A Tailored Blazer That Feels Like a Soft Knit

The smart shape and buttons of a real blazer, in a soft textured knit — polished on the outside, no stiffness at all. One layer, and you look put-together for anywhere.

At 63, I want to look pulled-together when I go out, but a proper blazer is always so stiff and boxy that I can't wait to take it off. So I end up back in a plain cardigan and feel like I've quietly given up on looking smart.

What I really wanted was a jacket that looked as tailored as a blazer but felt as soft and easy as my favourite knit — polished, but comfortable. Everything I owned was either smart or comfortable, never both.

It was my daughter Sarah, up in Boston, who told me to stop settling and try one from a small family boutique here in South Carolina — a structured jacket she thought I'd never take off. Before I tell you what it did, I think you should read the Clarke family's letter first.

The Clarke family runs a small boutique here in South Carolina, family-run since 1986 — three generations, mother to daughter. The jacket is called the Amanda, and their letter walks through the handful of things they refused to compromise on. I am going to let their words carry it, because they say it better than I could.

1As tailored as a blazer — as soft as a knit

We made the Amanda to look every bit as smart as a proper blazer — the structured shape, the collar, the buttons — but in a soft textured knit, so there's not a bit of the stiffness or boxiness you dread. You put it on over your top and look instantly polished, yet it feels as easy and comfortable as your favourite cardigan. Smart on the outside, soft to wear.

2A rich texture that looks far more expensive

It has a beautiful cable-and-diamond woven texture running all through it — the kind of rich, considered detail that makes it look like a designer piece, not something plain off a rack. Where a flat, plain jacket reads as cheap, the Amanda's texture makes it look costly and thought-through, and people simply assume it cost a great deal.

3A tailored cut that flatters your figure

It has a structured, tailored cut that gently defines the waist and falls in a neat, clean line — so it flatters and shapes instead of hanging shapeless off the shoulders. For those of us tired of boxy jackets that add bulk, it gives a proper, put-together shape, without a single bit of stiffness. You look neat and defined the moment it's on.

4The smart details that make it look considered

It's finished with a neat stand collar and a smart button front — the kind of polished, considered details that lift the whole jacket and make it look properly tailored. They're the small touches that separate a smart piece from a dull one, so you look like you dressed with real care, even when you just threw it over a plain top.

5It dresses up everything you already own

It goes over jeans, over trousers, over a simple dress — and instantly makes the whole outfit look polished and put-together. One smart layer, and a plain jeans-and-a-top goes from "errands" to "dressed for anywhere that matters." It's become my go-to for lunches, for church, and for every occasion that asks for a little more.

6Five colours, and a size for you, from S to 2XL

It comes in five smart shades — white, grey, blush, cream and black — and it runs from S to 2XL, cut to flatter a real range of bodies. A jacket made to fit the woman, not to make the woman fit the jacket.

The Amanda, against your usual blazer

	The usual blazer	The Amanda
The feel	Stiff and boxy	Soft textured knit — no stiffness
The look	Plain and flat	A rich cable-and-diamond texture
The fit	Hangs shapeless	A tailored cut that defines the waist
The details	A plain front	A stand collar and smart buttons
The effect	Just errands	Dresses up everything, put-together

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Amanda at $129.95 when it launched, and it sold at that price all season. But for America's 250th, the Clarke family wanted to give something back to the women who have kept their doors open since 1986 — so every jacket is going out at $59.95, well below half of what it was.

Mine arrived folded in tissue with a little handwritten note on top. I put it over my top for a lunch that same week and felt polished in seconds — it's been my go-to ever since.

I don't usually write things like this. But the Amanda gave me exactly what I'd stopped hoping to find — one jacket that looks as tailored and smart as a blazer but feels as soft and easy as a knit, with a rich texture that looks far more expensive than it was. It's been my go-to ever since it arrived. If you've been stuck between stiff blazers and plain cardigans the way I had, this is the one I'd tell you to try, while the sale is still on.

— Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, SC

See the Amanda — $59.95 →

This is a personal account from a Clarke Family customer. Sandra was not paid to write it. · The Clarke Family · Family Fashion · South Carolina, since 1986 · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.