A letter from a reader

At 58, I had quietly stopped buying anything nice for myself.

Karen Jennings
Hobart, Tasmania · September 2026

Hello. I have never written one of these before and I am not a writer, so please bear with me.

I wrote this for the boutique after a barbecue I will tell you about, and they asked if they could share it. So here it is.

The choice I had stopped noticing I was making

For years, my wardrobe had split itself in two. There were the comfortable things, the ones I reached for on a Tuesday when the dog needed walking and nobody important was going to see me. And there were the pretty things, the ones I put on for a lunch or a christening and felt a bit like myself in, but could not quite relax in.

I did not choose this. It just happened, the way it happens to most women my age. You stop looking for the in-between because you assume it does not really exist.

Practical or pretty. That is the deal. You pick a side and you stop grumbling about it.

How a co-ord set from a small boutique in Tasmania broke that spell

The thing that changed my mind was not a magazine or an advert. It was my niece. She turned up to my sister's birthday lunch in a cream polka dot waistcoat and trousers, the sort of outfit that looks thrown together but is clearly not, and my granddaughter, who is six and has no filter whatsoever, looked at her and said, you look like a film star. Then she looked at me in my usual jersey and did not say anything at all, which honestly said more.

On the way home I asked my niece where it was from. She said Bruny Boutique, a small place I had never heard of. I had a look that night, mostly to be polite, and I was surprised by how much they had. Co-ords, dresses, knits, all sorts, without feeling like one of those big websites where everything looks the same.

I ordered the Lois cream spot co-ord set on a bit of a whim. It was the one my niece had been wearing, and I thought if it suited her, a 32 year old with better hair than mine, it might at least not embarrass me.

It is a fitted waistcoat and a pair of wide-leg trousers in a soft cream with black polka dots. The fabric has a little stretch, so the waistcoat sits neatly instead of pulling, and the trousers drape over the hip rather than clinging.

The afternoon several people actually noticed

I wore it for the first time to a friend Catherine's birthday barbecue a few weeks later. Catherine is not someone who comments on clothes, honestly she has never once said a word about anything I have worn in twenty years of friendship. Within an hour she had asked me where it was from, my neighbour Sue had asked, and a woman I had only just met leaned over to ask the same thing.

I am not telling you this to boast. I am telling you because if it had been ordinary, nobody would have said a single thing.

Three things it gets right

One. The waistcoat is the bit that does the work. It nips in at the waist without feeling tight, so it gives you a shape without making a fuss about it. I am 58, I do not want to be poured into anything, and this one sits properly.

Two. Wear the trousers on their own too. I was so focused on the set that I almost missed the fact the wide leg trousers go with a plain tee on a normal Sunday. Two outfits for the price of one decision, which suits me down to the ground.

Three. Trust the cream and the spot. I would normally have gone for navy or black because it feels safer. The cream polka dot is the whole point. It is gentle, it is not loud, and it brightens your face without you having to try.

The part I was suspicious about

The set was on sale for $79.95, marked down from $159.95, and that was the moment I sat back in my chair a bit. Half price on something that looks this put together usually means there is a catch. A scratch, a final sale, something.

There was no catch that I could find. Bruny Boutique is a small place selling direct, and the sale is to mark their 22 year anniversary, which I thought was a nice enough reason not to dress up as a story.

Before I ordered I read the reviews, which I always do. They sit at 4.7 stars across 712 reviews, and that is exactly why I trusted them. It is not a suspiciously perfect five. People are saying useful things about fit and fabric, and the occasional grumble is in there too, which is how you know it is real.

Returns are 30 days, so I told myself the worst case was a parcel back to the shop and a small lesson.

What I would say to you over a cup of tea

If a friend asked me over tea whether it was worth it, I would say yes, simply. I would tell her to measure herself properly, order the one she keeps looking at, and wear it with something plain on the first try so the co-ord can do the talking.

I am not going to tell you to rush. But the sale is on for their anniversary, and it is half price while it lasts. If the cream spot has caught your eye, I would not leave it too long.

Practical or pretty, I was told. It was never the deal.

Karen

Lois | Cream Spot Co-Ord Set

★★★★★ 4.7 out of 5 from 712 reviews

$159.95 $79.95

• Two-piece set with a fitted waistcoat and wide-leg trouser
• Soft cream polka dot print, easy to dress up or down
• Made from 95% polyester and 5% elastane for a comfortable drape
• Wear together for a pulled-together look or style as separates
• A spring and summer staple for brunches, lunches and easy weekends
• Sizes 8 to 16

See if your size is still in stock

It is their 22 year anniversary sale, and returns are 30 days.