This one piece of clothing won't make your bum look big, you don't need to be tall and IS flattering if you're over 50

This week I bought a jumpsuit, or more accurately another jumpsuit. This one was to fill the denim-shaped hole in my jumpsuit collection. Finding the right one has taken me several years.

As you’re probably aware, jumpsuits have been mainstream fashion, appropriate for grown-ups, for a while.

I have pictures of me on my phone ten years ago trying on a jumpsuit in a changing room (message to fashion friend: ‘Too like the one I already own?’) I was wearing a Marks & Spencer jumpsuit in my kitchen on my birthday in the summer of 2016. 

I have velvet ones and a needlecord one and an indigo cotton one, but a denim jumpsuit is the holy grail — cool, iconic, just 1970s enough in a sexy way – and it’s the hardest to get right.

The successful candidate must not be stiff and bulky (a hazard with denim), but not too snug and slinky either. Like all jumpsuits it must fit nicely on your torso and waist, skim your bottom and have room in the legs.

Smart casual: Emma Thompson’s khaki look in a Stella McCartney jumpsuit

Height advantage: Kristin Scott Thomas’s jumpsuit

This one, by Me + Em, while expensive at £250, (meandem.com) ticks all the boxes and has the bonus of horizontal seams across the legs (sounds odd but it gives it extra interest points) and a tie belt which adds a certain swagger.

I’ve now got the full jumpsuit set - but there’s always room for one more.

If this is starting to sound a bit crazed then I apologise, but all I’m doing is taking full advantage of what is, in my opinion, the superfood of fashion.

With a jumpsuit you get everything you could possibly need in one go: comfort, coverage, head-to-toe dressing, something you can wear to a party or around the house that’s glamorous and practical. If the proportions are right, a jumpsuit will be the most flattering thing you own — or that’s what I’ve always found. Still, I know there are a lot of doubters out there — so why is my fashion happy place anathema to so many?

Maybe it’s because, thanks to lazy labelling, many mistake boiler suits for jumpsuits — and boiler suits are Dyno-Rod Man to jumpsuits’ Pan’s People.

My other theory is that people assume they’ll make your bum look big (they won’t); that you need to be tall (actress Kristin Scott Thomas wears a jumpsuit and she’s 5 ft 6 in); or flat chested (no, I give you Anneka Rice).

As for whether they’re appropriate for the 50-plus woman, Scott Thomas is 63, and the only difference between me, my step-daughter and my niece when it comes to jumpsuits is theirs are occasionally glove-fitted in stretchy velour.

I like a half-gathered waist or a fitted waist with a belt and all bar one of my jumpsuits is long-sleeved. I’m also not a fan of the occasion jumpsuit — e.g. backless in polka dot silk — because I think jumpsuits should be themselves and not pretend to be long dresses. And these days I try to steer clear of black and choose khaki, denim or even cream instead.

Amanda Holden out and about in London wearing a Reiss jumpsuit

So with that in mind, here are six ways to wear a jumpsuit year round:

1 Wear a denim jumpsuit unbuttoned to your sternum with a white and blue striped vest underneath and mid heel Western ankle boots, or in warm weather smart two-strap sliders. (Note: a vest, rather than a T-shirt allows you to wear the jumpsuit tighter on the shoulders and arms.) Try Marks & Spencer for another good denim jumpsuit (£49.50, marksandspencer.com).

2 Alternatively, wear a denim jumpsuit, sleeves pushed up, with mid-heel tan boots and chunky gold jewellery. Sezane’s Brooklyn jumpsuit (£160, sezane.com) is a snugger fit, sexier style.

3 A khaki viscose jumpsuit unzipped to bra level over a lace-trimmed layering vest with strappy gold or silver sandals will take you to a smart casual party. Otherwise go for a wide leg V-neck style like Ghost’s Olivia jumpsuit (£169, johnlewis.com).

4 A cord jumpsuit, like Sezane’s terracotta all in one (£155), worn with a neckerchief and smart trainers, is great for daytime in spring, work included. In winter wear a sheepskin gilet on top or a polo neck underneath.

5 Keep wearing a velvet jumpsuit on cool spring evenings, unbuttoned to the waist, with a gold vest underneath, bare legs and sandals.

6 In summer wear a short sleeved cotton jumpsuit in khaki or coconut brown (£180, reiss.com) with the legs turned up and sliders. Or try a pale linen jumpsuit with a contrasting belt (£75, nrbyclothing.com) and silver kitten heels.