The set I live in — and still wear out to dinner.

On the soft two-piece that skims instead of clinging, covers the tops of the arms, has real pockets — and looks put-together from the sofa all the way to supper.

I am 63 years old, and somewhere along the way I quietly split my closet into two sad halves: the comfortable things I'd never let anyone see me in, and the presentable things I couldn't wait to take off. If I wasn't going anywhere, I lived in shapeless old loungewear — cozy, yes, but the kind of thing I'd yank off in a panic if the doorbell rang.

Comfortable and frumpy had become the same word in my closet. And I'd more or less made my peace with it.

Then a woman in my book club here in Mount Pleasant kept turning up looking soft and cozy and completely put-together at the same time, and I couldn't work out how she did it. I finally asked. 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 set is called the Hillary, 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 relaxed cut that skims, never clings

We cut the Hillary loose and easy on purpose — an oversized top and matching relaxed trousers that fall away from the body and skim instead of gripping it. It never clings to the middle, and it never hangs like a sack — it simply moves with you.

2Wide sleeves that cover the arms

The top has soft, wide three-quarter sleeves that drape right over the tops of the arms — the part most of us would rather keep to ourselves. They cover without gripping, so there's no cutting in, no cardigan, and nothing to tug at. Covered and comfortable, at last.

3So soft you'll live in it

We made the Hillary from a soft, premium knit chosen to be cosy and breathable — the kind of fabric you forget you're even wearing. Warm enough to curl up in, light enough to keep on all day, and gentle against the skin from morning to night.

4And yes — the trousers have real pockets

The trousers have deep, real side pockets — the kind that actually hold your phone, your reading glasses, the front door key. You can potter around the house, out to the garden, down to the mailbox, with your hands completely free and nothing to lose.

5From the sofa to supper out

It is genuinely loungewear — but we cut it so cleanly, and let it hang so well, that it looks entirely put-together. Add a nicer pair of shoes and your good earrings, and the Hillary carries you from the sofa in the afternoon to supper out that evening — without changing a thing.

6A matching set that fits the body you have

The Hillary comes as a complete matching set — top and trousers together, so there's nothing to coordinate — from a size S all the way to 3XL, cut relaxed on purpose. It is meant to fit the woman, not make the woman fit the set.

The Hillary, against the loungewear you've been hiding in

	Typical loungewear	The Hillary
The look	Frumpy — "I've given up"	Clean and put-together
The fit	Clings, or hangs like a sack	Relaxed, skims the body
Arms	Bare, or tight at the arm	Wide sleeves that cover
Pockets	None, or too shallow to use	Deep, real side pockets
Where you wear it	Hidden at home only	From the sofa to supper out

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Hillary at $219.95 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 set is going out at less than a third of that.

I ordered the rose. 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 hiding at home in things I'd never let anyone see — and this one set gave me back the simple pleasure of being comfortable and put-together at the very same time. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your color before it clears.

— Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, SC

See the Hillary — $64.95 →

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.