The dress that skims my tummy and makes me feel wonderful in it.

On the empire-waist midi that smooths right over the tummy, covers the upper arm, and has real pockets — a dress you feel at ease in. Why a small South Carolina family made it this way, and why they're clearing it now.

By Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Posted September 2026 · 6 min read

I am 63 years old, and my tummy is the part of me I have made my peace with least. Every dress I owned seemed to find it — clinging right across the middle and announcing the one thing I would rather it left alone. So I stopped wearing dresses almost entirely, and felt a little plain and a little sad about it.

What I wanted was a dress that skimmed straight past my middle and let me forget about it for an evening — and covered my arms, and did not cost a fortune. I had begun to think I was asking for too much.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant arrived at a dinner in the loveliest black dress, looking elegant and entirely at ease, and told me it had pockets besides. I finally asked her where. 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 dress is called the Lila, 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 high waist that smooths the tummy

We set the waist high, just under the bust, and gathered the full skirt to fall free from there — so it smooths right over the tummy instead of clinging to it. Fitted where it flatters, and forgiving over the part most of us think about most.

2A sleeve that covers the upper arm

We gave it an elbow-length sleeve that covers the top of the arm — the part most of us would rather keep to ourselves — with a pretty sheer stripe that keeps it light and cool. Covered where it counts, without a heavy sleeve.

3Deep pockets, in a dress this elegant

We set deep pockets into the side seams, the roomy kind your hands settle into and that hold a phone or your glasses without spoiling the line. A dress with real pockets is a small joy at any age.

4A pretty sheer mesh stripe

We ran a sheer mesh stripe at the sleeve and again near the hem — the quiet detail that lifts a simple dress into something special. Understated, elegant, and never fussy.

5Three classic colors

We make it in three classic colors — this black, a deep wine and a forest green — the kind that carry you from a lunch to a wedding without a second thought. A woman is bound to ask you where you found it.

6It fits the body you have

We make the Lila from a size S all the way to 3XL, with a high waist that flatters and a skirt with room to move. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the dress.

The Lila, against the dresses you've been buying

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Lila at $179.95 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.

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 had all but given up on dresses, sure that every one would find the tummy I would rather forget — and this one skims straight past it and lets me feel wonderful for an evening. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your size before it clears.

— Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, SC

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.