The soft velvet jacket that gives my jeans and a tee a bit of soul.

On the boho velvet jacket that layers over anything, covers the arms, and has real pockets — soft as can be, with a vintage, lived-in character. 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 everyday uniform had grown safe to the point of dull: jeans, a white tee, and a plain jacket that did the job and said nothing at all. I have always quietly loved a bit of the boho, a little vintage character — but the pieces that had it were cut for young things at a festival, and the pieces cut for me had all the soul ironed out of them.

What I wanted was one jacket with real character that I could actually wear — soft, easy over jeans and a tee, covering my arms, with a pocket or two that worked. Something with a lived-in, vintage warmth to it, that still looked right on a woman my age.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant walked in wearing the most beautiful dusty-pink velvet jacket over a plain white tee, looking soft and stylish and completely herself. I finally asked her about 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 Dianne, 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.

1It gives the whole outfit some soul

We made the Dianne to do the one thing a plain jacket never could: give your everyday outfit a bit of character. Throw it open over the jeans and tee you already wear, and suddenly you look soft, stylish and a little bit special — with no new outfit required.

2Soft velvet with a vintage soul

We made it in a soft, touchable velvet with antique metal buttons, for that lived-in, vintage character you cannot fake. It comes in four rich colors — a dusty rose, olive, a deep berry and teal — each one soft as can be and quietly special.

3A sleeve that covers the arm

We cut it with a full-length velvet sleeve that covers the arm to the wrist, finished with a button cuff. The tops of the arms stay covered and comfortable — the part so many of us like covered — wrapped in soft velvet.

4Real pockets that hold your things

We set real pockets into it — buttoned flap pockets at the chest and roomy pockets below — the kind your hands settle into and that hold your phone and glasses. Character and everyday practicality, on the one jacket.

5Easy to wear, most of the year

We made it light enough for a cool summer evening and warm enough for fall and spring, so you reach for it three seasons of the year. Over a tee, over a sweater, with jeans or a dress — one soft jacket that goes with almost everything you own.

6It fits the body you have

We make the Dianne from a size S all the way to 2XL and cut it to sit neatly over a tee or a fine knit. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the jacket.

The Dianne, against the jackets you've been buying

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Dianne at $149.95 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 my everyday clothes had grown safe to the point of dull — and this one soft, characterful jacket gave them a little soul back without a bit of fuss. 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.