A letter from a reader Sophie Cozy S
There is a blazer in my closet I wear about three times a year.
On the knit cut like a jacket — a shawl lapel, buttoned tabs at the waist, and nothing stiff anywhere in it.
I am 63, and there is a blazer hanging in my closet for the occasions when I want to look like I made an effort. I wear it about three times a year, and each time I am aware of it from the moment I put it on.
It is lined. It is stiff across the shoulder. The sleeves are cut narrow, so I cannot reach up for anything without the whole thing hitching. It looks right and it does not feel like clothing. So I reach for a cardigan instead — and a cardigan, however nice, does not do what a blazer does.
It was my daughter Sarah, up in Boston, who said I did not need a softer blazer, I needed a knit that had been cut like one, and pointed me at a small family boutique here in South Carolina. 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 cardigan 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.
1A shawl lapel, knitted in
This is the one detail that decides everything. A cardigan has a band down the front; a jacket has a lapel that folds back on itself around the neck. We knitted a wide shawl lapel in and ran it the full length of both front edges. Nothing else about the garment had to change — that single line is what makes your eye read tailoring instead of knitwear.
2No lining, no padding, no structure
Everything that makes a real blazer uncomfortable is missing here on purpose. No lining to stick to your arms. No pad holding the shoulder in a shape that is not yours. No narrow sleeve stopping you reaching up to a high shelf. It has the outline of a jacket and the give of a sweater, and after a few hours you have forgotten which one you put on.
3The little tabs at the hips
There is a small knitted tab on each hip with two dark buttons on it, borrowed straight from a tailored jacket. It is doing something clever. Two marks at the same height on either side of you suggest a waist, without anything actually being pulled in — so an open, unfastened knit still has a middle to it. Nothing grips and the shape is implied rather than imposed.
4The yarn is flecked, not flat
Look closely and the beige is not one color at all — it is lighter and darker fibers twisted together. That is what stops a pale knit reading as flat and synthetic. A single-color yarn goes dull the moment the light is anything less than perfect; a marled one keeps catching it, and it hides the marks of a real day rather more kindly too.
5Long enough to cover, open enough to wear
It runs well past the hip, which is jacket length rather than cardigan length, so you get real coverage over the seat when you wear it with jeans. And it hangs open with nothing to fasten, so the two front edges make one long vertical line down either side of you. Long and open together is the reason it works over almost anything you already own.
6Four colors, and a size for you — S to 2XL
The Sophie comes in four colors and the one you see me wearing is the beige, which is the one that goes over the most and shows the marled yarn best. Sizes run S, M, L, XL and 2XL. It is knitted with room in it so it goes over a shirt without straining at the shoulder, so take your usual size — and if you are between two, take the smaller one.
The Sophie, against the blazer you never wear
| The blazer in your closet | The Sophie | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside it | Lined, and it sticks to your arms | Nothing at all — soft knit throughout |
| The shoulder | Padded into a shape that isn't yours | Your own, with give in it |
| Reaching up | The whole thing hitches | Nothing moves but your arm |
| At the waist | Buttoned in, or nothing at all | Two small tabs suggesting a middle |
| How often you wear it | About three times a year | Over jeans, on a Tuesday |
- Lined, and it sticks to your arms
- A shoulder pad holding a shape that isn't yours
- Reach up and the whole thing hitches
- Buttoned in at the waist, or nothing at all
- Worn about three times a year
- No lining — soft knit throughout
- Your own shoulder, with give in it
- Nothing moves but your arm
- Two small tabs suggesting a middle
- Over jeans, on a Tuesday
Why they're clearing it now
They priced the Sophie at $184.95 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 well below half of what it was.
Mine arrived a few days later in a box on the bed. I put it on and reached both arms straight up over my head, which is not a normal thing to do with a new jacket.
The Sophie Cardigan
- A wide shawl lapel knitted in, running the full length of both front edges
- No lining, no shoulder pad, no narrow sleeve — nothing stiff anywhere
- Small buttoned tabs at each hip that suggest a waist without tightening one
- Marled yarn with lighter and darker fibers, so it never reads flat
- Jacket length, hangs open · 4 colors · sizes S–2XL · Free UPS shipping
The Sophie Cardigan · $64.95 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 had accepted that looking put together and being comfortable were two different garments, and it turns out the only thing a blazer really needs is a lapel. If yours comes out three times a year too, I hope you find your size before it clears.
— Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, SC
See the Sophie — $64.95 →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.