Real stories · My easy summer dress

The one easy summer dress I reach for every warm morning

I'm 67, and on a warm morning I never know what to put on. Trousers are too hot, my old sundresses are shapeless, and anything smart seems to need ironing and a good deal of fuss. More often than not I'd end up flustered and change three times before I got out the door.

What I really wanted was one easy dress I could throw on that looked put-together without any effort — cool enough for the heat, smart enough for the shops or a coffee with friends.

Then I found the Arabella dress from a British label called York Boutique — a sleeveless button-front shirt dress in a fresh pink and white stripe, in the summer sale.

It's exactly what I was after. The crisp collar and little button front make it look smart and tidy, the sleeveless cut keeps me lovely and cool, and the vertical stripe is ever so flattering — it draws the eye up and down and skims straight over the middle. The fabric is light and breathable, and it needs barely a press. I put it on and I'm ready for the day.

Cool, smart and no fuss. I put it on and I'm ready for the day.

A dress this smart, I assumed, would be sixty pounds. But York Boutique sells direct, so it was £29.95 in the summer sale. I nearly ordered a second colour on the spot.

A friend admired it over coffee and couldn't believe how cool I looked on such a hot day. It comes in five colours — pink, light blue, blue, green and black — and in sizes up to a 2XL.

If you struggle to know what to wear on a warm morning, do treat yourself to a look. The Arabella is rated 4.6 out of 5 by more than 300 women, it's £29.95 in the summer sale instead of £60 — half price — and the middle sizes always seem to go first.