Disguising arms in summer dresses

[mooseybroon]

I've ordered a lovely shirred dress from Hush. Trouble is, it's sleeveless. I am 50s and have just lost some weight and have horrible crepey wobbly arms. So I'm thinking of what would look stylish to wear over it? Suggestions welcome!

This is the “sleeves on a scarf” video I saw.
Still think it’s cute.
www.facebook.com/reel/2032835877690661/?fs=e&fs=e

I hated my arms my whole life to the point where for a brief time in my 20s I cut them in an act of self harm because I thought they were so fat and hideous. Then later I had children and one of them once told me when he was small how he loved my soft arms because they were so good for hugs.

I can't express how good the sun and fresh air feel on my arms nowadays. After spending about 20 years searching out cardigans and sweltering in the heat, now I love to let them free. I went sleeveless as a size 20 and now after a couple of years on Mounjaro and weightlifting, the realisation that my arms will always be chubby no matter what I do, I still go sleeveless because it's so freeing and comfortable and it makes me so happy.

That said, I will look for angel sleeves or similar if in a professional context to hide any faint scars that remain. But my arms are my arms, they are great for cuddling children and puppies and lifting heavy things and they deserve to feel the sunshine - if we ever get any again in this rainy country! So wear your dress as it is, is my advice, you have nothing to be ashamed of.

I find it so sad that we spend so much time worrying about showing any parts of our bodies, just get your arms out. It’s hot and the world isn’t going to end because of a crepey arm or cellulite on our legs!

I did wonder that too. Why buy a sleeveless dress if you don't want to bare your arms?

I hope you reconsider @mooseybroon - & well done on losing weight. Use a gradual tanning body moisturiser, & do some lifts with light weights when you're watching TV in the evening. That's if you feel like doing either! Whether you do or don't, I hope you feel confident enough to think sod it & wear your nice new dress with your arms bare!

And I agree that a cardigan or shirt are the only two options that could look remotely stylish as a cover-up/layer for warmth or sunblock - the other options of boleros, knitted straitjackets or, as a PP called them rather aptly, "arm tights" are just awful.

I know it’s not the point of the thread but I’m also in the ‘just wear the dress’ camp. I have lost 4 and a half stone and despite strength training religiously I do have crepey arms but I genuinely don’t care.

I wasn’t comfortable wearing dresses when I was a size 18, I am determined now I’m a small size 10 to wear everything I want to wear and enjoy the fact that I can fit in to clothes that wouldn’t go near me a year ago. Well done on your weight loss, I’d really encourage you just to enjoy it and not overthink things. I can honestly say I’ve never noticed anyone else’s arms so I doubt anyone would notice yours.

I’ve got saggy skin on my legs and tum too, I’d be completely covered from head to toe if I worried about showing my saggy bits🤣

I used to buy lovely short sleeved and strappy dresses then end up covering half the dress with a shirt or boiling in a cardigan. I don’t think any options really look stylish because it will always look like a cover up.

So I stopped doing it. If it’s not a dress I’m comfortable in I don’t buy it. I know that sounds obvious but why buy something you can’t wear as intended.

It does limit my choices more but I look hard to find lovely dresses with a bit of a sleeve.

This is exactly what I do too. I like a colourful shirt matched with darker base wear. No dresses though. Strictly loose trousers or dungarees.

I still have some of the Mary Portas Armory things and wear them when I’m having a bad arm day. Pilates is not doing a thing for them. T-shirts under dresses when I’m away because I love strappy dresses. I also have the added issue of only having 1 very large boob so then have thick bra straps as mastectomy bras aren’t the most delicate. So armory or T-shirts to cover the straps and wibbles.

A mesh top, either short or long sleeve, in a toning colour. I've got a few.

Oh I'm loving this thread! I bet I have worse upper arms than any of you, although I quite like my forearms!

I have lost a lot of weight so have bingo wings, loose creepy skin and also stretch marks on the inside of my arms almost down to my elbows and on the front of the tops of my arms. There. I said it!

Am always trying to hide them, but that's almost impossible in the summer. Some of you have suggested fake tan ... but will that hide stretch marks or am I wasting my time, money and optimism?

Thanks x

I don't think it hides things as such, but it blurs them a bit? I'm pale, & hate dark/orangey fake tan - especially when it's streaky/patchy!! But gradual tanning moisturisers in the lightest shade are much easier to use.

Place marking so i can come back and read tomorrow

I have a couple of kimono type jackets which I bought a few years ago when they were "in" and i get them out every summer. One has tassels and I love it, probably so dated now but i wear it a lot!
This year I bought a sort of crochet cardi from New Look which I'm hoping will go with everything...

I don’t have the patience for fake tan, don’t like the smell, the process or the eventual colour on me. But I do like Vita Liberata body blur make up - apply with a mitt and it washes off.

Expensive, but does improve appearance.

There was a show called curvy brides I used to love and they all started off saying they didn't want their arms showing and then changed their minds with the right dress. Miss that show