A puff sleeve does one useful thing: it puts volume at the shoulder, which makes the waist read narrower without a belt. Everything else about it is styling.
The versions that last are the quiet ones. A short puff with an elastic cuff sits under a blazer without fighting it. A long, gathered sleeve on a lightweight cotton reads as considered rather than costume. The ones to avoid are stiff, over-sized and lined; they hold their shape in a photograph and nowhere else.
On our rail the sleeve turns up on eyelet blouses, smocked peplum tops and a floral tie-neck we keep restocking. All three are cut in breathable cotton or a viscose blend, which matters more than the silhouette in a North Indian summer.
Volume at the shoulder is the oldest trick in tailoring. The sleeve just makes it visible.
Edit 01 notes
Wear it with the plainest thing you own on the bottom half. Straight trousers, a pencil skirt, dark denim. Let the sleeve be the only thing that is doing anything.
