These are 12 of our favourite long-sleeved dresses for spring, including Boden’s bestseller

Remember those carefree heady days of halternecks, spaghetti straps and bandeau dresses? When you could wear them without looking at your arms and thinking, ‘What they need is a cardigan.’ Whether you dare to bare your arms (or not) is a personal choice. It seems 40+ women either love or loathe their ageing upper arms and, from a quick poll of my friends who are late-40s to mid-50s, most prefer to cover them up. I genuinely don’t mind my upper arms – I quite like them, in fact, and I’ll happily show them in public – however, I still prefer to wear dresses and tops with sleeves. Why? Because longer sleeves cleverly balance my bottom-heavy, pear-shaped figure and I feel a little more polished and put-together. For me, it’s all about the power of a great sleeve!

Body politics aside, when I wear longer sleeves (from the elbow down), my figure looks instantly more in proportion. The demure drama that comes from wearing a statement sleeve makes me feel more confident, modern and relevant. It also helps that interesting sleeves have been the hardiest fashion silhouette of the past few years, with both runway designers and the high street getting more creative with their sleeve designs. The Swinging Sixties had the miniskirt; now we have the mega sleeve. And because there are endless shapes and sizes of sleeve (puff, fluted, bell, mutton, balloon…), it feels like a different look every season.

The statement sleeve phenomenon is an inclusive trend, too. A three-quarter fluted sleeve (think The Vampire’s Wife signature sleeve) is literally the most flattering sleeve a woman can wear. We particularly love this season’s lace and see-through fabrics, which provide a playful peek-a-boo element – a fashionable and subtle way to conceal and reveal your arms without having to do a single tricep curl! If you feel self-conscious about showing your arms, please don’t ruin an outfit by shoving a drab cardi over your fresh new dress – get yourself a long-sleeved dress instead whether for everyday or a spring event. With parties to go to, people to see, upper arms to conceal… here are my top choices for long-sleeved party dresses.