A letter from a reader

At 62, I stopped dreading every invitation that came through the door

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

Here is the truth of it. For years, every invitation that landed on the doormat gave me the same sinking feeling. A christening, a wedding, a birthday dinner somewhere nice. I would open the wardrobe, look at a rail full of clothes, and see nothing I could possibly wear. Then came the rushed trip into town, the changing rooms with the terrible lights, and something bought in a panic that I wore once and never felt right in again.

I thought my only choices were to spend money on something I would wear once, or turn up in the same old navy dress everybody had already seen.

So I gave up, and the navy dress came to everything.

Then I saw it on a friend at a retirement lunch

My friend Jean walked in wearing a matching blazer and wide trousers in the softest dusty blue, with a plain white top underneath. She looked smart, relaxed and completely herself, as though she had been getting ready all week. I asked her where it was from before she had even sat down. She told me it was the Irma, from Nottingham Boutique, a little boutique that has been quietly dressing women our age for a few years now. I ordered mine that evening.

What happened at my brother's seventieth

A fortnight later the invitation came for my brother's seventieth birthday dinner, and for once I did not feel that sinking feeling. I knew exactly what I was wearing. Three different women asked me where it was from before the starters came, and my friend Sue told me I looked like I had made an effort, which I have decided to take as a compliment.

What I noticed most was that I did not spend the evening pulling at a hem or wishing I had worn something else. The trousers are wide and flowing, so I could sit, stand and dance with my great-nephew without a second thought. I simply forgot about what I had on, and I cannot remember the last time a smart outfit let me do that.

Three things I have learned since

One. Matching does the thinking for you. The blazer and trousers are the same colour and cut to go together, so there is nothing to plan. Two pieces on, a plain top underneath, and you look put together from head to toe.

Two. It looks smart without feeling stiff. The blazer is properly tailored, with a neat lapel, one button and flap pockets, and the trousers have a crease down the front. But the wide leg flows as you walk, so it feels relaxed rather than buttoned up.

Three. It is really two outfits. I have worn the blazer on its own over my jeans for coffee in town, and the trousers with a cardigan for Sunday lunch. The whole set is kept for the invitations.

About the price

When I saw the price I was suspicious. A proper tailored suit, I assumed, would either cost a small fortune or look cheap the moment it came out of the bag.

The Irma is £44.95. It was £90.

There is no catch. They have their autumn sale on, delivery is free, and it arrived looking exactly as it did in the pictures.

I did go and read the reviews before I ordered a second one. 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 bought it for my granddaughter's christening and have worn it to two dinners and a funeral since. It is the only thing I do not have to think about." 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.

Stop waiting for the invitation before you panic about what to wear. Have one outfit hanging ready that makes you feel smart and comfortable, and the next time an envelope comes through the door you can simply look forward to it.

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