A letter from a reader

At 62, the only smart thing I had to throw on was a cardigan

I have never written to a shop before, and I did not expect my first letter to be about a jacket.

Whenever there was a lunch out, a trip to the theatre or a family do, I would stand in front of the wardrobe and the answer was always the same. A nice top, my good trousers, and a cardigan over the top. Every single time. It was fine. It was warm. But I always felt I looked a bit like I had popped out to the shops, while everyone else looked like they had made an occasion of it.

I had a dozen cardigans and not one thing that made me look pulled together.

So I kept wearing the cardigans, and kept feeling a bit underdressed.

Then I saw one on my sister-in-law at the garden centre café

Pat walked in wearing a white shirt and plain jeans, nothing special, but over the top she had the loveliest olive herringbone jacket with a little stand-up collar, brass buttons and soft brown cuffs. That one jacket made the whole outfit. She looked smart and interesting at the same time. She told me it was from a collection of statement blazers at Nottingham Boutique, a little boutique that has been quietly dressing women our age for a few years now. I ordered mine that evening. Mine is the Evangeline.

What happened at my sister's birthday lunch

I wore it to my sister's birthday lunch at the hotel, over a white shirt with my dark jeans, and I felt properly dressed for the first time in ages. Three different women asked me about it before the starters arrived, and my friend Sue told me I looked like I had made an effort, which I have decided to take as a compliment. My sister said I looked like I was off to a weekend in the country.

It is a small thing, one good jacket. I had forgotten how nice it is to walk into a room and feel smart without trying.

Three things I have learned since

One. One jacket does the work. Throw it over a white shirt and jeans and the whole outfit comes together. With tailored trousers it is smart enough for the theatre or a special lunch.

Two. The details make it. A rich olive herringbone, a neat little stand collar, buttoned pocket flaps on the chest and deep cuffs in a soft contrasting brown. It has real character.

Three. The shape is flattering. The seams follow the waist, so it gives you a line without being tight, and it finishes neatly at the hip.

About the price

I had assumed a jacket like this would cost a fortune in a proper country shop.

The Evangeline is £67.95. It was £136.

There is no catch. They have their autumn sale on and delivery is free. There are ten statement blazers in the collection, from suede-look brown to embroidered velvet, all the same price, and mine comes from a UK 6 up to a UK 20.

I did go and read the reviews before I ordered. Just over three hundred of them, sitting at 4.2 stars. Not the suspiciously perfect five you see on some sites, which if I am honest made me trust it more. One woman had written, "I used to grab a cardigan for everything. Now I grab this and I feel like I have dressed properly." That was the one that decided it for me.

What I would tell you if we were friends

If you came round and we sat out on the porch with a cup of tea, this is what I would tell you.

If the only smart thing you ever reach for is a cardigan, you do not need a new wardrobe. You need one good jacket that makes everything else look finished.

It does not look like it was made for somebody half my age, and it does not look like I have given up either.

Caroline