Fashion Dictionary: Bishop Sleeves

Jerry Seinfeld models The Puffy Shirt

We don’t watch television as a general rule but the other night I caught the tail-end of the famous “puffy shirt” Seinfeld episode at my in-laws’ house.  Most assuredly, that puffy shirt was just awful which is why it was such a funny episode destined for “instant classic” status.

Not to get technical, or anything but I would actually classify his shirt as a “bishop shirt.”  But that, of course, wouldn’t produce the same sort of snickers and laughs.

A bishop sleeve is a long sleeve that is wider at the bottom than at the top and gathered into a cuff.  While the top of the sleeve is usually akin to a set-in sleeve, it can also be gathered or slightly puffed.  The primary difference between a puff sleeve gathered into a cuff and a bishop sleeve gathered at the armhole is that a puff sleeve is short and the bishop is long.

Bishop Sleeve Illustration Courtesy of CatsMeowCollectables on eBay

An easy way to think about the construction of a bishop sleeve is to imagine a sleeve in the shape of a bell.  But I imagine that homemakers quickly discovered that the bell-shaped sleeve got caught in everything so they started putting them into cuffs to retain the general shape but to provide greater control.

Past Pattern #212

Being away from home, I don’t have access to my usual resources but my impression is that this type of sleeve first became popular in the mid-19th century and reached its fullness apogee (isn’t that a great word?) at the end of that century.  It became popular again during the mid-20th century.  In old movies, you can see the starlets wearing garments featuring this sleeve made from gauzy-like fabrics.

Do you have any patterns/garments that you would classify as having bishop sleeves?  Have I left out any important information?