Real stories · Retiring the 'gardening trousers'

My husband owns one pair of trousers he actually likes — so I bought him the pair that comes with a free spare

Trousers my husband would wear somewhere other than the garden — that was the brief. Malcolm is 68 and owns, by his own count, one pair of trousers he actually likes, which means I see them seven days a week in various states of compost. Everything else is either 'too stiff', 'too tight when I sit', or mysteriously 'not right', which is not a complaint a wife can act on.

What I needed was a pair comfortable enough to pass the sitting test and smart enough for the pub — ideally in duplicate, given his loyalty patterns.

Then I found the Torvessarion from a British label called York Boutique — premium stretch trousers for men, and they come as one-plus-one-free: two pairs for the price of one. I chose the light grey and took the second pair in navy.

The trick is the fabric. It has genuine stretch, so they move when he bends, sits and reaches — no pulling at the knee, no complaint when he drops into his chair — but they're cut slim and tailored, so from across the room they read as proper trousers, not joggers. The waist has a soft drawstring instead of a belt digging in after lunch, they're light and breathable, and they keep their shape without ironing, which in this house is essential.

Tailored enough for the pub, stretchy enough for the garden, with a soft drawstring waist instead of a belt digging in — and because it's one-plus-one-free, there's always a clean pair while the other's in the wash.

He put the grey pair on 'to try', wore them to the pub that evening, and has since worn one pair or the other every single day. The old gardening trousers have finally been demoted to actual gardening. His verdict, delivered unprompted: 'they're the comfortable ones that look normal', which is the entire product review in nine words.

Two pairs together were £44.95 in the sale — I hesitated at that until I did the arithmetic: that's about £22 a pair, against the usual £90, for the trousers he now wears daily. Half price, and I'd checked I could send them back if the fit was off — you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free. They come in five colours and in sizes S to 2XL.

If you also live with a man loyal to one tragic pair of trousers, do treat yourself — and him — to a look. The Torvessarion is rated 4.6 out of 5 by more than 230 buyers, it's two pairs for £44.95 in the sale instead of £90, and the middle sizes always seem to go first.