Real stories · Staying cosy

The cosy jacket I reach for the moment there's a chill in the air

I'm 67, and our British summers can never quite make their minds up. It's warm by lunch and cold again by the time I'm out with my little dog, Winnie, of an evening. For years my answer was an old fleece — either so shapeless I felt frumpy, or so bulky I felt like I was wearing a duvet.

I'd honestly given up on finding something that was properly warm but still looked like me. The nice coats were too heavy for a summer's evening, and everything cosy seemed to be cut for a teenager or a tent. So I made do, and grumbled, and reached for the same tired old thing.

Then my daughter-in-law came round wearing the Wrenna jacket from a British label called York Boutique, and I asked to try it on there and then. It's a soft teddy-style fleece — the sort you want to keep stroking — with a neat collar and proper buttons.

What surprised me is how light it is. It's warm without any of the weight, there are two handy pockets, and the shape is relaxed enough to be comfortable but still skims rather than swamps. I've worn it nearly every day since — over a blouse for the shops, over my nightie for the bins, you name it.

Warm without the weight. I keep forgetting I've even got it on.

I'd braced myself for a jacket this cosy to be the best part of £70. But York Boutique sells direct — no shop taking its cut — so it was £34.95 in the summer sale. I very nearly ordered a second colour on the spot.

A woman at my coffee morning stopped me to ask where it was from, and I wrote the name on the back of her receipt. It comes in four colours — I chose the soft pink, but the green is lovely too — and in sizes right up to a 22/24, which matters when so many things stop far too small.

If you feel the chill of a morning the way I do, do have a look while the sale's still on. The Wrenna is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 300 women, it's £34.95 instead of £70 — half price — and the middle sizes always seem to go first. I'd not leave it too long.