A note from Leya
At 67, I finally stopped wearing three layers and a scarf just to keep my neck warm
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.
Every autumn it's the same routine. A vest, a blouse, a cardigan, and a scarf wound twice round my neck, because the cold always finds its way in there first. A few weeks ago someone took a photo of us all round the table at my son's birthday lunch. When he sent it round, I barely recognised myself. Everyone else looked as though they'd come out for lunch. I looked as though I'd come to wait for a bus.
The trouble is that the shops give us two sorts of jumper. There are the warm ones, thick and shapeless, which make you look twice your size. And there are the smart ones, thin and fitted, which look lovely right up until the wind gets up. Warm or smart. At our age we're quietly expected to choose, and most of us choose warm and then pile a scarf on top.
It isn't the cold I mind at our age. It's having to dress as though I'm expecting it.
Then Diane turned up without a scarf
It was the first properly chilly Sunday of the month, and the walking group met at the car park as usual. Everyone was zipped into fleeces and scarves. Everyone except Diane, who was in a neat roll-neck jumper with a line of buttons down the front and her coat hanging open. I asked her if she wasn't cold. Not a bit, she said, and she looked annoyingly smart about it.
It's the Buttonelle from Susan and Kate London, a British label started by two sisters. It's a classic roll neck, but the buttons at the front give it a bit of shape and character, so it looks polished rather than plain. The fit is regular, not tight and not baggy. I ordered mine in light blue that evening, mostly so Diane would stop telling me about it.
What my sister said at lunch
The first proper outing was lunch with my sister at the garden centre café. No cardigan, no scarf, just the jumper and a pair of good trousers. She took one look at me and said, Leya, you look like you've actually dressed for lunch instead of for the weather. Coming from her, that's practically a standing ovation. On the way out, a woman at the next table stopped me to ask where it was from.
It has been on more than off since. Under my coat for the walk with the labrador first thing, on its own for the shops, and to church on Sunday. It looks right in all three places, and for the first time in years I don't feel bundled up.
Three things worth knowing
One. The roll neck does the scarf's job. It keeps the cold off your neck, which was the whole reason I was wearing a scarf in the first place. Most days now, the scarf stays on its hook.
Two. The buttons make all the difference. A plain roll neck can look a bit severe. The line of buttons at the front softens it and gives it shape, so it looks like a proper outfit on its own rather than something to wear underneath.
Three. It works both ways. On its own with trousers for lunch, or under a coat for the dog walk. It keeps me warm without feeling bulky, so there's no more wrestling a coat over four layers.
About the price
I'll be honest, the price is usually the first thing people ask about.
The Buttonelle is £34.95. It was £70.00.
My first thought was that there had to be a catch, because I've paid more than that for cardigans I only ever wore as a third layer. 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. It comes in four colours, and I've already got my eye on a second.
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.
Next time you're getting ready to go out, count the layers before you reach the front door. If there are three of them and a scarf, not because you want them but because the cold always gets in at your neck, it's worth ten minutes of your evening to have a look. Not because a jumper will change your life. It won't. But feeling smart and warm at the same time 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 scarf is still on the hook by the door. These days the labrador's lead comes down far more often than it does.
Leya
Buttonelle | Buttoned Turtleneck Jumper
£70.00 £34.95
- Classic roll neck with an elegant button detail
- Warm without feeling bulky
- Regular fit, lovely on its own or under a coat
- Four colours · UK 8 to 22
- 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