Real stories · One piece, dressed and done

The one-piece I pull on and I'm dressed — no matching, no fuss, and it's cool

One thing I could pull on and be properly dressed — no matching a top to a bottom, no waistband digging in — that's what I'd started to long for. I'm 67, and mornings had become a faff: hunting for a top that went with the trousers, tucking and untucking, tugging at a waistband that pinched by lunchtime. On a warm day it all felt hot and fiddly, and I'd be changing twice before I got out.

What I wanted was one easy piece that looked put-together on its own, was comfortable to wear all day, and kept me cool.

Then I found the Clarissa jumpsuit from a British label called York Boutique — a draped neck sleeveless jumpsuit, and I chose the soft apricot.

It has quietly become the thing I reach for. It's all one piece, so there's nothing to match and nothing to tuck — you step in and you're dressed. The waist is a soft elasticated band that gently shapes you without any digging, which is why it's still comfortable after a proper lunch, and the draped neckline is ever so flattering. It's sleeveless in a light, airy fabric so I stay cool, and the wide legs mean it reads as smart, not sporty. It even has proper pockets.

One piece and I'm dressed — nothing to match, nothing digging in, and cool all day. It does the thinking for me.

A piece this useful, I assumed, would be seventy pounds. But York Boutique sells direct, so it was £34.95 in the summer sale. I could hardly believe it.

A friend asked me where it was from at a lunch. I'd checked before ordering that I could send it back if it didn't suit — you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free — which made trying it an easy decision. It comes in five colours and in sizes up to a 2XL.

If getting dressed has become a morning faff like it had for me, do treat yourself to a look. The Clarissa is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 300 women, it's £34.95 in the summer sale instead of £70 — half price — and the middle sizes always seem to go first.