AT 63, I WORE RED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A DECADE

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I promised myself I wouldn't write another one of these, and here I am again. This time it isn't about dungarees at all, not really. It's about colour, and how long I'd gone without wearing any.

Somewhere in my fifties, my wardrobe quietly turned to navy, grey and "sensible" everything. Not on purpose. It just happened, the way these things do, until one day I looked in and couldn't find a single thing that wasn't apologising for itself.

Sensible was safe. It was also starting to feel like I'd disappeared a little, and nobody had even noticed.

I told myself it didn't matter. Then I caught sight of myself in a shop window in my usual grey and thought, when did I start dressing like wallpaper?

Then My Daughter-In-Law Turned Up In One

Not a shy version of red either. A proper brick red, textured all over with little embroidered flowers, worn with trainers and absolutely no apology. She looked like she'd chosen it on purpose, which, it turns out, she had.

It's the Flora Brick Red Jumpsuit, from the same place Rosemary got me started with the grey pair — Evely Rose Boutique. Turns out they do the whole thing in colour too, not just the safe prints. I ordered it that evening before I could talk myself out of it.

What Happened At The Farmers' Market

I wore it into town on a Saturday, fully expecting to feel like I was in fancy dress. Instead the woman on the cheese stall told me she loved it before I'd even ordered. Twice more before I got back to the car park.

My son says I've been "insufferable" about it since, which from him is basically a standing ovation.

I've worn it far more than I expected to. To the market, to lunch with my sister, once just to walk the bins out because I felt like being seen in it.

Three Things I Have Learned

One. Nothing digs in. Same as the grey pair — no waistband fighting you, no zip, nothing to tuck in. You put it on and forget about it for the rest of the day.

Two. Red is not as loud as I feared. The embroidery breaks it up, so it reads as considered rather than shouting. Easier to wear than I expected, and easier to wear again.

Three. There's one for everyone. Reds, greys, greens, whatever actually suits you, sizes from a small up to a 2XL. I'd never have picked red for myself off a rail, which is exactly why I'm glad someone else wore it first.

About The Price

I'll be honest, the price is what made me suspicious in the first place.

It's £37.95. It was £76.00.

Same as with the grey pair, I went looking for the catch first. It's the same small boutique, the same seasonal sale, the same 4.7 stars from over 1,800 reviews — not a suspiciously perfect five, which if anything made me trust it more the second time round too.

"Bought the Flora Brick Red Jumpsuit on a whim and it's the one I reach for when I actually want to feel like myself." — a reviewer, saying it better than I could.

What I Would Tell You If We Were Friends

If you and I were having a cup of tea and you asked me straight out, this is what I'd say.

If you've quietly stopped wearing colour because it felt like a young person's game, it isn't. Nobody tells you the rules just stop applying at some point, so I'm telling you now.

A red jumpsuit doesn't change anything either, not really. But I stood out a little today, on purpose, for the first time in years, and I'd rather you had that too.

I am sixty-three, and I wore red to the farmers' market. Nobody blinked. I rather wish they had.

Diane