As you’ll know from last week’s article on autumn/winter trends for 2014 I am a great fan of the sleeve.

How many of us feel their arms need slimming down or hate our bingo wings? How many of us have gone to a dinner dance during the winter and have frozen or had to invest in a pashmina to cover our arms and keep us warm? I can see you all putting your hands up... me too.

In the past there have been campaigns by well-known magazines, asking manufacturers to put sleeves in garments. And are they? No, they’re not.

This season is no exception and it is not only in dresses and tops. This autumn, we see the return of the gilet in the fashion stakes, and even the sleeveless coat (which reminds me of a recent genius piece of marketing I saw in a sandwich chain recently... the breadless sandwich – isn’t that just a salad?) Both are an anomaly to me. Jackets and coats should have sleeves by their very nature.

The gilet is often seen as a garment worn to give extra warmth to the core of your body, leaving your arms free for practical tasks.

This season, however, you can forget practical. This is now to be a core fashion item in your wardrobe.

Choose denim style or be a biker babe. The dedicated denim lovers can ‘rock’ their jean jackets without sleeves. They can be thrown over anything and worn with everything from white shirts to sequinned skirts.

The biker babes are wearing theirs to toughen up summer frocks or layering with winter knits. The best bit is you can DIY the look and just cut off the sleeves of an old worn jacket.

Okay, so I’ve been won over on the gilet front, butI have to say I am not so convinced about the sleeveless coat. Personally, I like a coat with arms in it. How about you?