At 62, the soft jumper that covers everything I want covered
At 62, the soft jumper that covers everything I want covered
Six things the Bessy gets right that jumpers get wrong, from a woman who is not a fashion writer.
Caroline Richards · Customer · Nottinghamshire · 5 min read
Let me be plain about who is talking. I am Caroline, I am 62, I live in Nottinghamshire, and I have never once sat down to write about a jumper in my life. What I had started doing, somewhere along the way, was dressing to hide, because my middle is not what it was, nor are my hips, and most tops seemed to cling to exactly the parts I would rather not draw attention to. So this is not a review. It is a woman who finally found a jumper that covers her comfortably and still looks lovely, saying why.
The one I am writing about is called the Bessy, from Nottingham Boutique, a small boutique that has been quietly dressing women our age for a few years now. It is a soft V-neck jumper that hangs long and loose, in the loveliest fine knit. When the boutique later asked if they could put my letter up for others to read, I said yes, on the condition I could be completely honest in it.
I pulled it on over my leggings and, for once, did not reach to tug anything down or straighten anything out. It simply covered me, softly. That was the moment it won me over. Read on.
Here is what dressing at our age had taught me to dread. The cling. The top that grabs at the tummy, the jumper that stops at the widest part of the hip, the thing that looks fine standing still and awful the moment you sit down. For a good while I owned a drawer full of tops that all did it, and I had started choosing what to wear by what hid the most, which is no way to feel about getting dressed.
I had started choosing what to wear by what hid the most. This is the first jumper in years that simply covered me, softly, and looked lovely doing it.
The Bessy is the first jumper I have owned that covers what I want covered and still looks elegant, and having barely taken mine off since, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
The morning it arrived. Softer and lighter than I expected, and such a lovely rich colour.
IT DRAPES AND SKIMS OVER EVERYTHING
This is the whole thing, really. Instead of clinging, the Bessy hangs in a soft, loose drape that falls straight past the tummy and the hips and skims right over them. Nothing grabs, nothing pulls, nothing sits where you would rather it did not. It covers the very parts I had been trying to hide, and it does it so softly and naturally that it just looks like a lovely relaxed jumper.
The soft, loose drape. It skims over the tummy and hips instead of clinging.
It drapes over everything and skims right past my middle. I feel covered and comfortable for the first time in years.
Christine B., West BridgfordLONG ENOUGH TO WEAR OVER LEGGINGS
The length is what makes it. It comes down well past the hip, long enough to cover the bottom and the tops of the thighs, so I can wear it over my leggings or slim jeans without a second thought and feel properly covered. No more tops that stop at the worst possible place, no more tugging things down all day. It stays put and it keeps you covered.
Finally, a jumper long enough to wear over leggings and cover my bottom. I do not have to keep pulling it down.
Margaret E., SouthwellA SOFT FINE KNIT, NOT BULKY
For all that it covers so well, it is a fine, light knit, so it drapes rather than adding bulk. There is none of that thick, heavy, chunky feeling that makes you look bigger, none of the itch of a coarse wool. It is smooth and soft against the skin, and it falls in soft folds that flatter, which is exactly why it covers without ever looking frumpy.
The soft ribbed V-neck and the fine, light knit. It drapes rather than adding bulk.
So soft and fine, it drapes beautifully and does not add bulk. Covers me without making me look bigger.
Pauline H., ArnoldTHE V-NECK FLATTERS THE FACE
With everything else so soft and covering, the V-neck does something lovely up top. It opens up the neckline and draws the eye up to the face rather than out to the middle, so the whole look is balanced and flattering. It lengthens the neck and shows off a necklace nicely, and it keeps a soft, loose jumper looking pretty and put-together rather than shapeless.
The V-neck is so flattering, it opens up my face and stops a loose jumper looking shapeless. Just right.
Dorothy S., BeestonSO EASY AND COMFORTABLE TO WEAR
It is the easiest thing in the world to put on. You pull it over your head and you are done, no fuss, no fastenings, room to move and breathe, soft against the skin all day. It is the jumper I reach for when I want to be comfortable and still look nice, which at our age is most days, and it never lets me down on either count.
By the wardrobe, ready to pull on and feel comfortable and covered.
I just pull it on and feel comfortable and covered all day. It has become the first thing I reach for.
Eileen T., NewarkEIGHT LOVELY COLOURS, AND HONEST SIZES
The sizing runs honestly all the way from a small up to a 5XL, and because it is a soft relaxed shape it sits well whatever your figure, with plenty of room to feel covered and comfortable. It comes in eight lovely colours, my warm chocolate brown and a black, a grey, a navy, a green, a red and more, so there is a shade to suit everyone. I have the brown. I am rather tempted by the navy for something a little smarter.
It goes up to my size and still drapes beautifully, not a sack. So pleased with it that I have ordered the navy too.
Maureen C., BinghamThe Bessy, against the tops that cling and ride up
You can have a drawer full of tops and not one that lets you feel comfortably covered. I know, because I did. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
Clings to the tummy and hips
Stops at the widest part
Rides up, needs tugging down all day
Thick and bulky, or thin and clingy
Chosen by what hides the most
Drapes and skims over everything
Long enough to cover over leggings
Stays put, keeps you covered
Soft fine knit, drapes without bulk
Comfortable, covered and elegant
About the price
The Bessy is £36.95 at the moment. It was £74.00.
I will pass on what the boutique told me, which is that the middle sizes and the popular colours are the first to go, and with the sale on they are going quickly, so once a size has gone it can be a wait for it to come back. Their words, not mine. What I can tell you from my side is that half price is usually where I start asking what is wrong with a thing, and for a jumper this soft and flattering, I have found nothing wrong with it.
And I do not trust perfect scores, so I read the reviews before I ordered. Just over three hundred of them, sitting at 4.2 stars, which sounded like real women rather than robots, so I read on. The same six things I have just walked you through come up in them, over and over, in other women's words.
Folded away, ready for the next day I want to feel comfortable, covered and nicely dressed.
If you have started dressing to hide, and want something that covers you comfortably and still looks nice, this is the jumper I would hand you myself, while your size is still there. Stop dithering and go and have a look.
Caroline
BESSY | V-NECK JUMPER
- Drapes and skims over the tummy, hips and bottom
- Long enough to wear over leggings or jeans
- Soft, fine light knit, drapes without bulk
- Flattering ribbed V-neckline
- Easy and comfortable, just pull it on
- Eight lovely colours, honest sizes S to 5XL
- Relaxed, forgiving fit
- Free UK delivery and 30 day returns
The sale is on now. Middle sizes and popular colours go first.