Real stories · Comfortable all through lunch

By pudding my waistband was always digging in — now I wear a dress that lets me enjoy the whole lunch

A whole Sunday lunch without once thinking about my waistband — that's new for me. I'm 67, and every family meal used to end the same way: trousers or a skirt that fitted perfectly at noon, and by pudding a waistband pressing into my middle while I sat very upright and quietly regretted the roast potatoes. More than once I've undone a button under the table.

What I wanted was something smart enough for the table that didn't pinch the moment I sat down.

Then I found the Vianelle from a British label called York Boutique — a midi dress with a softly draped crossover front, elbow-length sleeves, a long flowing skirt and proper pockets. I chose the black; there's green, grey, blue and pink too.

It's designed to gently flow over curves without clinging, which is why there's nothing pressing into my middle when I sit down to eat — the soft drape across the front simply moves with me, from the first course to the cheese board. It's soft and breathable too, so I'm as comfortable at the washing-up as I was when we sat down.

A soft drape that flows over curves instead of clinging — which is why I can sit through a three-course lunch without a single thing pressing in.

I'll be honest: at £39.95 I paused. Then I counted the lunches I'd spent sitting bolt upright — and it's half the usual £80.

It has done two Sunday lunches, my sister Joan's birthday meal and a very long afternoon tea. Joan, who knows my under-the-table button trick of old, saw me have seconds of pudding and asked what had changed. 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.

If your waistband also starts digging in halfway through a meal, do have a look. The Vianelle is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 260 women, it comes in five colours, in UK sizes 8/10 to 20/22 — and the black goes first.