The joyful print dress I throw on, and a compliment follows every time.

On the geometric-print dress that turns heads, skims right over the middle, covers the arms, and slips on in a second — light, easy, and endlessly flattering. Why a small South Carolina family made it this way, and why they're clearing it now.

I am 63 years old, and somewhere along the way the color drained out of my closet. Everything had gone quiet and careful — navy, gray, beige — the safe things a woman my age is supposed to wear. I would stand in front of it all on a bright morning feeling exactly as muted as it looked, and reach, again, for the beige.

What I wanted was one dress with a little joy in it. Something bright and pretty that I could simply pull on, that skimmed over my middle instead of clinging, covered the tops of my arms, and did not need a thing done to it. A dress that made me feel like myself again.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant wore the most wonderful print dress to a spring lunch, all pink and orange and aqua, looking bright and happy and entirely herself. 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 dress is called the Maelle, 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 print that turns heads

We built the Maelle around a joyful geometric print — pink, orange, aqua and gray in blocks and stripes — happy and pretty, never garish. It is the kind of dress that has people smiling and asking where you found it, on a piece that still looks grown-up and elegant.

2A tiered cut that skims

We cut it in soft tiers that fall and swing away from the body, so it skims right over the middle and hips instead of clinging to them. Forgiving exactly where you want it, and lovely and easy to move in all day.

3A sleeve that covers the arm

We gave it a three-quarter sleeve that covers the arm past the elbow, finished with a pretty ruffle cuff. The tops of the arms stay covered, with nothing tight anywhere — and a soft flutter at the wrist that feels a little special.

4A soft, flattering V neckline

We finished it with a soft split V at the neck — open and easy, never high or tight against the throat — that lengthens the neckline and frames the face. Flattering, and comfortable to wear all day long.

5Light, easy, and ready in a second

We made it lightweight and softly draping, so it slips on in a second and moves easily with you from a morning errand to a lunch out. No fuss, no fastenings to fight — just pull it on and go, and feel lovely all day.

6It fits the body you have

We make the Maelle from a size S all the way to 5XL and cut it with a relaxed, forgiving fit. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the dress.

The Maelle, against the dresses you've been buying

	The usual dress	The Maelle
The look	Quiet, and forgettable	A joyful geometric print
Shape	Clings, or shapeless	Soft tiers that skim
Arms	Bare, or sleeveless	A 3/4 sleeve, ruffle cuff
Neck	High, or too low	A soft, flattering V
Wearing it	Fussy, needs zipping	Light, and pulls right on

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Maelle at $129.95 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 my closet had gone quiet and careful, and I had gone quiet along with it — and this one joyful, easy dress handed the color back. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your size before it clears.

— Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, SC

See the Maelle — $54.95 →

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.