Real stories · The one dress for every smart invitation

Every 'smart' invitation used to send me shopping in a panic — now one black dress answers all of them

One dress that answers every smart invitation — that's what my wardrobe had been missing for about a decade. I'm 67, and every wedding anniversary, retirement do and birthday dinner used to trigger the same panic: the 'good' dresses were ten years old, and shopping for a new one meant an afternoon of changing-room lighting and quiet despair.

What I wanted was one reliable dress that made me feel dressed up rather than squeezed in.

Then I found the Aurelinne from a British label called York Boutique — a fitted V-neck midi, and I chose the black, because a black dress that works answers every invitation for years.

The cleverness is in the front. The bodice is gathered into a soft pleated wrap, which is why it gives you a waist without gripping one — the fabric does the shaping, not elastic, and it glides over the parts that don't want attention. The V-neck lengthens the neck and frames the face, the midi length is elegant without tights-politics, and there's a discreet slit at the hem so you can actually walk, sit and get out of a car like a lady. The fabric is comfortable enough that I forgot about it by the starter, which is the entire test of an occasion dress.

The pleated wrap at the front does the shaping, the V-neck does the flattering, and the midi length does the dignity — one dress, every dinner, anniversary and do on the calendar.

Its first outing was our anniversary dinner. Malcolm, who has commented on my clothes perhaps four times in forty years, said 'you look lovely' before we'd left the hallway — unprompted, which at his rate is a standing ovation. It has since done a retirement do and a sixtieth, and it shook the creases out on the hanger both times.

I'll be honest: at £39.95 I hesitated, because 'occasion dresses' usually cost triple that and get worn twice. Then I counted the invitations on the mantelpiece — three before Christmas — and ordered. It's half the usual £80, and I'd checked I could send it back if the fit was off — you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free. It comes in five colours and in sizes UK 8/10 all the way to 18/20.

If your 'good' dresses are also a decade old, do treat yourself to a look. The Aurelinne is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 290 women, it's £39.95 in the sale instead of £80 — half price — and the middle sizes always seem to go first.