A letter from a reader Isolde S
The sweater that goes from the sofa to dinner without a change
A soft knit that skims instead of clinging, with wide three-quarter sleeves and one gleaming button at the cuff.
I am 63, and my closet had split cleanly in two. There were the comfortable things I lived in and would never have gone out in, and the good things that hung in the back waiting for an occasion. Somewhere in between was the evening my daughter rang at five to say they were coming for dinner at seven, and I stood in front of the whole lot with nothing that was both.
I had started to feel a little invisible in my own clothes.
It was my daughter Sarah, up in Boston, who said the problem was that I owned nothing that could do both jobs at once. Then she sent me a link one evening with three words: just read it.
The Clarke family runs a small boutique here in South Carolina, family-run since 1986 — three generations, mother to daughter. The sweater is called the Isolde, 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.
1It skims, it never clings
We cut the Isolde to fall from the shoulder rather than follow the body. It drops straight past the middle, breaks softly over the hip and never grips at the waist, and the small slits at the hem keep it moving instead of pulling. You can sit down after dinner without a single adjustment under the table.
2A knit soft enough to live in
The yarn is fine and smooth rather than fuzzy, so it feels cool and soft against the skin instead of prickly at the neck. That is what makes it a sweater you keep on for a whole evening rather than one you shrug off after an hour, and it is why so many women wear it straight over a camisole.
3Three-quarter sleeves that cover the part you want covered
The sleeve is cut wide and comes down well past the elbow, so the upper arm — the part most of us would rather not think about — stays covered, while your forearms stay free for the sink, the stove and the steering wheel. Nothing grips at the top of the arm and nothing gets in your way at the wrist.
4One gleaming button at the cuff
The cuff turns back and is finished with a single polished button, the way a good jacket is finished. It is a small, deliberate thing and it does an enormous amount of work: it is the difference between a comfortable sweater and something that looks considered. You do not need jewelry with it.
5Comfortable enough for the sofa, tidy enough for dinner
That is the whole ambition of this one. It is as easy as the thing you wear around the house, and it holds its shape well enough that you can go straight out in it — with dark trousers and a pair of boots it looks entirely deliberate. No changing at five o'clock because somebody is coming at seven.
6It fits the body you have
We make the Isolde from a size S all the way to 3XL, and every size is cut on the same easy lines — the larger ones are not simply stretched out. It is meant to sit loose on you, so order the size you usually wear rather than sizing up. It comes in white, gray, black and beige.
The Isolde, against the sweaters you've been buying
| The usual sweater | The Isolde | |
|---|---|---|
| The fit | Follows every line you have | Falls from the shoulder and skims |
| The sleeves | Tight at the upper arm, or too short | Wide, and past the elbow where it counts |
| The finish | Plain, so it reads as loungewear | A turned cuff and a polished button |
| Where you wear it | Indoors, and you change to go out | Sofa to dinner without changing |
| The sizes | S to XL, then good luck | S to 3XL, cut the same throughout |
- Follows every line you have
- Tight at the upper arm, or too short
- Plain, so it reads as loungewear
- Indoors, and you change to go out
- S to XL, then good luck
- Falls from the shoulder and skims
- Wide, and past the elbow where it counts
- A turned cuff and a polished button
- Sofa to dinner without changing
- S to 3XL, cut the same throughout
Why they're clearing it now
They priced the Isolde at $184.95 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 less than a third of that.
Mine came in a kraft box on a Tuesday, folded in white tissue. I put it on that same evening and wore it to dinner without giving it another thought.
The Isolde Oversized Sweater
- Falls from the shoulder — skims, never clings
- Wide three-quarter sleeves past the elbow
- A turned cuff with one polished button
- A fine, smooth knit with no itch at the neck
- Sizes S to 3XL · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
The Isolde · $59.95 while sizes last
Buy 2 get 10%, buy 3 get 15%, buy 4 get an extra 20% off. When it's gone, it's gone.
I do not usually write things like this. But I spent years owning comfortable clothes I hid in and good clothes I saved — and this one quietly does both jobs at once. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your size before it clears.
— Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, SC
See the Isolde — $59.95 →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.