Real stories · The top that's kind about the middle

Most knitwear either clings to the middle or hides it in a sack — this wrap top found the third option

The top that's kind about the middle — that's the only honest way I can describe it. I'm 67, and somewhere along the way knitwear turned against me. The fitted ones cling to exactly the part of me I'd rather they didn't mention, and the 'relaxed' ones are so relaxed I look like I'm wearing the sofa. Every winter I stand in front of the wardrobe negotiating with jumpers.

What I wanted was a knit that skims — not clings, not drowns. Skims.

Then I found the Seravielle from a British label called York Boutique — a knitted wrap top with a V-neck, and I chose the beige, which goes with every pair of trousers I own.

The cleverness is in the crossed front. The two sides drape over each other on the diagonal, which is why the fabric travels across the middle instead of settling on it — anything that happens underneath simply isn't reported. The little ruched gathers at the side do the same job a good curtain does: soft folds, no cling. And the V-neck opens up the neckline, which lifts the whole face in a way a crew neck never has. It's still a proper knit, mind — warm enough for a cold kitchen, smart enough for a café.

The crossed front drapes on the diagonal, so the fabric travels across the middle instead of settling on it — it skims where every other jumper clings.

I did wonder if a 'wrap' would mean gaping or constant readjusting — it doesn't; it's all one fixed piece, nothing to come undone. And you can send it back within a fortnight with free delivery, so trying it cost me nothing but the walk to the postbox I never made.

It has since done coffee mornings, a birthday tea and one long café afternoon with Sandra, who looked at it for a moment too long and then asked the question. It was £34.95 in the sale, down from £80 — a 56% saving.

If you're also tired of negotiating with knitwear every morning, do have a look. The Seravielle is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 240 women, it comes in beige, red, green and blue, in sizes S to 2XL — and the beige goes quickest every time.