Real stories · Warm where it matters, arms free

Always slightly cold in the house, always sleeves in the way — until I discovered the knitted gilet

Warm where it matters, arms free for everything else — I didn't know a piece of clothing could solve that until this one did. I'm 67, and I'm one of those women who is always slightly cold in the house from October to May. But cardigans have a catch: the sleeves. Pushed up for the washing up, dangling in the flour, shoved above the elbows for the plants — half my day is spent managing sleeves.

What I wanted, it turns out, was warmth for my back and chest with my arms left entirely alone.

Then I found the Velirianne from a British label called York Boutique — a knitted gilet, and I chose the soft taupe grey, which goes over every blouse and shirt I own.

It's such a simple idea it feels like cheating. The knit is a proper quality blend that holds real warmth over your chest and back — the parts that actually get cold — which is why you feel cosy without any of the bulk of a jumper. The arms are completely free, so nothing gets pushed up, rolled back or dunked in the sink. The V-neck lets a blouse collar sit nicely and look intended rather than layered in a panic, and it's hip-length, so the lower back — the coldest bit of all — stays covered when you bend.

The knit keeps my chest and back properly warm while my arms stay free — washing up, kneading, gardening — and the V-neck makes any old blouse underneath look deliberate.

I've worn it more or less daily since it arrived: over a white shirt for the church coffee morning, over a roll-neck to walk Winnie, over yesterday's blouse to make a soup. At the garden centre a woman asked me where the 'smart little waistcoat' was from — smart was not a word my warm layers had ever earned before. I did check before ordering that I could send it back if it didn't suit — you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free — which settled it for me.

It was £34.95 in the sale, half the usual £70. It comes in three colours — the taupe grey, black and a soft purple — and in sizes UK 8/10 all the way to 18/20.

If you're also slightly cold in the house with your sleeves permanently pushed up, do treat yourself to a look. The Velirianne is rated 4.6 out of 5 by more than 270 women, it's £34.95 in the sale instead of £70 — half price — and the middle sizes always seem to go first.