A Letter From Michelle — The Abigail
A Letter From Michelle
There’s a reason that denim jacket in your closet never gets worn.
On why a denim jacket fights you at the shoulders, why a cardigan has no shape at all, the six things I would not compromise on, and why the Abigail is $59.95.
You love how it looks. But the moment you put it on, you remember why it’s been hanging there.
The shoulders feel stiff when you reach for the steering wheel. The sleeves pull when you move your arms. And when you finally find one with enough room, the whole jacket seems too boxy.
So you reach for your comfortable cardigan instead.
Except that doesn’t always feel quite right, either.
Because sometimes you want to look a little more put together without spending the entire afternoon feeling uncomfortable in your clothes.
And that’s exactly the problem I wanted to address with the Abigail.
So look at where the denim is on this one. The collar, the front edge, the cuffs and the hem. Nothing else. Every part of it that has to bend is knit.
Six things I would not give up on.
The denim sits at four edges and nowhere else
Collar, front placket, cuffs, hem. Those are the four places a jacket shows its structure, and they are the four places the denim sits. Across your back, over your shoulders and down both arms it is ribbed knit, which is the part that has to move. A denim jacket is boxy because denim cannot be anything else. A knit can. That is why this reads as a denim jacket on the hanger and does not behave like one once it is on you.
“I wasn’t sure about mixing denim with a sweater jacket, but it really works. The buttons and wide collar give it more shape than an ordinary cardigan. Glad I gave it a try.”
Linda W., BellinghamA notched collar, which no cardigan has ever had
It is cut with a proper notch and a stand, so it keeps its shape whether you leave it open and flat or turn it up at the back. A cardigan finishes at the neck with a flat band, and that band is most of the reason a cardigan looks like a cardigan. This one frames your face instead, which is the whole difference between looking comfortable and looking dressed.
“I love the denim collar against the black knit. It’s a little different from the jackets I usually buy, and looks lovely with my white pants.”
Barbara M., GreenvilleThe cuffs are denim, and made to be rolled
Most women push their sleeves up anyway, and on a knit sleeve they slide back down by lunchtime. Here the cuff is denim with a metal button through it, so when you turn it back it stays turned back. It also means the part of the sleeve that takes the wear is the sturdy part.
“Those denim cuffs are such a nice touch. I usually roll my sleeves up anyway, so I really like how they’re finished. Very pleased with this one.”
Janet K., AppletonIt covers the hip, and then it stops
Longer than a cardigan and well short of a coat, which is the length most women are actually looking for and rarely find. A cropped denim jacket stops at the waist and leaves the eye sitting there; this one carries on past the hip. The denim band runs along the bottom edge, so the hem holds a straight line instead of curling up the way a knit hem does after a few washes.
“The length is just right for me. I prefer something that covers my hips these days, and this does it without looking oversized or sloppy.”
Diane R., RoanokeFive colors, and the same blue denim on every one
Black, White, Khaki, Red, and the paneled one at the top of this letter, which the site lists as Black White. The denim never changes — same wash, same weight, same buttons — so the red one is still a jacket rather than a statement, and the paneled one has something plain holding it together. Whichever you take, the blue is the part that does the work.
“Bought the red one for a little color in my closet. Wore it to dinner with my husband and felt nicely dressed without making a fuss. 😊”
Carol S., HendersonvilleSeven sizes, and the one thing I would rather tell you here
XS through 3XL, all at one price, and cut relaxed enough to go over a shirt, so take your usual size rather than going up. Most women wear it exactly as you would expect — a plain tee and jeans underneath, and nothing else thought about. And I would rather say this here than let you find it at the dropdown: the XS is only made in Black and White.
“Wore the cream one to my Wednesday knitting group. Two of the ladies wanted to know where I found it! I just had jeans and a plain white shirt underneath.”
Patricia L., LancasterThe Abigail, against what else $60 buys
| Most $60 sweater jackets | The Abigail | |
|---|---|---|
| The shoulders | Denim, and stiff exactly where you move | Ribbed knit, so both arms lift without a fight |
| The collar | A flat band, the same as every cardigan | A notched denim collar with a stand that holds up |
| The front | A knit edge that stretches and sags open | A denim placket with metal buttons down it |
| The cuffs | Ribbed, and back down by lunchtime | Denim and buttoned, so a turned cuff stays turned |
| The hem | Curls up after a few washes | A denim band that holds a straight line over pants |
| Sizing | Stops at XL, if you are lucky | XS through 3XL at one price (XS in Black and White) |
Why we are clearing them out now
The Abigail was $199.95, and that number was for denim set into a knit at four separate edges — a notched collar with a stand, a buttoned placket, buttoned cuffs and a banded hem — with ribbed knit everywhere a shoulder or an elbow has to move. That is two garments made to behave as one, and it is not a cheap thing to cut. But the store turns twenty this year, and my daughters Julie and Amy are both at the counter most days now, which is not something I let myself count on in 2006. We wanted to mark it by handing something back to the women who kept those doors open, so it is going out at a little under a third of what it was.
And the honest reasoning. Most women already own the denim jacket they do not wear and the cardigan they are tired of looking at. This is the one that replaces both, and at $59.95 it does not have to earn its place twice.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,369+ reviews
$199.95$59.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save 70%
- Denim collar, placket, cuffs and hem — ribbed knit everywhere else
- A notched collar with a stand, not a flat cardigan band
- Metal buttons down a denim front placket
- Buttoned denim cuffs, made to be turned back
- A denim hem band, so the bottom edge stays straight
- Covers the hip and stops there
- Black, White, Khaki, Red and Black White
- Sizes XS through 3XL, every size the same price
- XS is made in Black and White only
- Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
Every color and every size the same price · while sizes last
One more thing, and then I will let you go.
Go and take out the denim jacket you never wear. Put it on and lift both arms straight above your head.
If your shoulders fight you, you have just found out why it has been hanging there, and it was never the size.
Do the same with the Abigail the day the box arrives. If your arms do not go up freely, send it back within thirty days and we will refund you.
Go and pick your color.
With love and gratitude,
— Michelle · The Hayes Family Hamptons
PICK YOUR COLOR — $59.95 →This is a personal letter from Michelle Hayes, co-founder of The Hayes Family Hamptons. Customer reviews are quoted as written. · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.