“SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY, I STOPPED WEARING COLOUR.”

THEN I SAW THIS ONE.

The Isabelle was precisely the sort of jumper I'd trained myself to scroll past.

Rust. Soft blue. Navy. Cream. Little blocks of colour running across the whole thing.

My first thought was that it was beautiful.

My second was predictable:

I nearly talked myself out of it for exactly that reason.

But then I realised something rather ridiculous.

I wasn't worried that I didn't like it. I was worried that I liked it too much.

IT FELT DIFFERENT THE MOMENT I PUT IT ON.

Not because I suddenly looked twenty years younger.

I didn't.

And actually, I think that's why I liked it.

I still looked like myself. My silver hair was still silver. The little lines around my eyes hadn't disappeared.

There was simply more life in the woman looking back at me.

The colours warmed everything up without making me feel as though I was trying to dress younger than I am.

It didn't feel loud.

It felt cheerful.

AND THEN THERE'S THE COLLAR.

This is the part I hadn't appreciated properly from the photographs.

On those first properly chilly mornings, I always want something around my neck — but I don't necessarily want to fuss with a scarf every time I leave the house.

The high neckline gives the jumper that lovely wrapped-up feeling the moment you put it on.

And because the colour continues through the collar rather than stopping at the shoulders, it frames the face beautifully.

It's one of those small details you don't think much about until you're standing outside on a cold morning and suddenly feel very grateful for it.

I STOPPED SAVING IT FOR “SOMETHING”.

That's probably my favourite thing about it.

It doesn't need an occasion.

Cream trousers, jeans, boots, a simple coat over the top — and I'm done.

Coffee with a friend. Popping into town. A Sunday lunch. Going out for a walk when the leaves have started turning.

The outfit itself can be incredibly simple because the jumper has already done the interesting part.

IT'S THE COLOURS TOGETHER THAT MAKE IT WORK.

Looking at it laid out, I think I understand why it feels easier to wear than I expected.

There isn't one enormous bright colour demanding all the attention.

Instead, there are familiar autumn shades mixed together — rust, navy, muted blue, cream and softer earthy tones.

That means I can wear it with the neutral things I already own.

I didn't need a new wardrobe to start wearing colour again.

I just needed one piece that made those old favourites feel a little less predictable.

WHY I BOUGHT IT WHEN I DID.

I found the Isabelle while Bellthorne's Autumn Sale was running.

Normally, this is exactly where I'd tell myself to think about it for another few days.

And if I'm being truthful, “thinking about it” usually means eventually deciding I don't really need it.

But this time I kept coming back to the same thought.

So I chose the colourful one.

A SMALL THING, PERHAPS.

It's only a jumper.

I'm perfectly aware of that.

But sometimes clothes become attached to a thought.

And whenever I pull this one out of the wardrobe, I think about that morning standing in front of all those perfectly sensible navy and grey knits.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with dressing quietly.

But I realised I'd been doing it without ever really deciding to.

Maybe that's why this particular jumper makes me smile.

And this autumn, I think I'll keep a little more of mine.