It Might Be “Unsexy”, But This Affordable Wardrobe Staple is Actually the Best Investment

Like the fashion equivalent of bread and butter, some staple pieces simply work better together than they do on their own. The best long-sleeved tops for women are one ingredient, to extend the metaphor further, that often gets undervalued when it comes to these essential style pairings.

Where romantic blouses and sculptural shirts can overshadow this more pragmatic basic, it’s not a fair assessment to call it a boring investment. In a way, the best long-sleeved tops serve as the backbone to any great ensemble, especially when the temperature begins to dip and cold fronts start to set in. But it’s this mundanity that has resulted in it being ignored for far too long.

In actuality, an arsenal of long-sleeved tops is what separates a well-edited wardrobe from one that’s perhaps more hodgepodge. You might think I’m being hyperbolic here, but it’s something that’s worth considering, because what is the point of owning your architecturally tailored trousers or polished jeans if you have nothing to wear them with?

It’s understandable that the best long-sleeved tops are by no means an exciting purchase to make when compared to glitzy ballet flats, decadent floral dresses or even that saccharine winter knitted hat that’s serving as your sartorial sweet treat, though that shouldn’t mean that you disregard them altogether. In fact, if you were to look at the most prolific tastemakers in the industry, you’ll realise that they’ve been subtly campaigning for the best long-sleeved tops to become a centrepiece.

Take Miuccia Prada, for instance. At the spring/summer 2023 runway show in Paris, the Milanese designer not only stripped back the notion of simplicity but also proved that nuance and subversiveness can be found when things are presented in rudimentary form. On a literal level, this thesis statement translated into a series of wafer-thin long-sleeves in muted primary tones, particularly heather grey, white and butter yellow, being layered up until they took the form of a mini.

Elsewhere, creator of the Neverworns newsletter and video series, Liana Satenstein, proved the power of the humble three-quarter-length in her collaboration with Los Angeles-based brand Cleo Camp. Rendered in a “perpetual vacation blue”, the splashy long-sleeve has quickly become a cult piece for IYKYK It girls like Imani Randolph and Audrey Hobert.

Of course, the most mainstream endorsement came from none other than Hailey Bieber, with the Rhode Beauty founder wearing a bracelet-sleeve-length shirt from London-based underwear brand Cou Cou Intimates. With delicate curving through the hemline, a boat neckline and soft scallop edges, the look proved that when intentional with designs, these rudimentary pieces can be the most impactful.

And if you haven’t guessed by now, not all long-sleeved tops are made the same, which is thankfully why I, a fashion writer who has worked in the industry for close to a decade, is here to definitively tell you which styles are actually the best. Some, like a simple crew-neck, are perfect for a casual outing, whilst others, including button-up styles, lean certainly dressier. But irrespective of your needs, there’s no wardrobe that’s made better without including one.

The 9 Best Long-Sleeved Tops for Women

Best Crew Neck Long-Sleeved Top

Style Notes: If you could only invest in one long-sleeve top, then consider the humble crew-neck as the supreme choice. For the uninitiated, the crew neck is regarded as the traditional silhouette for t-shirts and tops, with a stock-standard shape that features a classic round and collarless neckline.

Originating over a century ago as an undergarment and inspired by rowing jumpers, this style is the most non-descript of the bunch, which is a quality that, perhaps ironically, makes it the most versatile. Inoffensive and durable, this cut acts as a blank canvas which you can build an outfit upon, whether you keep to its preppy roots and pair it with a floor-grazing skirt or eschew the collegiate origins altogether and opt for more on-trend trousers.

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Best Boat-Neck Long-Sleeved Top

Style Notes: If the name of this top conjures up images of walnut-stained sailing yachts whisking through the Italian Peninsula or the turquoise stripes of beach parasols lining the Côte d'Azur, you’ll be in luck.

Like the crew-neck, the boat-neck long-sleeved top also has aquatic lineage, deriving its name from the blouses of French sailors. It’s marked by a slit that runs horizontally across your frame from collarbone to collarbone, with this hint of skin affecting a more sophisticated look as a result.

For those seeking something more Parisienne-adjacent in their long-sleeves, let it be known that this neckline is a staple of the City of Lights after being popularised by Coco Chanel in the ‘30s and enshrined by a Givenchy design worn by Audrey Hepburn in the ‘60s. So, if it’s the essence of European summer and Old Hollywood glamour that you’re after, the boat-neck long-sleeve should be the only style you seek out.

