Real stories · The blazer that stands up straight for you

Everything soft in my wardrobe slouches with me — this blazer stands up straight on my behalf

The blazer that stands up straight for you — that's what this is. I'm 67, and my wardrobe has grown very soft over the years: knits, drapes, things that skim. Lovely to live in. But soft slouches with you, and there are days — a meeting at the bank, a lunch that matters, a gallery opening — when I want something with a spine.

What I wanted was one piece with proper structure that didn't feel like a suit.

Then I found the Irenelle from a British label called York Boutique — a tailored blazer with a soft-sheen finish, and I chose the black, with the single gold button that does all the jewellery.

The structure is the whole gift. The shoulders are sharp, the line nips in where a waist should be, and it's properly finished with a smooth full lining, which is why it goes on over anything — a white shirt, a plain tee, even a thin knit — and instantly makes the whole outfit look decided. You stand straighter in it; that's not imagination, it's tailoring. The soft-sheen finish catches the light just enough to read expensive across a room, and with jeans it does that trick where the jeans suddenly look like a choice.

The structure does the work: sharp shoulders, a nipped line, a soft-sheen finish and one gold button — put it over anything and you instantly look like a person with plans, standing straighter than you feel.

I'll be honest: £49.95 still made me hover for an evening. Then I counted what a blazer this finished costs on any high street — and noted it was half the usual £100, with a fortnight to send it back and free delivery. The hovering was the only cost.

It has since done the bank meeting, a birthday lunch and one gallery evening, and at the lunch a woman I barely know asked if it was 'a designer one'. I said no, but I didn't say it quickly. It was £49.95 in the sale, half the usual £100.

If your wardrobe has also grown very soft, do have a look. The Irenelle is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 180 women, it comes in black, green, red and blue, in UK sizes 8/10 to 16/18 — and at half price the black goes first, every time.