Real stories · The dress that does the flattering for you

The holiday dress that gives me a waist without squeezing one — the twist at the front does all the work

A summer dress that flatters without effort — no clever underwear, no breathing in for photos — that's what I wanted in my case for our week away. I'm 67, and holiday dresses have always been a compromise: the pretty ones need constant management, and the easy ones look like I've wandered out in a nightdress with a handbag.

What I wanted was one dress that did the flattering by itself, straight out of the suitcase.

Then I found the Aurevienne from a British label called York Boutique — and I chose the soft off-white with the dark trim, which looks twice its price against a bit of holiday colour.

The design is quietly clever. The gathered twist at the front creates a waist without gripping one — the fabric does the shaping, not elastic — and the dark trim lines run from the neckline down through the skirt, which draws the eye downwards and makes the whole silhouette read longer and slimmer. The v-neck is exactly deep enough to flatter and shallow enough to relax in, the airy relaxed cut keeps you genuinely cool, and it shakes out of a suitcase without a crease worth mentioning.

The gathered twist at the front gives you a waist without anything gripping one, the dark trim lines run top to bottom and quietly lengthen everything, and the airy cut means you stay cool when everyone else is wilting.

It did every evening of our week away — the harbour walk, dinner on the front, the last-night drinks — and it's carried on at home: a warm Sunday lunch, coffee in town. My friend Barbara asked if it was 'from one of those little boutiques abroad'. In a way, I said.

It was £39.95 in the sale — I paused at nearly forty pounds until I realised it had done seven evenings in one week, which is more work than most of my wardrobe manages in a season. 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 off-white and blue, in sizes UK 8/10 to 18/20.

If your holiday dresses also split into 'pretty but hard work' and 'basically a nightdress', do treat yourself to a look. The Aurevienne is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 360 women, it's £39.95 in the sale instead of £80 — half price — and the middle sizes always seem to go first.