Good old drop sleeves. Since their glory days in the massive-shouldered 80’s, drop sleeves have been a bit neglected by designers, perhaps for good reason. Arguably, no other sweater shape is more associated with the cliché “unflattering hand-knit sweater” than drop sleeves.
Basically, drop sleeves reduce a sweater to its most elemental: a big tube, with two little tubes attached to it at a ninety-degree angle. They can be fun, and easy to make, and they lend themselves well to elaborate color and cable patterns. But, flattering to the human form? Not so much.
Until recently. I’ve been on the look-out for cute drop-sleeve sweaters ever since I finished my Davis this summer. With short-row shaping, a cropped length, and very slim little sleeves, this sweater manages to avoid all the pitfalls of the drop-sleeve sweaters of yore, looking polished and modern while still slouchy and casual. Browsing through Ravelry’s “Hot Right Now,” I noticed the list was littered with drop sleeves. They are back in a big way, as are boxy, 80’s shapes in general, and lots of designers are doing beautiful things with them.
Top Left: My pal GreenOlivine in her beautiful Toujours, designed by Joji Locatelli
Top Right: Salted by Alicia Plummer, proof that drop sleeves don’t have to be boxy
Bottom Left: Natsumi from Brooklyn Tweed, a sexy update on the drop-sleeve cabled sweater
Bottom Right: Outlined by Suvi Simola, so seamless and elegant!
Also, this sweater:
PS If anyone reads Finnish and/or can find this pattern for me, I’d be eternally grateful.
Work Even 