A Letter From Michelle: The Vanessa
A Letter From Michelle
Who decided that after sixty, autumn is beige, gray and black?
On the beige problem, the test I use on every patterned knit before it goes on the rack, the six things I would not give up on, and why the Vanessa is $59.95.
I have been asking that for twenty years. Every September the racks fill with the same three colors, as though a woman stops wanting to look like herself the year she turns sixty.
So when something with real color in it does turn up, you do what every woman does at my counter. You hold it out at arm’s length and tilt your head.
I understand the instinct. But arm’s length is not where you will be standing. Your friend at the table is at three feet, and you are at six inches every time you button it.
Almost every bright cardigan I have ever sent back looked wonderful from across the store and like a photograph of a cardigan from six inches away.
The Vanessa is the other way around. It is the rare one that gets better as you get closer, and that comes down to how the color is put on.
Six things I would not give up on.
Look at it from six inches
The color does not sit on the surface as one smooth layer. It arrives in small blocks, short dashes and little broken runs, with enough relief that you can see where one block stops and the next one starts. That is why the photograph at the top of this letter is a close-up: it is the only honest way to show you the difference.
“Purple is my favorite color, so this was an easy choice. I wear it over a plain tee with jeans and let the print stand out.”
Diane C., LawrenceButtons, so nothing goes over your head
Think of a Tuesday in October. Cold at eight, pleasant by two, cold again by five. In a pullover that is three trips over your head and over your hair, usually in a parking lot or somebody’s hallway, and you arrive at lunch having rearranged yourself. Five wooden buttons down the front, and none of that happens. Nothing catches at the shoulders, and you wear it open in the house and button it at the door without taking anything off.
“I chose the purple Vanessa and really like the wooden buttons. I can leave it open indoors and button it up when I step outside. The knit feels soft, too.”
Marilyn R., SalemThe hood lies flat the rest of the time
A hood on a knit usually bunches into a lump between the shoulder blades, which is why so many women rule one out before they have tried it. This one folds down into something much closer to a soft collar. So you are not choosing between having a hood when you want it and having a neat back on all the days you do not.
“I bought the purple version for a weekend visiting my sister. I wanted a comfortable layer with a little more personality than my usual sweaters. It worked nicely over the simple tops I packed. The hood was handy when we sat on her porch in the morning. I’ve been wearing it at home since, too.”
Patricia N., WinchesterThe hem curves down at the back
The hem is not a straight line around. It curves, sitting higher at the front and dropping lower behind, which is the shape that keeps covering you when you sit down and lean forward over a table. It is also why it does not cut you in half across the hip. Most women I know are not after a cardigan that hides them. They are after one they are not adjusting all afternoon, which is a different thing and much harder to find.
“The purple one has become my reading cardigan. Cozy, with a relaxed fit that’s comfortable to settle into.”
Kathleen B., DuluthTen colorways, and the purple is only one of them
Everything photographed here is the same colorway, because that is the one I had on the table. There are ten, and they are not ten shades of one idea: the caramel and the gray are quiet enough for a Tuesday, the floral white and the multicolor are not. The knit, the hood, the buttons and the hem are identical on every one.
“I ordered Purple and Gray together. Purple was the one I kept coming back to, while Gray seemed easy to pair with my everyday pants. I like having two different options in a button-up style I enjoy wearing.”
Susan H., ColumbiaNine sizes, and one honest word
XS through 5XL, all the same price, and it goes in the machine on a cool wash. The cut is relaxed, so take the size you usually take and size up only if you want more room than that. And the honest word: this is a unique cardigan. If what you are after is a layer that nobody compliments you for, I would not send you this one.
“Started with Purple and later added Caramel. I liked the relaxed feel of the first one and wanted another option for my closet. Purple is still my favorite with dark jeans. I tend to wear Caramel with cream or brown underneath. Both are for me, and I’ve enjoyed switching between them.”
Elaine W., Fort CollinsThe Vanessa, against what you have been buying
| Most $60 cardigans | The Vanessa | |
|---|---|---|
| The color | Beige, gray or black, and that is autumn | Ten colorways, and they read nothing alike |
| Up close | One flat surface, printed on | Blocks and dashes, with relief you can see |
| Getting it on | Over your head, and over your hair | Five wooden buttons, so it opens at the door |
| The hood | A lump between the shoulder blades | Folds down into something like a soft collar |
| The hem | Straight, and it stops at the hip | Curved, and it drops lower at the back |
| Sizing | Stops at XL, if you are lucky | XS through 5XL, every size the same price |
Why we are clearing them out now
The Vanessa was $299.95, and that price reflected the details you only notice up close: blocks and dashes of color with a raised texture, five wooden buttons, a hood that folds flat into a collar, and a hem that dips lower in the back. I’m not going to stand here and tell you that’s a small amount of money for a cardigan. 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 the occasion by giving something back to the women who kept those doors open, so we’re offering it for just $59.95—one-fifth of its original price.
I’ll tell you how I think about it, too. A cardigan is the layer people actually see, the one that stays on indoors after your coat comes off. It’s something you reach for before lunch with a friend, an afternoon with your family, or a visit you’ve been looking forward to. If it becomes the cardigan you reach for day after day, the price is only a small part of what makes it worth having.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,369+ reviews
$299.95$59.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save 80%
- Soft knit cardigan with an attached hood
- Five wooden buttons — nothing over your head
- Color in blocks and dashes, not one flat surface
- Hood folds down flat like a collar
- Curved hem, longer at the back
- Relaxed cut — true to size
- Ten colorways, XS through 5XL, one price
- Machine washable on a cool wash
- Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
Every size the same price · while sizes last
One more thing, and then I will let you go.
Find the brightest thing in your closet and do what everybody does — hold it out at arm’s length. Then bring it up to six inches and look again.
If it got worse on the way in, you have your answer about that one. That is the whole test, and it is the only one I use.
So run it on the Vanessa the day the box arrives. If it fails, send it back inside thirty days and we will refund you.
With love and gratitude,
— Michelle · The Hayes Family Hamptons
PICK YOUR COLORWAY — $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.