I did not expect to fall for a rainbow hoodie at 63.

On the sun-print hoodie that's roomy without swallowing you, covers the arms, and has a front pocket deep enough for everything — why a small South Carolina family made it this way, and why they're clearing it now.

I am 63 years old, and somewhere along the way I decided that comfortable clothes had to be dull ones. Soft gray, soft beige, nothing that drew a second look. Cozy, and a little bit invisible.

I told myself that was just what you wore at my age. I had stopped reaching for anything that made me feel like myself.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant turned up in something bright and cheerful and clearly comfortable, and looked ten years younger for it. I finally asked her. 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 hoodie is called the Florianne, 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 cut that skims, never clings

We cut the Florianne roomy and relaxed through the body and the arms, so it drapes over you instead of pulling anywhere. It gives you all the ease of a hoodie without the shapeless, swamped look most of them leave you with.

2Sleeves that cover the arms — to the wrist

We gave it full-length sleeves that cover the arms all the way to a soft ribbed cuff at the wrist. Nothing grips the upper arm, and nothing slides down over your hands when you drop your arms.

3A big front pocket you'll actually use

We built in a big front pouch pocket, deep enough for your phone, your keys and both cold hands at once. It is the kind of pocket you reach for all day, not the shallow kind sewn on for show.

4A proper roomy hood and soft ties

We finished it with a proper roomy hood and soft drawstrings, so you can pull it up against a cold morning or a sharp wind off the porch. Down, it sits soft around the shoulders and stays out of your way.

5Hand-drawn suns, like folk art

We covered it in hand-drawn suns, each with its own face, set into blocks of orange, teal, pink and green like a piece of folk art. It is cheerful without being childish — the kind of thing that makes people smile at you.

6It fits the body you have

We make the Florianne from a size S all the way to 5XL and cut it relaxed on purpose. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the hoodie.

The Florianne, against the hoodies you've been buying

	Typical hoodie	The Florianne
Shape	Shapeless, swamps you	Roomy, but still has a shape
Arms	Sleeves slide over your hands	Full length, cuffs stay put
Pocket	Shallow, or none	A deep front pouch you use
Hood	Flimsy, won't stay up	A proper roomy hood
The print	Plain, or a faded logo	Hand-drawn suns, like folk art

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Florianne at $229.95 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 a third 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 I had quietly decided that comfortable meant dull and invisible — and this one hoodie reminded me it does not have to. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your size before it clears.

— Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, SC

See the Florianne — $69.95 →

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.