Real stories · The dress with no waistband

By three o'clock every waistband I own has opinions — this dress doesn't have one

The dress with no waistband — that's what this is. I'm 67, and I've concluded that the real enemy of a comfortable day isn't heels or underwire; it's the waistband. Trousers press, skirts pinch, and by three o'clock everything I own has opinions about lunch. The discreet undo-the-button-under-the-table manoeuvre is, frankly, a life skill by now.

What I wanted was to be dressed — properly dressed — with nothing at my middle at all.

Then I found the Velirayae from a British label called York Boutique — a knitted V-neck dress, and I chose the red, which is a gloriously cheerful thing to be comfortable in.

The design is one long, clever absence. It hangs straight from the shoulders in a soft knit, which is why there's simply nothing at the waist to press, pinch or negotiate with — no band, no zip, no fastening anywhere. The V-neck does the flattering up top, lengthening the neck and framing the face; the ribbed cuffs keep it looking finished rather than slouchy; and with thick tights and boots it's a complete winter outfit that took one decision and zero ironing. Warm as a jumper, because it essentially is one.

It hangs straight from the shoulders with nothing at the middle at all — no waistband, no zip, no belt — which is why Sunday lunch ends without a single discreet adjustment under the table.

At £39.95 I hovered an evening — then noted it was half the usual £80, that it replaces trousers AND a top AND the three-o'clock regret, and that with a fortnight to send it back and free delivery, hovering was free.

It has since done a Sunday roast — the true test — two coffee mornings and an afternoon of reading by the fire, and not once did I perform the manoeuvre. Malcolm has been told the button trick is retired. He seemed relieved. It was £39.95 in the sale, half the usual £80.

If your waistbands also develop opinions by mid-afternoon, do have a look. The Velirayae is rated 4.6 out of 5 by more than 210 women, it comes in red, khaki and white, in UK sizes 8/10 all the way to 18/20 — and at half price the red goes first.