The elegant two-piece with a jacket that finally covers my arms at the wedding.

On the lace-and-chiffon two-piece whose matching jacket covers the arms, whose soft chiffon floats over the middle, and whose lace bodice looks quietly expensive — elegant, and comfortable all day. 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 when my daughter asked me to help plan her wedding, my one private worry was what I would wear. I did not want a stiff, matronly gown — but I also did not want my arms bare in every photograph, the way sleeveless occasion dresses always leave them. The pretty dresses were sleeveless. The ones with sleeves were dowdy. And the shrugs I tried looked like an afterthought thrown over the top.

What I wanted was one elegant outfit that solved it properly: something with real grace to it, that covered the tops of my arms as part of the design, floated over my middle instead of clinging, and let me feel beautiful in every photo without tugging at myself all day.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant wore the loveliest lace-and-chiffon two-piece to a wedding, a soft matching jacket over the dress, looking elegant and completely at ease. I finally asked her about it. 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 Lumi, 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 matching jacket that covers the arms

We designed the Lumi as a dress with its own matching sheer chiffon jacket, so covering your arms is built right in — no last-minute shrug, no afterthought. The three-quarter sleeves drape softly over the tops of the arms, elegant and airy, exactly where so many of us want to be covered.

2Soft chiffon that floats over everything

We made the skirt and jacket from a soft, sheer chiffon that floats over the body and skims past the middle and hips rather than clinging. The part everyone worries about simply softens away under a graceful drift of fabric, and you feel light and at ease all day.

3A lace bodice that looks expensive

We set a delicate floral lace down the bodice, with a soft scalloped edge, so up close it reads as considered and quietly expensive — the kind of detail people assume came from a bridal boutique, not a clearance rail.

4Three soft colors, for every occasion

We made the Lumi in three soft, flattering colors — a dusty blue, a warm champagne and a gentle lavender — so there is one for a wedding, a christening, a milestone anniversary. One elegant outfit that answers every important invitation on the calendar.

5Two elegant pieces, comfortable all day

We made it as two soft pieces — a comfortable dress and its airy jacket — so you can sit through the ceremony, the meal and the dancing without a thing pinching, and slip the jacket off if the day warms up. Elegant, and genuinely easy to wear.

6It fits the body you have

We make the Lumi from a size S all the way to 4XL and cut it to drape softly and flatter a real figure. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the outfit.

The Lumi, against the occasion outfits you've been buying

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Lumi at $149.95 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 half 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 dreaded finding something for my own daughter's wedding — something lovely that would not leave my arms bare in every photo — and this one elegant two-piece solved it beautifully, and comfortably. 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.