Wardrobe Fix: What’s a Sleevey Wonder?

I have a problem in common with many of my clients: how do I wear something sleeveless while camouflaging my arms? Oh, I could go commando like other clients of mine and bare my arms (I am cheerleader for that, too!) but I won’t.

Recently I was working with a client, making outfits from her current wardrobe, and we found ourselves facing this very issue once again. She has the added condition of running warmer than anyone else in the room. She’d be happy living in freezer like conditions. I can make fabulous outfits in my head but I know they won’t pass her heat test. “I can’t wear that. I’ll be too hot,” she’ll say.

She had a sheer long-sleeved crew neck black stretchy top in her closet. We’ve used it as a layering piece before. But in truth, even layering doesn’t work well for her. So I suggested to her that we get a duplicate of this stretchy top so I could cut one of them up and make it skimpier and cooler for her and still layer it. I wanted to cut the neckline down and take out one layer of the double layered front panel. I knew what I wanted. I was determined to come up with a solution.

But last week, a readymade solution came to me. I was with my Bellas, my image consultant friends who meet once a month, and we were doing a favorite thing: shopping at Specialtees Boutique in Lafayette, CA. Our great sales associate heard me lamenting about needing sleeves for something I’d just fallen in love with. She said, “Oh! Wait! You need a Sleevey Wonder!”

A sleevey what?

She brought me a lingerie item, a Sleevey Wonder, in a variety of sizes and colors. Here’s how it works.

Step one: Put your bra on (if it isn’t on already).

Step two: Put your Sleevey Wonder over your bra and fasten it in front.

Step three: Put your sleeveless dress or sleeveless top over your two underthings.

Step four: Finish putting your outfit together.

Step five: Find a full-length mirror and admire your arms and your whole look from head-to-toe. You look fantastic!

I bought two of them. The gray one in the photo above is what I’ll wear under my ink colored crinkled dress. I bought a black one to wear under a sleeveless black tunic and about a million more things I can think of come fall and winter. You can even wear them backwards!

That shopping trip was on a Sunday. On Monday I was scheduled to see this same wardrobing client, the one that gets warm but wants sleeves. “Boy, do I have a treat for you!” I teased her. I wore the black one with the tunic I bought so she could see it in action. Then I pulled out my gray Sleevey Wonder and she tried it on. She was amazed. We immediately went to my iPad, got online and ordered them in a variety of colors.

Have you seen these before? It’s the miracle solution I wish I’d invented! Maybe you’ll find them in lingerie departments near you but if not, go to their website and check them out. I feel like they run generously. I bought a medium and in tops I’m often buying a large. They feel very well made.

I wore one last night when I met my wonderful friend and colleague, Sarah Brummitt from London, for drinks and dinner at Des Amis on Union Street. She and her husband, Anthony, met the whole Bay Area family: Caitlin, Erin, Mike, and Russ. We were there for five hours! Sarah loved my whole look and if it had been easier to do, I’d have slipped my dress up to show her my Sleevey Wonder. Instead, I’ll suggest she reads this blog post!

Would Sleevey Wonders be a solution for you, too?

 

 

Save