Real stories · The yellow boots I bought at 67

I bought yellow boots with leopard toes at 67 — and they're secretly the comfiest thing I own

The yellow boots I bought at 67 — that's what these are. I'm 67, and somewhere along the line my shoe rack turned entirely black and brown, on the quiet theory that colour is for other people. Sensible, matching, invisible. And then I saw these and laughed out loud in front of the computer, which Sandra says is how all my best purchases start.

What I wanted, apparently, was mustard-yellow boots with leopard-print toes. Who knew.

They're the Melvarienne from a British label called York Boutique — soft suede-look ankle boots in mustard with a leopard toe cap, a sporty stripe with a red zip down the back, and a steady block heel. There's red, purple, brown and an all-leopard pair for the truly brave.

The secret is that they're built like comfort shoes in fancy dress. The fit is roomy and gentle — nothing pinches, nothing squeezes, even by evening — the soft shaft moves with the ankle instead of arguing with it, and the block heel is low and steady on cobbles, which is why I can be the woman in the yellow boots all day long without a single complaint from my feet. The zip at the back means they're on in seconds, too.

Roomy where feet need it, steady where cobbles demand it, zipped on in seconds — comfort shoes in fancy dress, which is exactly why the yellow gets worn instead of admired in a cupboard.

They were £39.95 — half the usual £80 — and I reasoned that the cost per compliment would round down to nothing within a fortnight. It did. And with a fortnight to send them back and free delivery, even the leopard toes were a safe bet.

They have since done a café morning, the market and one school pickup, where a small grandchild declared them 'the best shoes'. Sandra has asked to try them on. I'm considering it. They were £39.95 in the sale, half the usual £80.

If your shoe rack has also gone entirely black and brown, do have a look. The Melvarienne is rated 4.6 out of 5 by more than 280 women, it comes in yellow, red, purple, brown and full leopard, in sizes 2 to 9.5 — and at half price, the yellow goes exactly as fast as you'd fear.