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. Billion-dollar shapewear brand Spanx, which counts stars such as Oprah and Gwyneth Paltrow as acolytes, is banking on it with a new product to help women combat batwings: Arm Tights. 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. 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'm not an advocate for shapewear as an essential part of womanhood or as the only route to looking or feeling good, but sometimes, these pieces can make your clothes look their best. And within this new Spanx creation lies a potentially useful little layering tool that could be a great part of your lingerie capsule wardrobe.

I like the idea of wearing them under a sleeveless dress or top — it just has to be the right cut,” she says. 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.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.

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.” The "Original" Slip-On Sleeves! Created by Ruthann Greenblat, Sleevey Wonders features patented, reversible slip-on sleeves that are made to wear under sleeveless tops and strapless dresses as a creative solution for women who don't love the look of their bare arms. Still, there are elements of the Arm Tights that could do with some tweaking — particularly the “pronounced” seams under the arms. But the religious fashionista admits that Arm Tights go one step further by slenderizing the wearer while keeping her covered up.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. 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. A fan of Michael Kors and Valentino knits, Lewis says Arm Tights are perfect under thin sweaters and blouses.