The cool summer top I bought in five colors.

On the loose cotton-linen tee that's actually cool — no polyester, short sleeves that cover the arms, a pretty row of buttons, and ten colors to choose from.

I am 63 years old, and every summer I run into the same problem in my closet. The cool-looking tops turn out to be thin polyester that traps the heat and sticks to my back by lunch; the ones that cover my arms are too warm; and hardly anything looks like I made an effort. By July I'm hot, uncomfortable, and reaching for the same tired thing.

What I wanted was simple: an easy top that was genuinely cool to wear — real breathable fabric, not plastic — that covered the tops of my arms and still looked a little bit lovely. But the cool ones were plain, and the pretty ones didn't breathe. Nothing was both.

Then a friend of mine turned up to a summer lunch in the easiest, prettiest little top — cool, relaxed, with a row of buttons and the loveliest color — and I asked her at once. She 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 top is called the Miranda, 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 cotton-linen blend — no polyester

We made the Miranda from a breathable cotton-linen blend — and no polyester. It's the difference between a top that lets the air straight through and one that traps the heat and sticks to you. It stays cool and dry on the warmest days, exactly when a summer top should.

2Short sleeves that cover the arms

The soft short sleeves have a neat little cuff and cover the tops of the arms — the part most of us would rather keep to ourselves — while staying cool and easy in the heat. Covered enough to feel comfortable, light enough to never feel warm, and no cardigan needed.

3A pretty diagonal button detail

A soft diagonal row of little wooden buttons runs down the front — the kind of small, honest detail that lifts an easy top into something you feel put-together in. It's the part people reach out and touch, and the reason it never looks like a plain tee.

4A loose, relaxed fit that skims

We cut the Miranda loose and easy, with a gently curved hem, so it skims over the middle instead of clinging to it — comfortable to move in, forgiving where you want it, and lovely untucked over trousers or jeans. Relaxed, but never shapeless.

5Ten colors to choose from

We offer the Miranda in ten easy shades — from a soft rose, white and sky blue to navy, green, golden yellow and burgundy — the kind that go with everything you already own. Most women who buy one come back for two or three before the summer is out.

6It fits the body you have

We make the Miranda from a size S all the way to 5XL and cut it relaxed on purpose. It is meant to fit the woman — not to make the woman fit the top.

The Miranda, against the tops you've been buying

	Typical summer top	The Miranda
The fabric	Hot polyester that clings	Cotton-linen blend, no polyester
Your arms	Bare, or a hot cardigan	Short sleeves that cover the tops
The look	A plain, basic tee	A pretty diagonal button detail
The fit	Clings, or boxy	Loose and relaxed, skims
The choice	One or two colors	Ten colors, S–5XL

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Miranda 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 top is going out at a fraction of that.

I ordered the white. 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 — and ordered four more colors the next week.

I do not usually write things like this. But I spent too many summers hot and uncomfortable in tops that were really just plastic — and this cool little cotton-linen one, that covers my arms and comes in every color, quietly fixed all of it. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your colors before they clear.

— Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, SC

See the Miranda — $54.95 →

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.