Real stories · One hanger, whole outfit

The 'what on earth do I wear' panic before every smart occasion — solved by one suit that comes off the hanger as a finished outfit

An outfit that comes off the hanger already decided — that's what I'd been wishing for before every wedding, retirement do and 'smart dress code' dinner of the last ten years. I'm 67, and the occasions themselves don't frighten me; the ninety minutes in front of the wardrobe beforehand do. The dress that needs the right cardigan, the skirt that needs the right shoes, the whole pile on the bed that ends with 'I have nothing to wear' — said, absurdly, by a woman with a full wardrobe.

What I wanted was the thing men have had all along: one hanger you take down, put on, and are simply done.

Then I found the Seravelle from a British label called York Boutique — a tailored two-piece suit, and I chose the beige, which looks expensive in a way black somehow doesn't.

The trick is that it's genuinely tailored — a slim, structured single-breasted blazer that gives you a shape, trousers that hang properly — but it's cut for comfort, so I can sit through a long lunch from starter to coffee without feeling parcelled up. With a plain white top it's a finished outfit; with a silk scarf it's a wedding; with trainers, apparently, it's 'modern', according to my granddaughter. The point is the decision is already made.

Blazer and trousers off one hanger, a plain top underneath, and the outfit is finished — tailored enough to hold its own at any table, comfortable enough to sit in from starter to coffee.

It has already done a christening, a retirement lunch and a big birthday dinner — three occasions, zero wardrobe panics. At the christening a woman I barely know asked where the suit was from, which I believe is the highest compliment available in a church car park.

It was £44.95 in the sale, down from £90. I did hesitate at that — it's more than I usually spend on myself — but it replaces a dress, a jacket and an hour of panic per occasion, and it was half price. I'd also checked that I could send it back if the fit was off — you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free — so there was nothing lost by trying. It comes in six colours and in sizes UK 8/10 all the way to 22/24.

If you also perform the whole pile-on-the-bed ritual before every smart occasion, do treat yourself to a look. The Seravelle is rated 4.5 out of 5 by more than 180 women, it's £44.95 in the sale instead of £90 — half price — and the middle sizes always seem to go first.