Real stories · The shed-to-Sunday-lunch jumper

Malcolm used to change clothes between the shed and the carvery — this jumper does both

One jumper for the shed and the Sunday carvery — I didn't know that was possible until this arrived. I'm 67, Malcolm is 68, and his wardrobe has always split into two unbridgeable halves: shed clothes and 'we're going OUT' clothes. Every Sunday at 11.45 sharp came the ritual grumble upstairs to change from one into the other.

What I wanted was one jumper that could do the whole day without a costume change.

Then I found the Tharvian from a British label called York Boutique — a smart black jumper with a neat half-zip collar and proper elbow patches. I chose the black; there's blue, khaki, brown, grey and green as well.

The trick is that it reads as intended. The half-zip collar and the elbow patches make it look like a jumper somebody chose — which is why it passes at the carvery without comment — while underneath it's simply comfortable: an easy fit, warm, nothing tight, zip down an inch when the pub's stuffy. Smart casual, in the literal sense of both words.

A neat half-zip collar and smart elbow patches — presentable enough for the carvery, comfortable enough for the shed, and the 11.45 outfit change is history.

It was £34.95, half the usual £70, and with a fortnight to send it back and free delivery it was the cheapest peace treaty this house has ever signed.

It has since done three shed mornings, one garden bonfire and two Sunday lunches without a single 11.45 wardrobe intermission, and at the carvery our daughter looked at the elbow patches and said Dad looked 'like a retired professor'. Malcolm has been standing slightly straighter since.

If your Sundays also feature a costume change under protest, do have a look. The Tharvian is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 240 customers, it comes in six colours, in sizes M to 5XL — and at half price the black goes first.