Helen Mirren's One Golden Style Rule For Occasion Dressing

No matter what the event is, or how the weather is behaving, Helen Mirren has one golden rule for occasion wear dressing. And, it's simpler than you might think.

From red carpets, to interviews and drinks receptions, all of Helen Mirren's dresses have one thing in common. They have sleeves! According to the Oscar-winning actress, this is absolutely 'essential' for women of a certain age.

And it seems that's she long held this belief. As far back as 2008 the actress spoke about the lack of options for women who wanted a dress with sleeves.

Speaking to Glamour magazine she said: "There are no dresses with sleeves and we need to bring back the sleeve: fine, see-through ones, long or short.There are so many wonderful things you can do with sleeves that people used to do, and then they stopped."

Luckily for Helen, she is not restricted by dresses that are sleeveless because if she finds the perfect gown she simply gets sleeves added.

The number of options on the high street have increased and if you are looking for inspiration, check out our edit of thebest dresses with sleeves. Because as Helen pointed out in 2010 in an interview with the Daily Mail, sometimes you ‘don't want to wear a frumpy jacket over a sleeveless dress.'

Even when it is hot, Helen recommends opting for a sheer sleeve because it adds a flattering touch to the outfit.

And last April, the actress revealed that she was considering taking her love of sleeves to a new level...

In fact, she wanted to invest in a more permanent sleeve of tattoos! Speaking to the Radio Times Helen said: "I'd like a whole sleeve. As you get older, I think it's a better and better idea."

She even described the kind of design she would like. The 71-year-old revealed: "Some sort of curing pattern running up my arm. Maybe a snake. I quite like snakes."

While we won't be rushing out to a nearest tattoo parlour for a sleeve, we can certainly get on board with adding more sleeves to our wardrobe. Theseflattering long sleeved dressesare a good place to start.

What do you make of Helen's golden style rule? Will you be taking it into account when you shop for occasion wear? At least it takes the pressure off of finding a matching jacket or shawl...