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Best Ribbed Long-Sleeved Top

Style Notes: If you adore the effect of Issey Miyake’s signature Pleats Please line but are after something slightly less overt, a ribbed long-sleeve top is for you. Texture, in many ways, can be the defining quality of a garment. Features like suede accents, shearling trims or faux-fur collars and cuffs can certainly elevate a piece, so think of the ribbing along a straightforward long-sleeved top in the same vein.

Ribbed fabrics also boast signature vertical lines, which make anything it’s fashioned into more visually appealing. Minimalist but modern, snug but polished, it’s the sort of thing you’ll want to throw on for errand runs and early morning farmers' markets. (Think: Times when you want to look put together but don’t want to exert any energy.)

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Best V-Neck Long-Sleeved Top

Style Notes: The most risqué of all long-sleeved tops, the V-neck is the sexy older sister of the crew-neck, making it a considerable contender for both sultry nights out and evenings in.

With its titular tapered point, the V-neck offers considerable real estate across the décolletage for you to capitalise. (Prada even recently issued styles that plunge down to your naval in its spring/summer 2026 collection, should that pique your interest.) Throw on a pendant necklace, tassel scarf or even a wash of shimmering body oil, and you’ll have a look that’s far more thoughtful than any other long-sleeve would allow.

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Best Turtleneck Long-Sleeved Top

Style Notes: Cemented by Cameron Diaz in Nancy Meyers’ seminal Christmas classic, The Holiday, as the most sophisticated cold-weather look, a turtleneck long-sleeved top has certainly transcended its former status as a humdrum thermal layer.

Now, rather than being hidden away under t-shirts, jumpers and even dungarees (as Alexa Chung has demonstrated), turtlenecks are being worn solo. Don’t fret about looking like a late-00s Steve Jobs or early-90s The Rock, however, as the long-sleeved turtleneck top will always read more beatnik than costume, especially if worn with supple ballet flats and soft ruched loafers.

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Best Button-Up Long-Sleeved Top

Style Notes: Be it the reign of brooches or the dominance of studs saturating everything from Khaite’s signature Benny Belt or Valentino’s new Nellcôte bag, fashion is fixated on pinnings. It makes sense, then, for button-up long-sleeved tops to join one of the best silhouettes in the category.

Sewing these spherical discs onto garments to make them more intriguing is not new by any means. However, with renewed interest in Alexander McQueen’s mother-of-pearl buttoned pieces from his spring/summer 2003 collection, both Dua Lipa and Kylie Jenner recently wore the jacket version from the show, it’s no surprise to see this simple embroidered design element come back to the forefront.

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Best Three-Quarter Length Long-Sleeved Top

Style Notes: What do independent labels like Mode Mischief, Cou Cou Intimates and Flore Flore have in common? They’re all proponents of the three-quarter-length long-sleeved top. Skimming just below the elbow, this style of shirt evokes the halcyon days of the Y2K era without all the pompous chintz or lurid palette. Whether fitted or flared, this sleeve length is the perfect hybrid for those seeking both functionality and flair given the way it so gracefully shows off the forearm. No rolling, pulling up or folding here!

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Best Going-Out Long-Sleeved Top

Style Notes: The ‘going out’ top has long been heralded as the perfect complement to any pair of bottoms. Be it denim, wool, corduroy or silk, there isn’t a pair of trousers made more refined than when paired with an item of this variety. This is something that many internationally lauded contemporary labels know all too well. From Khaite’s Maddy corset top to Paris Georgia’s merino wool Heart bodysuit, a going-out top takes the guesswork out of piecing together an outfit by pulling together a look in very few steps.

Crucially, you must invest in a top that’s glamorous enough to suit cocktail bars and small-plate restaurants, whilst still performing every task expected from a long-sleeved top. There’s no point sacrificing thermal regulation for style, so opt for something with enough coverage whilst also possessing more intricate qualities like ruching, gathering, embroidery or trimmed accents.

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Best Sheer Long-Sleeved Top

Style Notes: Though this might sound contradictory to the above, I truly consider a sheer long-sleeved top as one of the best purchases someone could make. Of course, if the naked dressing trend hasn’t proven how multifaceted a piece of nearly-tranparent fabric can be, then allow me to do the honours.

Whether worn on its own or layered over something else, the material brings a soft edge that conveys opulence. It’s both sensual and sculptural, making it a true wardrobe enigma, and therefore, staple, in my opinion.

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