A letter from a reader Selene
I put this on to walk the dog and came home having talked to three people
A hand-drawn wave print on the outside, soft fleece on the inside, and a hood for the mornings that bite — without the weight of a winter coat.
I am 63, and my coats had become purely functional. A navy one for church, a beige one for everything else, and a heavy black thing I dread putting on because by the time I have walked to the car it sits on my shoulders like armor. Warm, all of them. But nothing I ever looked forward to reaching for.
I had started to feel a little invisible in my own clothes.
It was my daughter Sarah, up in Boston, who told me a coat is the only thing people actually see of you all winter, and that mine were doing me no favors. Then she sent me a link one evening with three words: just read it.
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 Selene, 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.
1The print people stop you about
The Selene started as a drawing: great rolling waves in fine ink lines, curling across the back and around the sleeves, with the color rising behind them like a sky. It is the reason women stop you in the parking lot to ask. We have lost count of the letters that begin with somebody wanting to know where it came from.
2Lined inside, without the weight of a winter coat
The whole inside is lined with a soft brushed fleece, collar to hem and all the way down the sleeves, behind a textured woven face that holds the drawing clean and sharp. That is where the warmth comes from — not from thickness. It holds the heat like a proper coat and still sits light on your shoulders all afternoon.
3A cozy hood, for the mornings that bite
We lined the hood in that same soft fleece and left it roomy, with a drawstring so you can pull it close when the wind turns. Up, it keeps the chill off your ears and the back of your neck. Down, it sits like a soft collar behind you. It is the difference between walking the dog and staying inside.
4Two fabrics, one easy layer
Open the front and you can see how it is built. A textured woven face on the outside, brushed fleece behind it, and nothing stiff between them. It does not crackle when you move and the lining does not slide around inside the sleeve. It hangs open and easy, and it goes on over whatever you are already wearing.
5Long enough to cover, easy enough to live in
We run the Selene past the hip and cut it relaxed, so it covers the waistband and the back of your jeans and never grips at the middle. Worn open it falls in two clean lines down the front. It is a layer you can drive in, sit down in and carry the groceries in without thinking about it once.
6It fits the body you have
We make the Selene from a size S all the way to 4XL, and every size is cut on the same relaxed lines — the larger ones are not simply stretched out, and the drawing is scaled so the waves stay in proportion. It comes in four colors, including the Yellow you see here. Order the size you usually wear, or one up if you like a thick sweater underneath.
The Selene, against the coats you've been buying
| The usual winter coat | The Selene | |
|---|---|---|
| The weight | Heavy on the shoulders by noon | Fleece-lined warmth, light to wear |
| The look | Navy, beige, and more navy | A drawn wave print people ask about |
| The hood | Thin, or no hood at all | Roomy, fleece-lined, with a drawstring |
| The fit | Tight over a sweater | Relaxed, and it falls past the hip |
| The sizes | S to XL, then good luck | S to 4XL, pattern scaled to every size |
- Heavy on the shoulders by noon
- Navy, beige, and more navy
- Thin, or no hood at all
- Tight over a sweater
- S to XL, then good luck
- Fleece-lined warmth, light to wear
- A drawn wave print people ask about
- Roomy, fleece-lined, with a drawstring
- Relaxed, and it falls past the hip
- S to 4XL, pattern scaled to every size
Why they're clearing it now
They priced the Selene at $269.95 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 a third of what it was.
Mine came in a kraft box on a Tuesday, folded in white tissue. I put it on in the bedroom and wore it out to the mailbox in the same hour.
The Selene Abstract Print Cardigan
- A drawn wave print people stop you about
- Soft fleece lining, collar to hem
- Roomy fleece-lined hood with a drawstring
- Relaxed cut that falls past the hip
- Sizes S to 4XL · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
The Selene · $89.95 while sizes last
Buy 2 get 10%, buy 3 get 15%, buy 4 get an extra 20% off. When it's gone, it's gone.
I do not usually write things like this. But I spent too many years disappearing into a beige coat — and this one quietly gave me back the pleasure of getting dressed to go out. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your size before it clears.
— Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, SC
See the Selene — $89.95 →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.