The Throw-On Maxi That Always Looks Elegant

A flowing blue-and-white floral linen maxi you just pull over your head — roomy and cool, with sleeves that cover, and elegant in ten seconds.

I used to think elegance took effort — the right outfit, the ironing, the fuss — and somewhere along the way I decided I hadn't the energy for it anymore. So I let it go, and settled for comfortable-but-plain, day after day.

What I really wanted was to look elegant without the effort — one dress I could throw on and simply look lovely in, that covered my arms, stayed cool in the heat, and didn't cling anywhere. But the elegant things were fussy and fitted, and the easy things were shapeless and dull. 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 flowing blue-and-white maxi 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 dress is called the Esme, 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 throw-on maxi that always looks elegant

We made the Esme as a long, flowing maxi you simply pull over your head — no fuss, nothing to fasten or fret over — that somehow always looks elegant and considered. The soft blue-and-white print and the graceful length do the work, so you don't have to. Ten seconds to put on, and you look put-together wherever you're going.

2Roomy and easy — skims everything, never clings

It's cut loose and roomy, the tiered skirt falling softly away from the body so it skims everything and clings to nothing — no waistband, no fitted seams digging in anywhere. All the ease of your softest housedress, in a long, flowing maxi you genuinely feel elegant in. You put it on and forget you're wearing it.

3Long sleeves that cover your arms

It has long linen sleeves that cover the arms all the way to the wrist — and because it's light linen, there's coverage without any heat — and they roll up neatly with a soft cuff when you want them shorter. Covered where you want it, cool all the same, for the part of us so many would rather not bare.

4A long dress that's actually cool to wear

It's made of a light, breathable linen that lets the breeze pass right through instead of trapping the heat against you — a long, flowing maxi that stays cool through the hottest afternoon while still looking elegant, not shapeless. A long dress you can actually wear in the heat, not just admire on the hanger.

5A timeless blue-and-white print you feel lovely in

It's a beautiful blue-and-white botanical print — fresh and classic, like a piece of fine porcelain — the kind of pattern that never dates and goes with everything you own. Pretty and grown-up at once, never loud; the sort of print that has people asking where it's from, and has you feeling lovely every time you put it on.

6A size for you, from S to 2XL

It's cut loose and generous, 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 Esme, against the dresses you've been buying

	Typical dress	The Esme
Getting dressed	Fuss, ironing, effort — or plain	Pull it on — elegant in ten seconds
Comfort	Fitted, clingy, digging in	Loose and roomy — skims, never clings
Your arms	Bared, or a cardigan on top	Long linen sleeves that cover, cool
In the heat	Long means heavy and stifling	Light linen — the breeze passes through
The print	Safe, muted, forgettable	A timeless blue-and-white botanical

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Esme 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 dress is going out for under a third of that.

Mine arrived folded in tissue with a little handwritten note on top. I pulled it over my head that same morning, caught sight of myself in the hall mirror, and looked elegant without having tried at all.

I don't usually write things like this. But the Esme gave me back elegance without the effort — I pull it on and look put-together, my arms are covered, and it's cool enough for the hottest day. If you've quietly settled for comfortable-but-plain 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 Esme — $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.