At 58, I finally found a jacket that doesn't make me disappear on a grey Stockport morning

If you live anywhere near Manchester, you'll know autumn doesn't arrive so much as settle in. Drizzle at breakfast, a bright spell at eleven, sideways rain by the time you're waiting for the bus home.

For years, my answer was the same as everyone else's: a navy quilted jacket. Sensible, warm enough, and completely invisible. Stand on the platform at Stockport station on a weekday morning and count them. I once got to nine before the train came.

My proper winter coat was far too heavy for October. My rain mac was too thin by November. So most days I'd leave the house in the wrong one and spend the afternoon carrying it over my arm round Merseyway.

You don't stop needing a practical jacket at 58. You just start wanting one that feels like you.

We'd arranged a walk round Lyme Park on one of those Sundays that couldn't decide between sunshine and drizzle. She got out of the car in a quilted jacket covered in wildflowers, and for the first time in years I was properly jealous of somebody's coat.

It wasn't heavy or bulky. The soft wave quilting kept it light, the stand collar kept the wind off her neck, and the print made her plain jumper and jeans look like an outfit she'd actually thought about.

It was one of 19 printed quilted jackets from Emily Mayfair. They go from black-and-white stripes and zebra swirls to boho patchwork, raspberry roses and plum damask — and, yes, black cats and moons on mustard. I had the collection open on my phone before we'd reached the café.

The first Saturday I wore mine, it was grey, damp and about eleven degrees — exactly the sort of day my old navy jacket was made for, and exactly the sort of day it made me feel invisible.

I popped into the Market Hall for a coffee and some bits. Before I'd even paid, two women asked where the jacket was from. The lady on the flower stall said it had cheered up her whole morning.

My husband, who has not commented on anything I've worn since roughly 1997, said it suited me. I've decided to take that as the compliment it was.

Since then I've worn it with jeans, cords, a midi skirt, and over a dress to Sunday lunch at my daughter's. It never makes an outfit feel heavier. It simply makes it feel finished.

And I haven't carried a coat over my arm since.

I'll be honest: this was the part that surprised me most.

Every jacket in the collection is normally £109.99 and is currently £54.95.

I expected the bolder prints to cost more. They don't — all 19 designs are the same price, from quiet plum damask to cats and moons.

No complicated styling required. Pick the print that looks most like you, add your usual jeans and jumper, and let the jacket do the rest. Free UK delivery and 30-day returns made trying one feel straightforward.

If we were having a brew and you asked me about these jackets, this is what I'd say.

If the hook by your door holds a jacket you only wear because it's practical — one that keeps you warm but never makes you feel especially good — take a few minutes to look at the collection.

Not because a jacket changes everything. It doesn't. But stepping out on a wet Tuesday in something cheerful, and catching yourself in a shop window looking put together, is one of those small pleasures that makes autumn feel a bit brighter.

There are 19 prints, from classic monochrome to full-on florals. Start with the one that makes you smile.

I haven't reached for the navy one since. I don't think I will again.