A letter from a reader Sophie
The first dress in years that covered the two things I wanted covered
Sleeves over the upper arms, loose from under the bust down, and a pleated skirt that moves when you do.
I am 63, and I had quietly given up on dresses. Every one I tried did the same two things: it left my upper arms bare, and it pulled across the middle the moment I sat down. So I stood in fitting rooms doing the arithmetic — a cardigan over the top, hold my stomach in for the photographs — and then hung it back on the rail and went home in slacks.
I had started to feel a little invisible in my own clothes.
It was my daughter Sarah, up in Boston, who told me the dresses were the problem, not me. 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 dress is called the Sophie, 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.
1Sleeves that cover the upper arms
We hear it more than any other request, so we started there. The sleeve is cut soft and full over the shoulder and comes down past the upper arm, finishing in a little gathered ruffle. Nothing grips, nothing cuts across you, and there is no bare stretch of arm to plan a cardigan around. You can wear this one on its own.
2Loose from under the bust, all the way down
The Sophie is gathered on a soft band that sits just under the bust, and from that seam it falls away from the body instead of following it. Nothing clings at the middle, nothing pulls when you sit, and there is no waistband cutting across you. It skims straight past the part most of us would rather not think about.
3A print you can see from across the room
The Sophie is painted with big open blooms — roses and peonies in coral, blush and soft blue, drifting across the fabric rather than sitting in rows. It comes in three colorways: this pink, a soft blue floral and a green floral. Pick the one that suits your coloring; they are cut exactly the same.
4Pleats that move when you do
The skirt is pleated the whole way round, so it holds its shape standing still and then swings when you walk. That is what keeps a long dress from hanging on you like a curtain. It is also why it forgives everything underneath — the fabric is moving, and nothing settles anywhere long enough to cling.
5Long and light enough for the heat
It runs to the ankle, so your legs are covered without a single thing clinging to them, and the fabric is light enough that the air moves straight through it. Church, a lunch, a wedding, the porch on a warm evening — it is one of the few dresses that is genuinely cooler on than off.
6It fits the body you have
We make the Sophie from a size XS all the way to 4XL, and every size is cut on the same lines — the larger ones are not simply stretched out, and the print is scaled so the blooms stay in proportion. Because it falls from under the bust rather than the waist, it forgives a great deal. Order the size you usually wear.
The Sophie, against the dresses you've been buying
| The usual summer dress | The Sophie | |
|---|---|---|
| The arms | Sleeveless, so you carry a cardigan | Soft sleeves over the upper arm |
| The middle | A waistband that cuts and clings | Falls loose from under the bust |
| The skirt | Hangs flat, like a curtain | Pleated the whole way round, and it swings |
| The look | A small, safe, faded print | Big painted blooms, in three colorways |
| The sizes | S to XL, then good luck | XS to 4XL, print scaled to every size |
- Sleeveless, so you carry a cardigan
- A waistband that cuts and clings
- Hangs flat, like a curtain
- A small, safe, faded print
- S to XL, then good luck
- Soft sleeves over the upper arm
- Falls loose from under the bust
- Pleated the whole way round, and it swings
- Big painted blooms, in three colorways
- XS to 4XL, print scaled to every size
Why they're clearing it now
They priced the Sophie at $189.95 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 dress is going out at less than a third of that.
Mine came in a kraft box on a Tuesday, folded in white tissue. I tried it on in the bedroom and wore it to lunch the next day.
The Sophie Floral Pleated Dress
- Soft sleeves that cover the upper arms
- Falls loose from under the bust, all the way down
- Big painted florals — pink, blue or green
- Pleated skirt that moves when you walk
- Sizes XS to 4XL · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
The Sophie · $57.95 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 standing in fitting rooms doing arithmetic about my arms and my middle — and this one dress quietly ended it. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your size before it clears.
— Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, SC
See the Sophie — $57.95 →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.