A note from Leya
At 67, I'd decided florals were either for curtains or for women half my age
I don't usually write these, and I nearly didn't. But I've found myself saying the same thing to so many women lately that it seemed easier to write it down properly.
A few weeks ago I was clearing out a drawer and found a photograph of myself at forty, in a floral dress at a friend's wedding, laughing at something off camera. I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at it for a long time. Then I looked down at what I was wearing. Navy. And the day before, grey. And the day before that, navy again.
I hadn't decided to stop wearing flowers. It just crept up on me, because the shops give us two sorts of print. There are the big, blowsy florals that make you look as though you've been upholstered. And there are the pretty little prints, cut low and clingy for someone who's never had to think about her neck. Curtains or girlish. So most of us quietly give up and go back to navy.
I didn't stop liking flowers. I just stopped being offered any I could wear.
Then I found one while looking for something else
I was on my laptop one evening looking for a birthday present for my sister, and I came across a floral roll-neck. My first thought was, not for me. Then I looked again. The print was cheerful rather than girlish, and the neck came up high and neat, so there was nothing to fuss about. It looked like something a grown woman would choose on purpose.
It's the Vivian from Susan and Kate London, a British label started by two sisters. A floral print, a neat high neckline and an easy, comfortable fit. It gives full coverage, so there's no vest or camisole to wear underneath. I ordered one for myself that evening, and forgot all about my sister's present until the next morning.
What happened at the harvest supper
The first proper outing was the harvest supper at church. I'd spent the afternoon arranging marrows, so I wasn't expecting anyone to notice me at all. The vicar's wife took one look and said, Leya, you look like you've brought the garden in with you. Two women at my table asked where it was from before the pudding came round.
It has been in and out of the wash ever since. Coffee with Ruth on a Tuesday, the library, lunch with my son at the weekend. It looks right in all three places, and I've caught myself smiling at my reflection in shop windows, which I haven't done in years.
Three things worth knowing
One. The print is grown-up. It's the kind of floral that looks cheerful rather than girlish. It says you made a choice this morning, not that you're trying to be twenty-five.
Two. The high neck means no fussing. The neckline is neat and high, and it gives full coverage, so there's no vest underneath and no checking in the mirror before I leave the house. I put it on in the morning and forget about it.
Three. It goes in the washing machine. At my age I've no patience for anything that needs hand washing or a trip to the dry cleaner. This goes in with everything else and comes out ready to wear again.
About the price
I'll be honest, the price is usually the first thing people ask about.
The Vivian is £44.95. It was £150.00.
My first thought was that there had to be a catch, because I've paid more than that for navy jumpers I can't tell apart. There isn't one that I've found. Susan and Kate London sell directly, with no shop in the middle taking a cut, and they have a sale on at the moment. Delivery is free, and I checked before ordering that I could send it back within 30 days if the size was wrong.
I read the reviews first, the way I imagine you're doing now. Just over three hundred of them, sitting at 4.2 stars. Not a suspiciously perfect five, which if anything made me trust it more. And in the end, I did order a second one for my sister's birthday after all.
What I'd tell you if we were friends
If you and I were sat in the garden with a pot of tea and you asked me, this is what I'd say.
Open your wardrobe and count the navy. If you can't remember the last time you wore something with flowers on it, not because you went off them but because nothing seemed right for you any more, it's worth ten minutes of your evening to have a look. Not because a jumper will change your life. It won't. But wearing something that makes you smile is a small thing I'd quietly given up on, and I'd rather you didn't give up on it too.
The sale is on at the moment, and the middle sizes are always the first to go.
The photograph from that wedding is on the fridge now. I think the woman in it would be pleased.
Leya
Vivian | Floral Roll-Neck Jumper
£150.00 £44.95
- Floral print with a neat high neckline
- Easy, comfortable fit for all-day wear
- Full coverage, no extra layer needed
- Machine washable
- UK 8 to 20 · Free UK delivery
Sale — while sizes last.
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