The one jacket that turns jeans and a shirt into a proper outfit.

On the denim-and-lace design that draws compliments, the tailored shape that flatters, the sleeves that cover the arms, and the real pockets. Why a small South Carolina family made it this way, and why they're clearing it now.

By Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Posted September 2026 · 6 min read

I am 63 years old, and my jackets had all become so dull. A plain denim jacket that made me look like I was off to do the gardening, or a stiff, serious blazer that felt far too formal for my everyday life. Nothing I owned could dress up a simple pair of jeans and a shirt and still feel like me.

What I wanted was one jacket with a bit of magic to it — something special I could throw over the plain things I already own — that gave me a shape instead of hanging like a box, and covered my arms. Interesting, and flattering, at once.

Then a friend of mine came round in the most beautiful denim jacket, all laced through with a soft floral pattern, looking pulled-together and creative and completely herself. I asked her where on earth she found it. She laughed and told me to 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 Amara, 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.

1Denim and lace — a jacket like no other

We took a classic washed-denim blazer and set beautiful floral crochet-lace panels right into it — down the front, the sleeves and the sides. It is the familiar comfort of denim with something special woven through, the kind of jacket that has people asking where you found it.

2A tailored shape that flatters

We cut it as a proper tailored blazer with notched lapels, so it skims your shape and gives you a defined, flattering line instead of hanging like a box. Structured enough to look pulled-together, easy enough to wear all day.

3Sleeves that cover the arms

We gave it a full-length sleeve, with the pretty lace panel running down it, that covers the arm to a turn-back cuff at the wrist — and you can fold the cuff back on a warmer day. Your arms stay covered and elegant, however you wear it.

4Real front pockets

We gave it two real front flap pockets — proper ones for your hands, your phone or your keys — set into the denim beneath the notched lapels. The practical little touches that make a beautiful jacket one you actually reach for.

5It goes over everything you own

We made the Amara to be the layer you throw over anything — a shirt and jeans, a plain dress, a simple top and pants — and instantly look considered. One jacket that lifts everything already in your closet, for every day and every season.

6It fits the body you have

We make the Amara from a size XS all the way to 5XL, cut to skim and flatter a whole range of shapes. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the jacket.

The Amara, against the jackets you've been settling for

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Amara at $199.95 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 one is going out at under sixty dollars.

I ordered mine that evening. It arrived a few days later in a kraft-paper parcel with a short handwritten note from the family. It has become the jacket I throw on whenever I want to look pulled-together in a moment.

I do not usually write things like this. But my jackets had all gone dull, and nothing I owned could lift a plain pair of jeans — and this one special denim-and-lace jacket changed that in an instant. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your size before it clears.

— Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, SC

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