Real stories · Bedtime comforts

The little bedtime treat that made me feel like myself again

I'm 67, and I'll admit it — my nightwear had rather given up. Washed-out old pyjamas, a dressing gown that had seen better days. It seems a small thing, but getting ready for bed in something tired had started to feel like one more little way of letting myself go. I've a little dog, Winnie, who couldn't care less what I wear — but I'd started to.

What I wanted wasn't anything fancy: just to feel nice of an evening, and to be comfortable. I run warm at night, as a lot of us do at my age, so it had to breathe. Most 'pretty' nightwear seemed either scratchy, boil-in-the-bag synthetic, or aimed at women forty years younger. I'd more or less given up on the idea.

My daughter gave me a set for my birthday — the Primrose from a British label called York Boutique. Not one piece, but five: a robe, a little camisole, a longer nightie, a top and bottoms. I thought it was far too glamorous for me. I was wrong.

It's the softest thing. A smooth, breathable blend that stays cool against the skin, with a pretty bit of lace at the edges. Because there are five pieces, I can mix them to suit the night — the cami and shorts when it's warm, the top and trousers with the robe when there's a chill. It feels lovely, and — this is the part I didn't expect — it made me feel rather nice about myself again at the end of the day.

It's only nightwear, I know. But feeling lovely at bedtime turns out to matter more than I'd thought.

For five pieces I assumed it would be dear — eighty pounds, the ticket said. But York Boutique sells direct, with no shop in the middle, so the whole set was £39.95 in the summer sale. Five pieces, for that. I've since bought the champagne one as a gift for my sister.

I mentioned it to the girls at coffee and by the end of the week two of them had ordered — one for herself, one for her daughter-in-law, because it does make a lovely gift. It comes in six colours — red, blue, black, grey, champagne and pink — and in a proper range of sizes.

If your bedtime things have quietly given up like mine had, this is a gentle little treat. The Primrose is rated 4.8 out of 5 by more than 300 women, it's £39.95 in the summer sale instead of £80 — half price for five pieces — and the popular colours go first. It would make someone very happy, yourself included.