The Oversized Jumper You'll Throw On and Live In

A soft, draped knit in a lovely cream — throw it on over anything and look effortlessly elegant, warm without the fuss. Like a hug you can wear out the door.

At 63, I've run out of patience for fussy outfits. I want to put on one thing, look like I made an effort, and get on with my day. But the easy pieces in my closet made me look like I'd given up, and the elegant ones took three tries and still pinched somewhere.

What I really wanted was one soft, warm jumper I could simply throw on over anything and instantly look pulled-together — comfortable enough to live in, but lovely enough to wear out. Everything I owned was one or the other, never both.

It was my daughter Sarah, up in Boston, who told me to stop settling and try one from a small family boutique here in South Carolina — a soft oversized knit she thought I'd never take off. 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 jumper 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.

1Throw it on, and look instantly pulled-together

We made the Sophie to do one lovely thing: you pull it on over your trousers or jeans, and you instantly look like you stepped out of a boutique window. Its soft, draped oversized shape is quietly elegant — no styling, no fuss, no three tries in front of the mirror. One easy piece on, and you look effortlessly put-together.

2The soft drape that skims right over the middle

It's generously oversized, and it falls in a soft, elegant drape that skims right over the middle instead of gripping it. For those of us who've made peace with a softer tummy but don't care to have it on display, this is a small miracle — forgiving and flattering at the very same time. You feel covered, never squeezed.

3Soft and warm as a hug — without a hint of scratch

It's a soft knit that's warm and cozy without a single hint of scratch — none of the itch of ordinary wool, none of the thinness of cheap acrylic. The kind of thing you sink into on a cool morning and don't want to take off, gentle even if your skin is more sensitive than it used to be.

4A soft high neck that keeps the draught off

Its soft ribbed high neck and long ribbed cuffs keep the draught off your neck and wrists — the places you feel the cold most — so there's no scarf to wind, lose, or leave behind. Warmth built right into the jumper, gentle against the skin the moment you put it on.

5A rich cream that goes with everything

It's a soft, elegant cream — the kind of rich neutral that goes with everything you own: over white trousers for lunch, over jeans for errands, with a scarf and a coat when it's cold. One quietly luxurious jumper that works with half your wardrobe and always looks expensive, so you reach for it again and again.

6Seven colours, and a size for you, from XS to 2XL

It comes in seven soft shades — cream, black, olive, navy, grey, blush and camel — and it runs from XS to 2XL, cut generous and easy to flatter a real range of bodies. A jumper made to fit the woman, not to make the woman fit the jumper.

The Sophie, against the jumpers in your drawer

	The usual jumper	The Sophie
The feel	Scratchy wool, or thin acrylic	Soft knit — not a hint of scratch
The shape	Clings to the middle	A soft oversized drape that skims it
The neck	A scarf to wind, or none at all	A soft ribbed high neck, gentle and warm
The look	Plain and forgettable	Draped and quietly expensive
The colour	A shade that goes with one outfit	A rich cream that goes with everything

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Sophie at $159.95 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 jumper is going out at $64.95, well below half of what it was.

Mine arrived folded in tissue with a little handwritten note on top. I slipped it on that same cool morning, and it felt like being wrapped in a hug — it's barely left me since.

I don't usually write things like this. But the Sophie gave me exactly what I'd stopped hoping to find — one soft, warm jumper I can throw on over anything and instantly look pulled-together, that drapes right over the parts I'd rather not show and goes with everything I own. It's barely left me since it arrived. If you've been settling for jumpers that itch or cling the way I had, this is the one I'd tell you to try, while the sale is still on.

— 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.