The Matching Set That Made Me Feel Special Again

A matching blush linen top and wide-leg trousers with a soft rose at each cuff — pretty, pulled-together and comfortable, the moment you put both pieces on.

There are occasions I've started to dread — a lunch, a party, a family gathering — not because I don't want to go, but because I stand at the closet and have nothing that makes me feel special anymore. Comfortable, yes. Special, no.

What I really wanted was one outfit I could put on and feel pretty and pulled-together in — something with a little occasion to it — without the fuss of assembling it, and without a waistband cutting me in half. But the pretty things were fussy and fitted, and the comfortable things were plain. Nothing was both.

It was my daughter Sarah, up in Boston, who told me to stop settling and try a set from a small family boutique here in South Carolina — a matching blush linen two-piece she thought would make me feel lovely again. 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 set is called the Rosalie, 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 set that makes you feel special

We made the Rosalie as a matching blush linen top and wide-leg trousers, cut to go together perfectly — so you put the two pieces on and you're dressed, pretty and pulled-together, with no matching to puzzle over. It's the kind of set that feels like an occasion the moment it's on: you feel like you've made an effort, when really you've made none.

2The pretty floral-cuff detail that lifts it

Each of the long balloon sleeves is finished with a single soft fabric rose gathered at the cuff — a delicate, feminine touch that lifts a simple linen set into something that feels special and considered. It's the detail people notice and ask about, and it does all the work, while the set stays the easiest thing in your closet to put on.

3A soft elastic waist that never digs in — with pockets

The wide-leg trousers have a soft, high elastic waist — no hard button, no zip pressing in — so they sit gently at the middle and move with you, while the top blouses softly over the top. And there are handy side pockets sewn right in, for your phone and your glasses. Comfortable as your softest loungewear, but a proper, pretty outfit.

4A wide, forgiving leg that flatters

The legs fall straight and loose from the waist, skimming right over the hips and the thighs instead of gripping them — so you look long and elegant, and nothing clings anywhere. Forgiving and flattering at once: you feel taller and slimmer, and completely comfortable with it.

5Cool, light linen, dressed up or down

It's made of a light, airy linen — top and trousers both — that stays cool through the hottest afternoon, yet looks pretty and pulled-together enough for a lunch or a party. Add a little jewellery and it's dressed up for the evening; bare and easy, it's perfect for a warm day at home. One set that rises to the occasion or relaxes right down.

6A size for you, from XS to 2XL

It's cut relaxed and easy, and it runs from XS to 2XL, so it fits and flatters a real range of bodies — not one narrow idea of a figure. A set made to fit the woman, not to make the woman fit the set.

The Rosalie, against the outfits you've been assembling

	Assembling an outfit	The Rosalie
Getting dressed	Matching a top to trousers, then giving up	Two pieces on — a whole outfit, done
The feeling	Comfortable, but plain and forgettable	Pretty, special, pulled-together
The waist	A hard band digging in	A soft elastic waist, with pockets
The fit	Clings to the hips and thighs	Wide legs that skim and flatter
The occasion	Right for one thing only	Cool linen, dressed up or down

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Rosalie at $299.99 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 set is going out for under a third of that.

Mine arrived folded in tissue with a little handwritten note on top. I put both pieces on that same morning, caught sight of the little roses at my cuffs, and felt lovely for the first time in longer than I'd admit.

I don't usually write things like this. But the Rosalie made me feel special again — pretty, pulled-together and comfortable, with the loveliest little roses at the cuffs. If getting dressed for an occasion has become something you dread the way I had, this is the one I'd tell you to try, while the sale is still on.

— Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, SC

See the Rosalie — $89.95 →

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.