A Letter From A Reader
It covers the upper arms, skims the middle instead of clinging, and somehow goes with everything already in my drawer.
For a while, getting dressed had quietly turned from a small pleasure into a chore. My drawers were full of tops I had bought hopefully and never wore, one clung where I did not want it to, another left the tops of my arms bare, another was too warm, and I would stand there most mornings not knowing what to reach for.
I had more or less split my closet into two piles: the things that fit but I did not like, and the things I liked but could not quite wear out of the house. There was not much in between, nothing plain and easy that just worked.
It was my daughter, up in Brisbane, who finally set me straight. She had found one tee she reaches for without thinking, she said, and I ought to stop hunting and try it. It came from a small boutique on the Gold Coast, and before I tell you what it did for me, I think you should read Matilda's letter first.
started ten years ago as a mum trying to support her daughter Rose. The tee is called the Nora, and her letter walks through the handful of things she refused to compromise on. I am going to let her words carry it, because she says it better than I could.
Covers the tops of your arms
The sleeve is the first thing we got right. It is a true three-quarter length, it covers the top of the upper arm and stops partway down the forearm, the one part most women tell us they are always happy to show. No bare upper arm to think about, and no full sleeve trapping heat in the warm months. It is the length women tell us they had quietly given up finding.
"Finally, a sleeve that covers what I want covered and leaves me cool. I bought it in three colours."
Diane M., Brisbane
Skims the middle instead of clinging to it
We cut it to fall softly through the middle instead of hugging it. The body has an easy drape, and the hem dips a little longer at the sides so it sits past the waist and stays there when you move. Relaxed where you want it relaxed, without ever turning into a tent.
"It skims right over the part I am self conscious about instead of clinging to it. The first tee in years that does."
Patricia L., Sunshine Coast
Soft enough to forget you have it on
The fabric is a soft, light cotton-modal knit that sits gently against the skin, because skin gets more particular with the years, and a stiff seam or a scratchy label becomes something you notice all day. The neckline sits flat, and the seams are ones you will not feel. You put it on in the morning and you do not think about it again.
"No itchy seams, no label sawing at my neck. I forget I have it on, which is the highest praise I can give."
Linda K., Noosa
Washes and keeps its shape
It goes straight in the machine and comes out the same. The colour holds, the neckline keeps its shape, and it does not go baggy after a few washes, so it stays a top you actually reach for, not one that is quietly retired to around-the-house wear by the end of the season.
"I have washed it a dozen times and the neck still sits exactly right. Most tees are stretched out by now."
Janet S., Byron Bay
Dressed up or thrown on, and right either way
We kept it plain and well-cut on purpose. With a necklace and good trousers it looks put together; with jeans on a Saturday it looks easy. It is plain in the way that goes anywhere, so one tee quietly covers a lot of your week, without ever looking like it is trying.
"I have worn it to lunch out and to the shops in the same week, and it looked right at both."
Maureen T., Toowoomba
Seven quiet colours that go with everything
It comes in seven quiet colours, grey, white, blue, pink, royal blue, yellow-green and black, each chosen to sit with the trousers and jeans you already own. Most women start with one and come back for two more. That is the whole idea: a plain tee that finally earns its place in the drawer.
The Nora, against the tees you have been buying
Typical tee
Short (bare arms) or full (too warm)
Clings and rides up
Stiff seams, scratchy label
Neckline stretches, colour dulls
One good top saved for occasions
The Nora
True three-quarter — covers the arm, stays cool
Easy drape, longer side hem, sits past the waist
Soft cotton-modal, flat seams you forget
Holds its shape and colour, wash after wash
Dressed up or thrown on, right either way
Matilda priced the Nora at when it launched, and it sold at that price all season. But for the , Matilda wanted to give something back to the women who helped her build it, so every tee is going out at less than half of that.
Mine arrived folded in tissue paper with a little handwritten note tucked on top, and I had it on before my coffee was cold. It has barely left my rotation since.
The Nora Comfort Coverage Tee
— Save
- ✓True three-quarter sleeve, covers the upper arm, stays cool
- ✓Easy drape that skims the middle, longer side hem
- ✓Soft cotton-modal knit, flat neckline, seams you will not feel
- ✓Machine washable, holds its shape and its colour
- ✓7 colours · sizes S to 3XL · Free shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
The Nora Comfort Coverage Tee · while sizes last
ends tonight.Buy 2 get 15%, buy 3 get 20%, buy 4 get 25%, buy 5 get 30% off. When it is gone, it is gone.
I do not usually write things like this. But I have reached for my Nora more in a month than tops I have owned for years, and getting dressed feels like a small pleasure again instead of a decision. If you have been standing at your drawer the way I was, this is the one I would tell you to try, while the sale is still on.
— Wendy Harris · Gold Coast