It covers my neck and my arms — and I look slimmer in it.

On the turtlenecks that skim instead of clinging, cover the throat and the arms both, and — a small surprise — leave me looking slimmer. Why a small South Carolina family made them this way, and why they're clearing them now.

I am 63 years old, and there are three things about myself I would rather a sweater simply took care of. My neck, which is the first place to give my age away. My upper arms. And my middle, which most sweaters seem determined to draw a line straight around.

For ten years I could not find one that handled even two of them at once. I had started to feel a little invisible in my own clothes.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant kept turning up in sweaters that looked comfortable and quietly put-together at the same time. 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. They call these the Turtleneck Collection, 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 these roomy through the body and dropped the shoulder seam down the arm, so nothing pulls across the top of you. It falls from the widest part of you instead of gripping it, which is the whole reason it reads slimmer.

2A turtleneck that covers the throat

We finished every one of these with a soft turtleneck that folds over and covers the throat completely, keeping the draft off the one place a sweater usually leaves bare. It is the part most of us would rather not think about, and almost nothing is cut to solve it.

3Sleeves that cover the arms — to the wrist

We kept the sleeves full from the shoulder all the way to the wrist rather than narrowing them, then gathered them into a slim rib. There is room around your arm the whole length of it, so nothing traces it and nothing grips.

4Ribbed cuffs and hem — so nothing shifts

We ribbed both the cuffs and the hem so all that room stays where we put it. The sleeves do not slide down over your hands and the body does not ride up when you reach, which is what usually ruins a loose sweater.

5A pattern like an old tapestry

We chose each design to look like a piece of old tapestry rather than something off a printed tee — deep, layered color that carries from the collar to the cuff. Hold two of them up and you will not find the same one twice.

6It fits the body you have

We make these across the full range of sizes, which varies a little from design to design, and cut them relaxed on purpose. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the sweater.

These, against the sweaters you've been buying

	Typical sweater	The Turtleneck Collection
Neck	Stops at the collarbone	A turtleneck that covers the throat
Shape	Grips across the middle	Hangs from the widest part of you
Sleeves	Narrow, and the arm shows through	Wide the whole way down
Cuffs and hem	Sleeves slide, body rides up	Ribbed, so it stays where you put it
The pattern	One square, repeated on a roll	Like an old tapestry, no two alike

Why they're clearing them now

They priced these at $199.95 when they launched, and they 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 of them is going out at less than 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 years in sweaters that left my neck bare, showed my arms and drew a line around my middle — and these quietly took care of all three at once. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your size before they clear.

— Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, SC

See the collection — $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.