Real stories · A cool, comfy summer dress

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

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. I wanted to put a dress on in the morning and simply forget about it.

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, the wrap front and gathered side sit smoothly so 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. 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.