Throw It On, and Your Simplest Outfit Looks Like Art

A light open-front blouse-jacket in a beautiful vintage floral, with an ornate boho border — it turns a plain tee and jeans into something special the moment it's on.

At 63, most of my outfits are a plain top and jeans — comfortable, but a bit dull, and I always feel like something's missing. I want to look like I have a little style of my own, without a whole production in front of the mirror every morning.

What I really wanted was one easy layer I could throw over a plain outfit to instantly make it look special — something with colour and character. Everything I owned was either comfortable or interesting, never both.

It was my daughter Sarah, up in Boston, who told me to stop settling and try one from a small family boutique here in South Carolina — a lovely open-front piece she thought I'd never take off. Before I tell you what it did, I think you should 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 piece is called the Marisole, 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.

1Throw it on, and even a plain outfit looks artful

We made the Marisole as one easy, light layer you throw over a plain tee and jeans — and suddenly your simplest outfit looks like it came from a boutique. Its beautiful vintage floral and soft drape do all the work: no styling, no fuss, no standing at the wardrobe. One lovely layer on, and you look artful and put-together in a moment.

2A vintage print that looks like a rare find

The print is a romantic, faded floral with delicate scrollwork — the kind of antique, artful look that turns heads and seems far more expensive than it was. It looks like a treasure you unearthed at a vintage market, not something off a rack. Two women asked me where I found it the very first week I wore it.

3Light and drapey — it skims right over the middle

It's light and fluid — it falls open in a soft, long line that skims right over the tummy and hips instead of clinging or adding bulk. For those of us who'd rather not draw attention to the middle, it's forgiving and flattering, and cool enough for a warm afternoon or an air-conditioned room. You feel covered, never bulky.

4An ornate border that makes it look expensive

It's finished with an ornate boho border along the hem and cuffs — an intricate, embroidered-looking trim that frames the floral and lifts the whole piece. It's the kind of considered detail cheap pieces never have, and it makes the Marisole read as "she has beautiful taste," not "she bought it on sale." It's all in those lovely details.

5It layers over everything, all season

It goes over a tee and jeans, over a simple dress, over trousers and a top — its soft, faded colours suit everything, and it lifts whatever you put it over. One easy, artful layer that earns its keep right through the season and quietly pulls together everything already in your closet, so you find yourself reaching for it again and again.

6A size for you, from S to 2XL

It comes in this one beautiful vintage colourway — a soft, faded sage green blooming with roses — and it runs from S to 2XL, cut relaxed and easy to flatter a real range of bodies. A piece made to fit the woman, not to make the woman fit the piece.

The Marisole, against your usual layer

	The usual layer	The Marisole
The look	Plain and mass-made	A romantic vintage floral that turns heads
The feel	Heavy, or clingy	Light and fluid — skims, doesn't cling
The details	A plain hem	An ornate boho border that looks costly
The effect	A dull top and jeans	An artful, put-together outfit
The wear	Works one way	Layers over everything, all season

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Marisole at $199.95 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 piece is going out at $59.95, well under a third of what it was.

Mine arrived folded in tissue with a little handwritten note on top. I threw it over a tee and jeans that same morning and felt artful in seconds — it's barely left me since.

I don't usually write things like this. But the Marisole gave me exactly what I'd stopped hoping to find — one light, lovely layer that turns my plainest tee and jeans into something artful, drapes right over the parts I'd rather not show, and looks like a rare vintage treasure. It's barely left me since it arrived. If you've been resigned to dull, plain outfits the way I had, this is the one I'd tell you to try, while the sale is still on.

— Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, SC

See the Marisole — $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.