Still, there are elements of the Arm Tights that could do with some tweaking — particularly the “pronounced” seams under the arms. In a recent press release, the brand explained that the arm tights had come in response to an ‘overwhelming consumer demand’, and offer the ‘perfect style solution for transitional weather, or simply act as a cover up for those who typically shy away from sleeveless shape’. You don’t look like you’ve lost five pounds, but it holds you in and you look more toned,” says Newman, who just bought three of the tops.

There’s no way the Spanx execs didn’t get this idea from the religious world,” Newman says. “The concept of layering has been around for decades. As a religious stylist, I’ve always honed the skill of being modest and sexy at the same time.” The arms come in a three-quarter length fashion and in all honesty, they don’t look all too bad. But that’s not the point – the point is that, well, they seem kind of pointless. Spanx founder Sara Blakely insists that the invention wasn’t born out of a desire to slenderize arms but to squeeze more looks out of warm-weather clothing as temps drop. About this time last year, Spanx's latest invention, Arm Tights, officially received the Vogue stamp of approval. An editor from the magazine tested them out at fashion week and said they made her arms look "slender and toned." It's funny how in just 12 months, the language surrounding body image can change so much, and for the good of us all. I never show my upper arms — I have spent a small fortune on shrugs from silk to cashmere,” says the “50-ish” Upper East Side-based president of an eponymous marketing and communications agency.Whenever a dress or top doesn’t have sleeves, we’d wear what we call a shell — usually a fitted top of the same color,” says NJ-based Leah Gottfried, a 26-year-old creator of the Jewish web series “Soon by You.” “They look very much like these new Arm Tights, except ours cover the belly.” And that sounds absolutely fine – but we all know how uncomfortable tight clothing can be, I’ve experienced it firsthand – and so I can only imagine that though at first glance, someone wearing these arm tights may feel fabulous, as the day goes on they may end up being incredibly uncomfortable – especially on a hot day.

I like the idea of wearing them under a sleeveless dress or top — it just has to be the right cut,” she says. But hey, as stated above, everyone’s different – so if wearing tights on your arms is your kind of thing, you do you, they’ll be available from 1 October at House of Fraser. Still, at a recent launch event downtown at Marie Claire’s the Next Big Thing concept shop, it was apparent that women who had tried the new product were more taken with what it did to tighten their triceps than the ways in which it could diversify their wardrobes.But while the concept of Arm Tights sounds revolutionary, local Orthodox Jewish women say they established a similarly layered look in the interest of modesty years ago. About this time last year, Spanx's latest invention, Arm Tights, officially received the Vogue stamp of approval. An editor from the magazine tested them out at fashion week and said they made her arms look "slender and toned." It's funny how in just 12 months, the language surrounding body image can change so much, and for the good of us all. We've come a long way, and I'm grateful for that, but let's just get real for a second: Sometimes, you don't want to show your arms off (for any number of reasons), and choice is the ultimate liberator.