Pump up the volume: This season's cuffs are full to capacity

Puffy, fluffy and emphatically out-there – fashion has been fixated on sleeves this season. And judging by the autumn/winter offerings, there’s no sign of abating, says Sarah Young

Puff it real good: JW Anderson spring/summer 2016

Poufed-out and refreshingly billowy, this spring/summer is a study in volume – at least, when it comes to the sleeve. Generally, we’ve seen volume in that area of garment geography confined to two specific locales – the shoulder (Alexis Carrington); or cuff (Stevie Nicks).

This time, though, it’s all about the bulk. Jonathan Anderson inflated his to approximate nineteenth-century leg-o-mutton styles; Karl Lagerfeld allowed his to billow romatically at Fendi, caught up in a smocked cuff; while for winter Conseulo Castiglioni at Marni followed suit, allowing her sleeves to esc ape and inflate from under ribboned capes, in a chic – but unexpected – take on papal chic. Or, perhaps, an unruly blow-up mattress escaping from a drawer.

Marni Autumn Winter 2016

It all looked great on the catwalk. But playing with difficult proportions requires careful consideration, especially when it comes to a basic essential like the sleeve. Shifting this trend from the catwalk to the curb may seem daunting, but luckily for us designers have made it easy. The garments themselves are rather basic - many spinning around nifty adaptations of the traditional white shirt, to establish a well-rounded must-have for spring/summer. Think hefty balloon sleeves cinched at the elbow and tucked neatly into tailored trousers or a slack skirt for a silhouette rendered by volume alone to be entirely on trend. If that sounds a bit buttoned-up, many pushed the sleeves down, baring shoulders, and cutting garments in crisp, bright cottons. Nothing stiffened, padded or tricky about them. Minimum input, maximum impact.

If you take anything away from this season’s must-have trend it’s to roll up your sleeves and think big.