A letter from a reader

At 58, I bought the same trousers twice in one month and I am not even a little sorry

Karen Jennings
Hobart, Tasmania · September 2026

I have never written one of these before. I am not a writer, not even on a good day, and my daughter would laugh for a week if she knew I was doing this. So I will get the obvious out of the way: yes, this is an advert, and yes, the woman in it really did buy the trousers. I am her. Karen from Hobart. Keep reading or don't, I mind either way.

The other thing you might be thinking is that nobody past a certain age should be buying new clothes for themselves, let alone writing strangers about it on the internet. That thought has lived in the back of my head for years. I am just more honest about it now.

I had quietly given up on trousers that were both things

For about ten years I wore the same kind of trouser on rotation. Black, slightly stretchy, fairly forgiving, slightly depressing. I told myself this was practical. Sensible, even. I had stopped expecting anything more.

Here is the false choice I had been living inside without noticing. You can be comfortable, or you can feel a bit like yourself. You can have something practical to pull on in the morning, or you can have something you actually like the look of. I had picked a side years ago and stopped looking.

I am not alone in this. Most of my friends wear the same thing. None of us chose it, we just drifted.

You learn to stop asking for both and then one day you notice you have stopped asking for anything at all.

My sister turned up to Sunday lunch wearing them and my niece said the obvious thing

My older sister Jenny came over a few weeks ago in trousers I had never seen on her before. Soft, the right length, sitting on her properly. I said nothing, because I am British-trained and we don't, but my niece Emma, who is eight and has no filter, said, 'Auntie Jenny, your pants are nice.' Jenny laughed and told me where she had got them. A small boutique called Bruny Boutique, apparently. I had not heard of it.

I went and had a look that evening with a cup of tea and the cat on my lap, which is to say I had a proper browse. They do a proper range, not a tiny one. Skirts, tops, dresses, the lot. I did not expect that from a small place. The Lillis trousers in particular kept catching my eye because they looked like the sort of thing I would have worn ten years ago and felt good in.

I ordered one pair to try, fully intending to send them back if they were not right. That part is important.

Four people asked me about them at a birthday barbecue

Last weekend was my friend Sue's birthday, a casual thing in her sister's garden. I wore the Lillis trousers with a plain tee and flat shoes. Four separate people asked where they were from. Sue's partner commented, which he never does, and my friend Margaret, who has not noticed a new haircut in twenty years of knowing me, said they looked 'really lovely, Karen'. I nearly dropped a sausage.

Three things I learned the hard way

One. Order your normal size and trust the cut. I almost sized up because I am used to trousers fighting me. The Lillis cut is relaxed through the leg and clean at the waist, so it skims instead of squeezing. My usual size was right.

Two. Pair them with what you already own. I wear mine mostly with a tucked in tee in the week and a soft blouse if I am going out. They look pulled together without me trying, which is the entire point at this stage of life.

Three. Buy them when you can actually try them on at home. Thirty days to send them back took the risk out of it. I wore them round the house, sat in them, washed them, before I decided.

I was ready to be disappointed by the price

I almost scrolled past the price. $90.95 down from $179.95 is the kind of number that makes me suspicious on principle, because usually there is a footnote the size of a novel attached.

There wasn't one. Bruny Boutique is a small place selling direct, and the sale is their 22 year anniversary sale, which is a perfectly dull and honest reason to mark things down. No code, no minimum spend, no countdown making me feel bad.

Before I ordered I read the reviews, which I always do. 4.6 stars across 783 reviews. Not a suspiciously perfect five, which made me trust it more, if I am honest. Real people leaving real thoughts.

What I would tell you over a cup of tea

If a friend asked me, I would say have a look, try them at home, send them back if they are not for you. There is no need to make a fuss about it. The sale is on because the shop has been around for twenty two years and they are marking the fact. The nicest colours do go first, that part is true of any small boutique I have ever known.

The sale is on now and the nicest ones tend to go first.

I live in these now. I did not see that coming.

Karen

Lillis | Casual Comfort Trousers

★★★★★ 4.6 out of 5 from 783 reviews

$179.95 $90.95

• Soft, breathable fabric that stays comfortable from morning to evening
• Relaxed cut through the leg so nothing clings or pulls
• Easy to dress up with a blouse or down with a favourite tee
• Functional details suited to a busy, active life
• Lightweight enough for travel, polished enough for everyday wear

Have a look at the Lillis trousers

The sale is on now and the nicest ones tend to go first.