The sweatshirt that's as cozy as loungewear but looks like I made an effort.

On the asymmetric funnel sweatshirt that keeps the chill off your neck, skims instead of clinging, and covers the arms — the comfort of your softest sweatshirt, with the look of something designed. Why a small South Carolina family made it this way, and why they're clearing it now.

By Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Posted September 2026 · 6 min read

I am 63 years old, and most days I want to be comfortable far more than I want to be dressed up. The trouble is what "comfortable" used to mean in my closet: a shapeless old sweatshirt that was soft and warm and made me look like I had given up entirely. So I would either be cozy and frumpy, or presentable and a little uncomfortable. Never both.

What I wanted was one thing that ended that trade — something as soft and easy as a sweatshirt, warm at the neck, that skimmed over my middle and covered my arms, and yet looked like I had actually chosen it. Comfortable, and quietly stylish.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant walked in wearing the most interesting olive sweatshirt — a soft folded collar, a row of buttons on the diagonal — looking cozy and pulled-together at once. I finally asked her about it. She laughed and told me to 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 sweatshirt is called the Talia, 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.

1An artful design on an easy sweatshirt

We took a soft everyday sweatshirt and gave it real design — a tall funnel collar that folds to one side, a row of large buttons running down on the diagonal, an asymmetric pointed hem. It looks considered and a little unexpected, the kind of thing people assume came from a smart boutique.

2A relaxed cut that skims

We cut it generously oversized, so it drapes softly and skims your shape rather than gripping it, and the asymmetric hem falls flatteringly over the hip. All the ease of a favorite sweatshirt, cut to actually flatter.

3A soft funnel collar that keeps you warm

We finished it with a tall funnel collar that folds softly around the neck and keeps the chill off — the cozy warmth of a scarf, built right in, with none of the fuss. Soft against the skin, and one less thing to reach for on a cool morning.

4A sleeve that covers the arm

We gave it a full-length sleeve with room all around, soft the whole way down to the wrist. Your arms stay covered and cozy, with nothing gripping them anywhere — and plenty of room to push the sleeves up when you are busy.

5Sweatshirt-soft, and machine washable

We made it from a soft, cozy sweatshirt fabric that only gets comfier with wear — and it goes straight in the machine and comes out ready to wear. No delicate handling, no dry cleaning; just the easy, everyday comfort you actually reach for.

6It fits the body you have

We make the Talia from a size S all the way to 3XL and cut it with a relaxed, easy body. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the sweatshirt.

The Talia, against the sweatshirts you've been wearing

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Talia at $149.95 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 less than half of that.

I ordered mine that evening. It arrived a few days later in a kraft-paper parcel with a short handwritten note from the family. I have reached for it more than anything else in my closet since.

I do not usually write things like this. But for years being comfortable meant looking frumpy, and looking nice meant being uncomfortable — and this one soft, clever sweatshirt ended that trade for good. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your size before it clears.

— Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, SC

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.