The coziest coat I own, and it's lined in soft sherpa.

On the sherpa-lined coat that skims instead of clinging, covers the arms, has deep pockets, and keeps you properly warm — with a hood to pull up. Why a small South Carolina family made it this way, and why they're clearing it now.

By Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Posted September 2026 · 6 min read

I am 63 years old, and I feel the cold more with every winter that passes. The coats I owned never quite kept up — thin ones that let the wind straight through, or heavy ones so stiff and boxy I could barely move. I would layer sweater upon sweater underneath and still stand at the bus stop shivering.

What I wanted was simple: one coat that was properly, deeply warm, and still comfortable to wear all day. But the warm ones I found were either enormous puffers that swallowed me whole, or wool coats far too dear to consider.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant came in from the cold and opened her coat to a lining of soft, thick fleece, warm as a blanket. 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 coat is called the Everest, 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 Everest relaxed and easy, so it drapes over you and over your layers instead of pulling anywhere, and the drawstring waist lets you cinch a little shape or leave it loose. Roomy, warm, and never a shapeless bundle.

2Sleeves that cover the arms — room to layer

We gave it full-length sleeves that cover the arms to a ribbed inner cuff that keeps the cold out, cut with room to layer a thick sweater underneath. Covered, warm, and easy to move in all day.

3Deep snap pockets your hands settle into

We set deep snap-flap pockets into the front, the roomy kind your hands settle into on a cold morning and that hold a phone and keys without a thought. Warm hands, and nothing sliding out.

4Lined all through with soft sherpa

We lined it right through with soft sherpa fleece — the collar, the hood, the body — so it wraps you in warmth the moment you put it on. Properly warm for the coldest mornings, and there is a hood to pull up when the wind gets up.

5Seven colors, and each looks costly

We make it in seven colors, from this forest olive to soft pink, wine, navy and more, so there is one to suit your other coats and your mood. Whichever you choose, it looks a good deal dearer than it is.

6It fits the body you have

We make the Everest from a size S all the way to 4XL and cut it generous on purpose, with room to layer underneath. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the coat.

The Everest, against the coats you've been buying

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Everest at $289.95 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 little over a third 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 I spent too many winters cold in a coat that could not keep up — and this is the first one that wraps me in warmth the moment I put it on. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your size before it clears.

— Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, SC

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.