I throw this on over a plain tee and instantly look put-together.

On the floral cardigan that hangs open in two slimming panels, covers the arms, and turns a plain white tee into an outfit — why a small South Carolina family made it this way, and why they're clearing it now.

By Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Posted September 2026 · 6 min read

I am 63 years old, and most mornings I want to put on one thing, over whatever I am already wearing, and be done. Not build an outfit. Just reach for something that does the work while I finish my coffee.

For years the closest I got was a plain cardigan that boxed me in and did nothing for me, or a jacket too heavy for the house. I had started to feel a little invisible in my own clothes.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant kept turning up looking comfortable and quietly put-together at the same time, always over the simplest thing underneath. I finally asked her. 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 cardigan is called the Petronella, 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 cut that skims, never clings

We cut the Petronella to hang open in two long panels rather than button tight across you, so it skims your sides instead of gripping them. Those two straight lines down the front are what make it read slimmer the moment you put it on.

2Sleeves that cover the arms — to the wrist

We gave it full-length sleeves that cover the arms right down to the wrist, in a soft knit that never pinches at the upper arm. Covered, without a heavy jacket over the top and without a thing gripping you anywhere.

3A dense floral, corner to corner

We covered it in a full, painterly floral rather than a few flowers scattered on plain cloth — pink and cream blooms with green leaves and little gold centers, packed right to the edges and down the sleeves. It is the kind of thing women stop you to ask about.

4Real wooden buttons down the front

We finished the front with real wooden buttons rather than plastic — the warm, matte kind that catch the light softly and feel solid under your fingers. They are the small detail that lifts a cardigan from homemade to handmade.

5Worn open, or buttoned up

We made it to work either way: buttoned up on a cold morning, or left open over a plain white tee the way most women wear it. One cardigan, and it dresses up or down without a second thought.

6It fits the body you have

We make the Petronella from XS all the way to 3XL and cut it relaxed on purpose. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the cardigan.

The Petronella, against the cardigans you've been buying

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Petronella at $229.95 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 little more than a quarter 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 spent too many years reaching for a plain cardigan that did nothing for me, or a jacket too heavy for the house — and this one quietly solved both. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your color before it clears.

— Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, SC

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.