Roll up your sleeves, friends

Like the dissolute lovechild of an Edwardian lady and a 1980s New Romantic, puff-sleeved blouses flounced into the wardrobes of street-stylers at Paris Fashion Week, and now they’ve got their eye on your closet too. Fortunately, there’s definitely space in there for this deceptively hard-working item, says our shopping editor, Tara Morris. “They’re great tucked into jeans, or worn with a simple skirt or a chic, neat trouser. And they work as well with a trainer as a heel for going out.”

The trick, she adds, is to choose a bodice to complement your body. A smaller frame might suit a more tailored look, like Zara’s broderie anglaise blouse or Country Road’s tied-waisted stripe, while Lee Mathews’s nautical shirt is best worn loose over the waistline (though, as ever, these are suggestions, not rules).

There is one item you might want to invest in, adds Tara: a hand-held steamer. Ironing a statement sleeve is a nightmare. “Everyone should have one, anyway,” she says firmly. “If you haven’t – and you’re considering a billowing sleeve – now is the time to purchase.” (Tara recommends the Kambrook garment steamer, by the way.)

And, as is often the case with attention-stealers, statement sleeves don’t like to share the limelight. “You can’t wear a jacket with them, unless it too has voluminous sleeves,” says Tara. “Squishing this type of blouse into a coat will ruin the puff.”