Real stories · The jumper that covers your back

Winter always got in at my lower back — this jumper is longer exactly there

A jumper that's longer at the back, exactly where winter gets in — that's what this is. I'm 67, and every jumper I've ever owned had the same design flaw: it ended precisely where I needed it most. Sit down, and up it rides. Reach for the top shelf, and there's a stripe of lower back introduced to the draught. Bend over the flowerbed, and you might as well not be wearing it at all.

What I wanted was a jumper built by someone who had actually sat down in one.

Then I found the Evelienne from a British label called York Boutique — a long turtleneck in a soft navy knit with a relaxed fit, a proper structured collar, and the thing that made me order it: an extended back design, a stepped hem that drops lower behind than in front.

That longer back panel is the whole mechanism. It covers the lower back and hips and stays covering them — which is why sitting, reaching and bending no longer come with a cold surprise. The collar keeps the draught off the other end, and the soft knit is easy-care: it keeps its shape wash after wash rather than growing or shrinking into something else.

Longer at the back, where every other jumper gives up — which is why I can reach the top shelf in January without regretting it.

I'll be honest: at £44.95 I paused. Then I counted the months between now and spring in which I would wear it almost daily — half the usual £90 suddenly looked rather reasonable — 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 has since done the kitchen shelves, two coffee mornings and a great deal of sitting, and my lower back has had nothing to report. Sandra tried on mine, went quiet, and ordered the green.

If your jumpers also abandon you the moment you sit down, do have a look. The Evelienne is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 360 women, it comes in navy, deep grey, espresso brown, green and khaki, in UK sizes 8/10 to 18/20 — and the navy always goes first.