The Soft Knit Top That Makes Your Jeans Look Pulled-Together

A soft cropped knit that sits neatly at the waist of your high jeans — throw it on and a simple pair suddenly looks like an outfit. Soft, light, and quietly modern.

At 63, I don't want to build an outfit anymore. I want one easy piece I can pull on over my jeans, that makes me look like I made an effort, and lets me get on with my day. But most of my tops either hang shapeless or need endless tucking, smoothing and fussing before I feel right in them.

What I really wanted was one soft knit top that instantly made a simple pair of jeans look put-together — comfortable, modern, and no fuss at all. Everything I owned was either frumpy or clingy, never quite right.

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 soft cropped knit 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 top is called the Elowen, 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.

1Throw it on, and your jeans look pulled-together

We made the Elowen to do one lovely thing: you pull it on over your high-waisted jeans, and a plain pair suddenly looks like an outfit. Its soft cropped shape sits neatly at the waist, so you look modern and put-together in one easy move — no styling, no fuss, no three tries in front of the mirror.

2It sits neatly at the waist — no tucking, no fussing

The neat ribbed hem rests cleanly right at the waistband of your high jeans or trousers — no bunching, no untucking and re-tucking, nothing to keep fixing all day. For those of us tired of forever tugging and smoothing our tops, it simply sits where it should and stays there.

3Soft and light — never scratchy, never stuffy

It's a soft knit with an easy 3/4 sleeve — warm and cozy without a single hint of scratch, yet light enough for a warm afternoon or a chilly, air-conditioned room. None of the itch of ordinary wool, none of the stuffy heat of a heavy jumper; just soft, breezy comfort the moment it's on.

4A relaxed, modern shape that skims you

It has a relaxed, boxy cut and soft, wide 3/4 sleeves — modern and a little bit chic, but roomy and comfortable everywhere it counts. It skims you instead of gripping you, so you feel current and covered at once. Not the least bit clingy, and not the least bit frumpy.

5A colour that goes with everything you own

It comes in a whole range of soft, wearable shades — so there's one that goes with your jeans, your trousers, and everything already in your closet. A soft, easy colour that always looks quietly put-together, the kind you reach for again and again because it simply goes with it all.

6A dozen soft colours, and a size for you, from S to XL

It comes in over a dozen soft shades — from this lovely light blue to cream, khaki, black, olive, blush and more — and it runs from S to XL, cut relaxed and easy to flatter a real range of bodies. A top made to fit the woman, not to make the woman fit the top.

The Elowen, against the tops in your closet

	The usual top	The Elowen
The feel	Itchy wool, or hot and stuffy	Soft knit — light and breezy
The fit	Clings, or hangs shapeless	Relaxed and boxy — skims you
At the waist	Needs tucking and smoothing	Sits neatly, no fussing
The look	Frumpy or dated	Modern and quietly chic
The colour	Goes with one outfit	A shade for everything you own

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Elowen at $144.95 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 top is going out at $54.95, well below half of what it was.

Mine arrived folded in tissue with a little handwritten note on top. I slipped it on over my jeans that same morning, and my plain old outfit suddenly looked pulled-together — it's barely left me since.

I don't usually write things like this. But the Elowen gave me exactly what I'd stopped hoping to find — one soft, easy top that makes my plain jeans look pulled-together, sits neatly at the waist with no fussing, and goes with everything I own. It's barely left me since it arrived. If you've been settling for tops that itch, cling, or need endless tucking 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 Elowen — $54.95 →

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.