Real stories · A cool, comfy summer dress

The summer dress I don't have to tug at all afternoon

A dress I could put on in the morning and simply forget about — does such a thing exist? I'd honestly begun to doubt it. I'm 67, and by mid-afternoon most of my summer dresses had me fidgeting — too hot, or riding up, or something I had to keep tugging straight every time I stood up. A plain shift just hangs and swelters; anything clingy is uncomfortable in the heat.

What I longed for was a pretty summer dress that was genuinely comfortable and cool to wear all day — one that sat where it should so I wasn't forever adjusting it.

Then I found the Sybella dress from a British label called York Boutique — a little ditsy-floral V-neck with a wrap-effect front and side buttons. I chose the green.

It was exactly that. The soft fabric is light and cool, and because the wrap front crosses over and the side is gathered, everything sits smoothly — which is why nothing rides up or needs tugging — and it skims comfortably rather than clinging in the heat. It flatters too, which is a lovely bonus — but the best bit is that I put it on and don't think about it again all day.

Cool, comfy, and I never once had to tug it straight. I put it on and forgot about it.

A dress this easy to wear, I assumed, would be sixty pounds. But York Boutique sells direct, so it was £29.95 in the summer sale. I could hardly believe it.

A friend asked me where it was from at a lunch. And I'd made sure before ordering that I could send it back if it didn't suit — you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free — so it felt safe to try. It comes in six colours — I'm tempted by the rose next — and in sizes right up to a 3XL.

If you're tired of tugging and sweltering in your summer dresses, do treat yourself to a look. The Sybella is rated 4.8 out of 5 by more than 300 women, it's £29.95 in the summer sale instead of £60 — half price — and the middle sizes always seem to go first.