Real stories · The jumper that gets the compliments

Everything warm I own is plain and apologetic — this is the jumper people ask about

The jumper that gets the compliments — that's what this is. I'm 67, and my wardrobe has a strict division: the pretty things (worn four times a year, freezing) and the warm things (worn daily, beige, apologetic). Winter dressing has mostly meant choosing warmth and accepting invisibility.

What I wanted was one jumper that refused that choice.

Then I found the Ruvella from a British label called York Boutique — a cream jumper in a delicate openwork diamond knit, with a scalloped neckline and, at the hem, layers of soft chiffon ruffles finished with little crochet flowers. It is the prettiest warm thing I have ever owned.

The ruffles do the work. They turn the bottom of a jumper — normally the dullest stretch of fabric in Britain — into something with movement and occasion, which is why it reads as 'an outfit' over plain trousers and gets asked about at every table I sit down at. And underneath the prettiness it's still a proper jumper: relaxed fit, warm, comfortable all day, and the flowers mean nothing else is needed — no necklace, no scarf, no effort.

Chiffon ruffles and little crochet flowers turn the dullest part of a jumper into the reason people ask about it — while underneath it stays a proper warm jumper you can live in all day.

At £39.95 I paused — then noted it was half the usual £80, that it does the job of a jumper AND the job of a pretty blouse, and that with a fortnight to send it back and free delivery, pausing was free.

It has since done a christening tea, two coffee mornings and one ordinary Wednesday it significantly improved, and it has now been complimented by Sandra, my daughter and a waitress — the full set. It was £39.95 in the sale, half the usual £80.

If your warm clothes are also your invisible ones, do have a look. The Ruvella is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 180 women, it comes in cream, in UK sizes 8/10 all the way to 18/20 — and at half price, the pretty warm thing is exactly what goes first.