A note from Leya · Pulled together, no effort
At 61, I found the cardigan that makes me look pulled together without trying
A cardigan that's comfortable AND looks like I made an effort. I'd stopped believing I could have both. I'm 61, and my cardigans have always come in two kinds: the neat buttoned ones that pull across the middle the moment I sit down, and the soft baggy ones that make me look as though I've wandered out in my dressing gown.
What I wanted was one easy layer I could throw on over anything and still look like myself.
Then I found the Juliet from Susan and Kate London, a British label started by two sisters. It's a relaxed open-front cardigan, and the open front is exactly the point.
There are no buttons to pull or gape, so it simply falls in soft lines over whatever I'm wearing and skims rather than clings. It's gently oversized without swamping me, light enough to keep on indoors, and it has two proper front pockets for my keys, my phone and, on cold mornings, my hands. Over jeans for the garden centre or over a dress for Sunday lunch, it looks right both ways.
Comfortable enough to live in, and neat enough that nobody would ever guess.
It has done coffee with my sister, a long Saturday at the garden centre and my grandson's birthday tea, and twice now someone has asked whether it's new. My sister, who has worn the same navy cardigan for as long as I can remember, has asked me for the link.
It was £44.95 in the sale instead of £150, which made me hesitate for about a minute. Delivery is free, I could send it back within 30 days if it wasn't right, and it comes in UK sizes 8 to 18. If you're between sizes they suggest going up one, which is what I did.
If your cardigans are also either too tight to sit down in or too baggy to be seen in, do have a look. The Juliet is rated 4.8 out of 5 by more than 300 women, it's £44.95 in the Autumn Sale instead of £150, and the middle sizes always seem to go first.
Juliet | Relaxed Open-Front Cardigan
£150.00 £44.95· Save 70%
- Open front that falls neatly over anything
- Relaxed, gently oversized shape that skims
- Soft and light, easy to wear all day
- Two handy front pockets
- Several colours · UK sizes 8 to 18
Sale — while sizes last.
Leya Whitmore is 61 and lives in Guildford with a labrador. She is not a fashion writer.
Susan and Kate London · Free UK delivery · 30 day returns