Dress Codes: Big sleeves were the original power shoulders — and they’re back

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Examining clothes through the ages, Dress Codes investigates how the rules of fashion have influenced different cultural arenas — and your closet.

When you think of clothing silhouettes that evoke power and presence, 1980s-era padded shoulders might come to mind, the kind seen on Grace Jones when she wore a sharply tailored Giorgio Armani suit for her 1981 “Nightclubbing” album, or more recently, Doja Cat, whose exaggerated take at the 2025 Met Gala was designed by Marc Jacobs.

But long before power shoulders entered our lexicon, oversized sleeves were a status symbol at court in early modern Europe. They did much more than cut a striking figure — they were separate pieces that showed off…