“Poor Creatures”: How Bella Baxter’s Puffy Sleeves Influenced Fashion

Apart from the fact that there is a bit of phallic symbolism in them that does not displease Yorgos Lanthimos, these costume elements come partly from the universe of Elsa Schiaparelli, and partly from the Victorian register reinterpreted in the modern era. Remember that at the time, the size of the bouquet was a reflection of wealth and social rank. in the 20th^I Over the century, it was the greats of Hollywood who adopted, developed and pushed these qualities of nobility to their limits through various fashion designers such as Cristóbal Balenciaga and his iconic balloon sleeves.

Joan Crawford.

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It’s worth noting that the dramatic nature of maxi sleeves has made a notable comeback on the catwalk in recent years. Daniel Rosebery’s hypnotic volumes at Schiaparelli or Thom Browne’s hyperbolic curves offer two choice images. Maison Margiela’s latest 2024 haute couture collection By John Galliano offers another shining example.

But above all is Simone Rocha who has made it a trademark of her collections. Its extreme balloon sleeve is an icon of coziness immersed in an aura of melancholy and sensuality. A trait as sensual as it is candid, completely in Bella Baxter’s veins.

Testament to their success, puffed sleeves are a hit on the red carpet. Let’s remember Florence Pugh at the 2023 Oscars, who wore a stunning Valentino dress whose sleeves looked like they were made of foam. Or Cara Delevingne with a Karl Lagerfeld Couture shirt dress at the Met Gala. Or Serena Williams at the CFDA Awards last November, in a Thom Browne dress twinkling with a thousand lights, accompanied by her oversized bouquet. A slideshow full of echoes of the past, and promises of a brilliant future exemplifies the exhibition that opened on January 24 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and which relates precisely to Statement sleeves.

Costume designer Holly Waddington says that “the bust is the part that is most often in the camera frame, which means the message must pass between the waist and the head.” A rule that applies perfectly to our post-pandemic reality in which part of our work and our social interactions take place within the view of a webcam. A motto that can act as an antidote to the casual wear trend. Because sculptural sleeves may seem to hinder movement at first glance, they have the benefit of protecting and enhancing trajectories in space. It is less about displaying one’s social rank, but rather about one’s ability to move. In turn, becoming like Bella Baxter.

Originally published by Vanity Fair Italy