The Smart Little Navy Dress That Always Looks Chic

A simple, tailored navy A-line shift with a clever button detail and handy pockets — throw it on and look crisp and pulled-together, with no fuss at all.

There's a certain kind of woman I've always envied — the one who arrives in a simple, smart little dress and looks utterly pulled-together, effortless, chic. I never seemed to manage it. My "smart" things were fussy and my easy things were frumpy, and I'd quietly given up on looking like her.

What I really wanted was one simple, tailored dress I could throw on and just look chic in — smart without being fussy, comfortable without being frumpy, and with somewhere to put my phone. But the smart things clung and the easy things hung like sacks. Nothing was 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 smart little navy shift she thought would do exactly that. 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 dress is called the Aubrey, 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.

1The smart little navy dress that always looks chic

We made the Aubrey as a simple, tailored navy shift — the kind of smart little dress you throw on and instantly look pulled-together in. Crisp, timeless and elegant, with just enough shape to look considered and just enough ease to feel comfortable all day. Ten seconds to put on, and you look chic wherever you're going.

2A structured A-line that skims and flatters

It has a structured A-line cut that falls softly away from the shoulders and skims right over the middle — so it gives you a clean, elegant line without clinging to a thing. Tailored enough to look smart, easy enough to feel comfortable; you look put-together from every angle, with nothing pulling anywhere.

3The clever detail that lifts a simple dress

A row of polished gold buttons is set off to one side at the front — a small, clever detail that turns a plain navy shift into something that looks designed and expensive. It's the one touch that lifts the whole dress, the sort of thing people notice and ask about, and it does all the work so you don't have to.

4A smart dress with proper pockets

It has handy side pockets sewn right into the seams — deep enough for your phone, your reading glasses, keys, or just a hand or two — hidden neatly in that clean tailored line. Smart on the outside, practical where it counts. Such a simple thing, and it changes how you wear it.

5Wear it bare, or as a tunic over trousers

It works two ways: on its own for a warm day, or worn as a chic tunic over slim trousers or leggings when you'd rather cover up — and it looks smart and intentional either way. One dress, worn exactly how you please, so it suits you whatever the day and however you feel.

6A size for you, from S to 2XL

It's cut clean and easy, and it runs from S to 2XL, so it fits and flatters a real range of bodies — not one narrow idea of a figure. A dress made to fit the woman, not to make the woman fit the dress.

The Aubrey, against the dresses you've been buying

	Typical dress	The Aubrey
The look	Fussy-smart, or frumpy-easy	Crisp, tailored, effortlessly chic
The fit	Hangs like a sack, or clings	A structured A-line that skims and flatters
The detail	Plain and forgettable	A clever gold-button touch that lifts it
Pockets	None, or useless little slits	Handy side pockets you actually use
How you wear it	One way only	Bare, or as a tunic over trousers

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Aubrey at $179.95 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 dress is going out for a third of that.

Mine arrived folded in tissue with a little handwritten note on top. I put it on that same morning, over my navy trousers, and looked smarter than I had in years without trying at all.

I don't usually write things like this. But the Aubrey turned me into the pulled-together woman I'd always envied — smart, chic and comfortable, worn bare on a warm day or over my trousers when I please. If you've given up on that kind of easy elegance the way I had, this is the one I'd tell you to try, while the sale is still on.

— Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, SC

See the Aubrey — $59.95 →

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.