A Letter From Pearl: The Jacket Collection
A letter from Pearl
The denim jacket was cut for a man in 1890. Nobody has properly redrawn it for us since.
On the six things I would not do without in this collection, how they compare to the jackets you have been buying, and why they are $64.95 for our twentieth year.
I am Pearl. My mother opened this boutique twenty years ago, and I have worked beside her for the last few of them. This is the first collection she handed over to me entirely.
So I started with the thing that had annoyed me longest.
Every woman I know owns a denim jacket she does not really wear. It fits. There is nothing wrong with it. It just hangs off her, because it was never drawn for her in the first place — it is workwear, cut straight up and down, and it has barely changed in a hundred and thirty years.
The alternative she is offered is a jacket she cannot actually move in.
My mother has spent twenty years refusing to let a woman choose between those two things. So did I.
Here are the six things I would not do without.
A ruffle down the front, and that is the whole idea
It sounds like a small thing. It is not. A straight button placket runs a hard vertical line down the middle of you and stops there. A soft ruffled edge breaks that line and gives the whole front some movement, which is why the same jacket suddenly follows a woman’s shape instead of hanging off it. It is one seam. It is the reason I chose every jacket here.
“The ruffled edge is feminine without feeling fussy. I can put it over a plain white top and the outfit feels finished.”
Deborah R., CharlestonEnough stretch to reach across a table
Traditional denim has no give in it at all, and you feel that every time you reach for something on a high shelf or put a seatbelt on. There is a little stretch woven through these, which is the difference between a jacket you keep on through lunch and one you take off ten minutes in. It does not change how the jacket looks. It changes how long you leave it on.
“The slight stretch makes this much easier to move in than my usual denim jackets. It still has a nicely shaped look.”
Cynthia M., NewportShaped through the body — but not tight
There is a seam through the body that brings the jacket in very slightly at the waist and lets it out again over the hip. Not enough to pull anywhere. Just enough that there is a shape to it when you leave it open, which is how most of us wear a jacket most of the time. A jacket that only looks right buttoned is a jacket you will not wear.
“I like that it follows my shape without feeling tight through the middle. It looks neat even when I leave it open.”
Linda T., Annapolis“It has enough structure to look put together but still feels soft when I move. That’s what keeps me reaching for it.”
Barbara L., Cape CodHip length, so you can sit down in it
A cropped jacket rides up the moment you sit, and then you spend the meal pulling it back down. A long one bunches underneath you. These finish at the hip — past the waistband of a jean, not past the seat — which means you can sit down, drive, and get out of a car without adjusting anything.
“The hip length is just right with jeans and casual pants. I don’t have to keep pulling or adjusting it when I sit down.”
Patricia H., SavannahCuffs that roll, and a button that holds them
Most sleeves you roll simply unroll themselves an hour later. There is a button on these that holds the fold, so a rolled sleeve stays rolled. It is the smallest detail in the collection and it is the one I use most — up when the sun comes out, down again when it goes in, without thinking about it.
“I roll the cuffs when it’s warmer and button them down on cooler mornings. Such a simple detail, but I use it constantly.”
Susan B., PortlandAntique buttons, and a print for every mood
Bright silver buttons are what make a jacket look cheap from across a room. These are antiqued, so they sit back into the fabric rather than flashing at you. And then there is the choosing: paisley, botanical florals, leopard, gingham, western prints, lace panels, washed denim, patchwork. Sizes run to 3XL. I could not narrow it down and I did not want to — the point is that you find the one that is yours.
“The antique-style buttons give it more polish than a regular casual jacket. I’ve worn mine to lunch and running errands.”
Janet C., RaleighThese, against the jackets you’ve been buying
| Most $65 casual jackets | Pearl’s collection | |
|---|---|---|
| Front | A hard straight placket | A soft ruffled edge |
| Fabric | Rigid, no give at all | A little stretch woven in |
| Shape | Straight up and down | Shaped, and still not tight |
| Length | Rides up when you sit | Hip length, stays put |
| Buttons | Bright silver that cheapens it | Antiqued, sitting back |
I refuse to sell a woman a jacket that was drawn for somebody else. That is the whole reason this collection exists.
Why we’re clearing them now
These launched at $199.95 and sold at that price all season. But this is the year the boutique turns twenty, and it is also the first year I have chosen a whole collection myself. My mother wanted to mark both at once, and she wanted to do it by giving something back to the women who have kept our doors open since 2006.
So they are going out at around a third of what they were, and not one of them is here because it did not sell. If twenty years in this shop has taught my mother anything, it is that the woman who finds a jacket that was actually drawn for her comes back for the second print.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,524+ reviews
From$199.95$64.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save 67%
- A soft ruffled edge down the front of every one
- A little stretch woven through, so you can move
- Shaped through the body — neat even left open
- Hip length, and cuffs that button when rolled
- Antiqued buttons, and prints from paisley to gingham
- Sizes to 3XL · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
Pearl’s Jacket Collection · from $64.95 while sizes last
My mother taught me to watch a woman’s hands rather than her face. She will say a thing is lovely and put it back. Or she will say nothing at all and keep hold of it.
These are the ones she keeps hold of. If there is a denim jacket in your closet you have never quite reached for, go and look at the prints. I hope you find the one that is yours.
— Pearl · Vivian & Pearl Newport
See Pearl’s collection — from $64.95 →This is a personal letter from Pearl of Vivian & Pearl Newport. Customer reviews are quoted as written. · US family brand since 2006 · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.