The plaid layer I throw on all fall and never want to take off.

On the plaid shacket that skims instead of clinging, covers the arms, has real pockets, and throws over anything for the cool days — with a soft hood. 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 fall is the season my closet has never known what to do with. The mornings are cool, the afternoons warm up, and I spend the day either chilly in a tee or too warm under a coat I did not really need. There was never quite the right thing in between.

What I wanted was one easy layer — something I could throw on over a plain top, that looked put-together without a scrap of effort, and that I could shrug off when the sun came out. The cheerful ones were thin and flimsy; the warm ones were dull.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant turned up in a soft plaid jacket, thrown open over a white tee, looking easy and pulled-together at once. I finally asked her. 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 Carys, 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.

1A cut that skims, never clings

We cut the Carys relaxed and easy, and worn open it falls in two soft panels down the front, so it skims your sides rather than gripping them. Roomy and comfortable, with a shirttail hem that keeps it easy everywhere.

2Sleeves that cover the arms — roll the cuffs

We gave it full-length sleeves that cover the arms, finished with a soft denim cuff you can roll back for a bit of contrast. Covered when you want it, and a touch of casual flair when you roll them.

3Roomy pockets your hands settle into

We set roomy front pockets into it, the kind your hands settle into on a cool morning and that hold a phone and keys without a thought. Not the shallow, decorative kind that fit nothing at all.

4Warmer than a shirt, lighter than a coat

We made it the layer fall was missing — warmer than a shirt, lighter than a coat, with a soft denim hood to pull up when the wind picks up. Throw it open over a tee, and you are set for the whole cool day.

5Warm plaid with soft denim trim

We paired a warm red plaid with soft denim at the hood, the placket and the cuffs — a classic, cozy combination that never looks tired. It is the kind of thing people stop to ask you about.

6It fits the body you have

We make the Carys from a size S all the way to 3XL and cut it relaxed on purpose, with room to layer underneath. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the jacket.

The Carys, against the layers you've been reaching for

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Carys at $139.95 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 less than half of that.

I ordered mine that evening. It arrived a few days later in a kraft-paper parcel with a short handwritten note from the family. I have reached for it more than anything else in my closet since.

I do not usually write things like this. But fall had me chilly in a tee or lost in a coat for years, with nothing easy in between — and this soft plaid layer filled the gap the whole season had. 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.