Real stories · The black dress with the waist built in

Most dresses ask your figure to do the work — this black dress brings its own waist

The black dress with the waist built in — that's what this one is. I'm 67, and most 'flattering' dresses turn out to mean one of two things: clingy, which reports on everything, or shapeless, which gives you the silhouette of a postbox. Neither is what anyone means by flattering.

What I wanted was a black dress that created the shape, rather than asking my figure to provide it.

Then I found the Selvianeé from a British label called York Boutique — a refined belted dress, and I chose the classic black, because a good black dress outlives every trend going.

The shaping is built in. The belt, with its neat square gold buckle, cinches the waist exactly where you want one, which is why the whole dress falls into that polished hourglass line without a moment's effort from you. The little stand collar frames the face and sits beautifully under a necklace, the sleeves land at the elbow — covering the exact stretch of arm most of us prefer covered — and the skirt is tailored to the knee, so it's elegant without being precarious. There are even discreet pockets, which no one expects in a dress this smart.

The belt with its gold buckle does the shaping, the little stand collar frames the face, and the sleeves land at the elbow — you step in, cinch once, and you're the best-dressed person at the table.

Its first outing was dinner for our friends' ruby wedding. I stepped in, cinched the belt, added earrings, and was ready before Malcolm had found his good shoes — a first. Two compliments before the starter, one of them from a woman I've been mildly intimidated by since 2019. It has since done a christening lunch, and it shook out of the case unwrinkled.

It was £39.95 in the sale, half the usual £80 — and I'd checked I could send it back if the belt sat oddly, which you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free. It comes in seven colours and in sizes UK 6/8 all the way to 16/18.

If 'flattering' has also let you down before, do treat yourself to a look. The Selvianeé is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 280 women, it's £39.95 in the sale instead of £80 — half price — and the middle sizes always seem to go first.