Yorkshire lingerie brand Sheer Bliss: We took real midlife models on a North Yorkshire coast swimwear shoot

“Tina came to see me a few months ago to buy a swimsuit for a photoshoot she was taking part in in Mallorca,” says Jayne. “We chatted about the age inequality in brand and business marketing, especially in the swimwear and lingerie sector, something Tina is passionate about. She said, if we want to bring about change, we have to make it happen.”

Tina Boden did make it happen. Not only that, she volunteered to model herself, alongside three other women, Anna Kingston, Julie Kelly and Julie Scott.

“I walked for Rachel (Peru) in The My Generation runway show in York Fashion Week this year. I loved it, so I decided that I wanted to potentially do some more modelling,” says Tina, who is an independent business enhancement specialist from Scarborough. “If you'd have asked me six months ago, would you do it? No, but I'm a huge believer that actually, we need to show that midlife, naturally grey, no Botox, fillers, false anything, actually, they are the women to celebrate.”

She approached photographer Mary Davies, based near Whitby, who had helped her co-create The Menopause Calendar 2023. “We headed for Cayton Bay to capture the swimwear and Orchard Lodge and Wolds Restaurant, Flixton, for the lingerie and sportswear shots,” Tina says.

Back to Knaresborough, where Jayne opened Sheer Bliss on the High Street in June, 2012. She lives nearby in Whixley, is married to Richard and has two grown-up children, Ben 30, and Lucy, 27. “This is my other life,” she says. “I am a farmer's wife, and we have a very busy farm at home. It's beef, arable and sheep.”

Jayne went to Queen Mary's School, North Yorkshire. Her father was a secondary school head of science and her mother worked for the Halifax. “But both my sets of grandparents had shops, and I think this is where the love of retail came from,” she says.

She decided to open her own shop after Lucy, then 15, became unwell, having been diagnosed with a brain abscess. “After spending four months in hospital with her, I realised that I didn't want to go back to the corporate working life, so I followed my dream,” Jayne says. Lucy is now well and works in London as a communications and brand manager, while Ben works with Richard on the farm.

Sheer Bliss stocks everyday bras, something more sexy, and also caters for maternity, sports and mastectomy needs. Brands include Fantasie, Freya, Wacoal, Prima Donna, Marie Jo, Lise Charmel, Anita, Louisa Bracq, Lingadore, Miraclesuit, Chantelle and Naia Beach. “A personal favourite is Lise Charmel - the detail on their lingerie and silk nightwear is stunning,” Jayne says. “I buy a full year ahead so it's always lovely to see the collections arrive. Sometimes you forget just how fabulous they are, so when you open the box and see them again after a year, it's a lovely surprise.”

She chose Knaresborough initially because rents were cheaper than in Harrogate. “And I kind of knew that it would become a destination shop because of the bra fitting, the mastectomy, the maternity, all the rest that goes alongside.

“There is nothing better than coming into our lovely boutique, having a bra fitting and a chat about life with us, and leaving feeling a million dollars.

“The internet has tried to kill retail stores but I honestly think there will be more of a shift back to real people and real stores, with more and more online fraud - you don't get that on the High Street.”

Great service, customer rapport, and honesty are key to a successful lingerie shop. “I'll tell them if it looks good, I'll tell them if it doesn't look good, and people really like that. They feel special. They look forward to coming and having a fitting with us.

“The foundations of a great outfit are what's worn underneath. It happens all the time that ladies bring dresses in and we just transform it. There are some very fine silks around at the moment, and when you get the right underwear underneath something like that, it just looks amazing.”

Jayne says women need a bra fitting every six months. “That doesn't necessarily mean you need to change your all your bras every six months, but it is surprising. If you've got a heavier bust, you need to change it more often than if you've got a lighter bust.”

See the best dresses and coats from Joe Browns new season

Hand wash and drip dry your bras. “Always,” Jayne says. “Even if you put your lingerie in a bag in the washer, it can still distort the wires, and then they can become uncomfortable.”

Jayen says she loves her business: “It is me - when my daughter has been very, very poorly at times, I can honestly say Sheer Bliss has been my life saver.”

The fashion shoot models will take part in the Strutting for Saint Michaels Hospice Fashion Show on September 20 at Harrogate Masonic Hall. “Like a lot of women I have a strong inner critic and very critical of what I see in the mirror. I am, however, proud of what my body is capable of,” says model Julie Kelly.

Photographer Mary Davies adds: “The majority of us look for faults within ourselves on photos, but the reality is absolutely no one is perfect. And yes, these images could have been retouched to an inch of their lives, however, retouching doesn’t represent real people, and we all need to embrace that we are what and who we are, and not look for perfection, because we will never find it.”

Sheer Bliss is at 14 High Street, Knaresborough, and sheerblissuk.com.