A note from Leya · Soft, simple, flattering
At 67, I found the cosy jumper that actually flatters my neckline
A jumper that's cosy AND flattering. I'd honestly stopped believing that was possible. I'm 67, and every winter my drawer fills up with the same two kinds: high, tight necks that make me feel half strangled and shorter than I am, or low V-necks that need a vest underneath and constant tugging.
What I wanted was one soft jumper I could pull on in the morning and not think about again until bedtime.
Then I found the Elise from Susan and Kate London, a British label started by two sisters. It's a relaxed V-neck jumper with a soft shawl collar that folds over the neckline, and that collar is the whole secret.
It frames your face instead of cutting you off at the throat, and it covers what a plain V-neck would leave on show, so there's no vest and no tugging. The fit is relaxed without being baggy, it comes down to the hip, and the neat cuffs and hem keep it tidy rather than slouchy. Loose over jeans on a Saturday, or tucked in at the front of good trousers for lunch, it looks just as right both ways.
Cosy enough for the sofa, smart enough to answer the door in, and kind to the neckline either way.
It was £34.95 in the sale, half the usual £70, which made me suspicious before it made me pleased. It needn't have. It goes from a UK 8 right up to a 20, and if you're between sizes they suggest going up one, which is what I did. Delivery is free, and I checked first that I could send it back within 30 days if it wasn't right. I haven't.
It has done the garden centre, Sunday lunch and a long afternoon at my sister's, and Pat next door, who notices everything and says nothing, asked whether it was new. I'm already eyeing a second colour.
If your jumper drawer also splits into 'too tight at the neck' and 'too low to wear on its own', do have a look. The Elise is rated 4.8 out of 5 by more than 300 women, it comes in several colours, in UK sizes 8 to 20, and the middle sizes always go first.
Elise | Comfortable V-Neck Jumper
£70.00 £34.95Save 50%
- Soft shawl collar that frames the face
- V-neckline softened by the collar, no vest needed
- Relaxed fit, hip length, neat cuffs and hem
- Wear it loose or tucked in at the front
- Several colours · UK sizes 8 to 20
Sale — half price while stock lasts.
Leya Whitmore is 67 and lives in Guildford with a labrador. She is not a fashion writer.
Susan and Kate London · Free UK delivery · 30 day returns