Real stories · Feeling elegant again

The dress that made me feel elegant again, without a single fuss

I'm 67, and I had my niece's wedding coming up. I wanted, just once, to feel elegant — but I was dreading the dress hunt. Somewhere in my sixties I'd started reaching for 'sensible', and quietly accepting that it meant a bit frumpy. The smart things, meanwhile, always seemed to cling or dig in.

That's the trouble, isn't it. The comfortable dresses look like you've given up, and the elegant ones are cut for a woman half your age and twice as brave. I'd stand in the changing room feeling worse than when I went in, and come home with nothing.

Then I found the Maelys dress from a British label called York Boutique — an airy chiffon in the loveliest soft marble print, with long sleeves and a tie at the waist. I very nearly scrolled past it, and I'm so glad I didn't.

The chiffon skims instead of clinging, so it floats over everything you'd rather it did. The tie waist gives you a proper shape, the soft V neckline is flattering without being low, and the long sleeves cover the arms — which, at my age, is a small blessing. Best of all, the print quietly hides a multitude.

It does all the work. I put it on and felt like myself again.

A dress this pretty, I assumed, would be eighty pounds or more. But York Boutique sells direct, so it was £39.95 in the summer sale. For something I felt this good in, I could hardly believe it.

Three women asked me about it before the starters were even served, and one wrote the name on her order card. It comes in sizes right up to a 3XL, which matters when so many 'occasion' dresses stop far too small.

If you've a summer occasion coming and you'd like to feel like yourself again, do have a look while the sale's on. The Maelys is rated 4.8 out of 5 by more than 300 women, it's £39.95 instead of £80 — half price — and the middle sizes always go first.