Given that Blakely is the woman that has revolutionised the underwear market and given women around the world the sculpted waists and bums needed to carry them through a decade of bodycon dress styles, I thought I’d better trust her.

Once I worked out which way around the arm tights were supposed to go (I originally put them on back to front), they were actually quite comfortable. However, I'll admit the benefits might bemore keenly felt if your arms are bigger or if you're more self-conscious of them in the first place. They're not remotely itchy, and despite looking alarmingly small when you take them out of the packet, they do stretch a lot. Unlike traditional layering shirts, this non-shaping garment has no seam up the arms for 360° of flawless coverage!

The arm tights take the form of a crop top (designed to be less bulky under your clothes), in basic block colours and are therefore easy to layer underneath shift dresses and sleeveless tops, instead of a long sleeve T-shirt or polo neck, for autumn.

With the white, pastel and light-grey shades, you'll want to consider your bra options carefully if wearing Arm Tights without another layer over the top.

I exclaimed when the press release for Spanx founder Sarah Blakely's latest venture landed in my inbox. An editor from the magazine tested them out at fashion week and said they made her arms look "slender and toned. And within this new Spanx creation lies a potentially useful little layering tool that could be a great part of your lingerie capsule wardrobe. There's also no denying that they do make your arms noticeably more streamlined, in the same way that Spanx's high-waisted pants do. About this time last year, Spanx's latest invention, Arm Tights, officially received the Vogue stamp of approval.