pin your bra straps to your elbows to stop them showing. Thank you.

Please do not sell any more of those "boob tube" dresses/tops. There was so much flesh wobbling about in Asda I thought I was in an abattoir. And a lot of it was tattooed flesh, too. And goose-pimply round the chilled section.

The tops which they sell ATM would have been fine fifteen years ago when jeans and skirts had their waistbands at the waist. Now that they have waistbands around the bikini line, those top lengths are not OK (but Gap are good for longer length tops I find).

YY to not wanting to wear sleeveless dresses/tops in an air conditioned office. And wanting a dress that comes down lower than my knickers (Oasis are the worst offenders, because they've got some really lovely frocks in, if they were only 3 inches longer).

I prefer sleeves too

yy - you think they would learn some of us want to dress with a bit of decorum without necessarily wanting to look like "cauld tattie" nonagenarian!

Yes please to sleeves and longer tops!

Sleeves, longer tops and dresses that are a decent length.

We shouldn't have to wear leggings with dresses because they are indecently short. Also, since when were teadresses buttock skimming? I'm not asking for a lot, just a few extra inches of fabric.

Once the British Highstreet starts selling what I want then I'll start spending there again. It's bloody useless at the moment.

Warm clothes please - it may be June but it is not summer! And if the sun does briefly come out, the maniacs in my office slap the air-conditioning on, so I still don't want flimsy clothes! And why don't shops sell spring/summer coats? Just want a stylish, lightweight jacket/coat that is for wearing round town rather than walking gear. Mind you most people just seem to wear hoodies in the rain. Are they not buying jackets because the shops don't stock them, or do the shops not stock them because people don't want them?

Totally agree I hate vest tops unless used for thermal purposes or decency under the ever thinning shirt fabrics, and when I do find a short sleeve top they end up being those stupid capped sleave things that skin the shoulder and show all the arm pit area, totally effin useless, I'm desperate for some new clothes with sleeves, and skirts that cover me arse when bending slightly, not just standing still.
We need a pickett or petition or summinc.

agreed, can we start a petition or something. MN campaign perhaps?

I have a tattoo mistake on my arm and hate it being on show so always wear sleaves, which involves some sort of jumper.