A Letter From June · Founder of Dorothy and June
Beaufort, South Carolina · August 2026
I Have Dressed Women for 22 Years. The Marlowe Is the Easy Three-Piece Set I Always Wanted for Myself, and Could Never Find.
On the six things I insisted on when I made our Marlowe set, how it compares to the separates you have been buying, and why it is clearing as we move online.
I am June, and I started Dorothy and June 22 years ago, in a small shop on Bay Street named for myself and my grandmother Dorothy. In all that time I have put together a great many pieces meant to be worn as one outfit. The Marlowe is the set I reach for on the days that call for more than a plain top and jeans.
It is the set I put on when I want to look finished without thinking about it, the one women stop each other about at the school pickup line. And of everything we are clearing as we close the fitting rooms and move online, it is the easy set I most wanted to write to you about.
For years I watched the same thing happen to women our age. The easy separates made for us came in two kinds. The first looked polished and pinched the moment you sat down. The second was comfortable and looked like three unrelated pieces thrown on together. I never accepted that a woman had to choose. The Marlowe is my answer, and I argued for six things when I made it, usually with a supplier who wanted me to do the cheaper thing instead.
Real soft knit that moves with you.
Not a stiff blend, and not the scratchy acrylic they pass off as "easy care." A soft knit that skims instead of clings, so it moves the way you do all day long, and softens the more you wear it.
"I wore it to work, then straight to dinner, and it still looked pressed. That never happens with my other knits."
An open cardigan that layers, and never bulks.
Hand-finished embroidery along the front and hem, cut to dress up a plain top in seconds flat, without the stiff shoulders or extra weight most cardigans add.
"I throw it over the top and suddenly I look like I planned an outfit, when really I put on one piece."
A relaxed top that sits right at the collar.
Cut to skim instead of cling, with a collar that sits properly against the collarbone instead of gaping forward every time you lean over.
"It doesn't gape when I bend down, which sounds small until you've worn tops that do."
Wide-leg pants cut to the right length.
A pull-on waist that sits comfortably without a belt, and a leg cut long enough that at 42 I finally stopped hemming everything myself.
"First pair of wide-leg pants I haven't had to take to the tailor. They hit exactly right."
Deep pockets that actually hold something.
Real ones, set into the side seam of the pants, deep enough for your phone and your keys. On the days I wear the Marlowe I leave my bag on the hook by the door.
"Real pockets, deep enough for my phone. I didn't know I needed that until I had it."
Two colorways that go with what you own.
Navy embroidered and a soft neutral, each chosen to sit with the shoes and jewelry already in your closet, so the Marlowe earns its place from the first day. The navy is nearly gone.
"I started with the navy and went back for the second colorway before it sold out. They go with everything I own."
The Marlowe, against the separates you have been buying
You can find three separate pieces for sixty dollars almost anywhere. I know, because before I made the Marlowe I bought a great many of them, and spent even more time trying to make them look like they belonged together. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
A stiff blend, or acrylic sold as soft knit
Cardigan that adds bulk instead of polish
Top that gapes the moment you lean forward
Pants that pool at the ankle or stop short
Pockets that are sewn shut, or none at all
Real soft knit that actually moves with you
Open cardigan cut to layer without bulk
Top that sits right at the collar, no gaping
Wide-leg pants cut to the right length
Deep real pockets for phone and keys
I refuse to sell three separates that only work as a set if you're lucky. That is the whole reason the Marlowe exists.
Why the Marlowe is clearing now
We are closing our last fitting rooms and moving Dorothy and June fully online, so the whole set is clearing with it. It is now $59.95, from $150.00, and when you take more than one the discount stacks further, up to 30 percent on top.
I will be plain about it. At this price we are barely covering our costs on it. I am telling you because it is true, and because once we hand back the keys at the end of the season, this price goes with the shop. There is no plan to bring it back.
If 22 years of running this little shop has taught me anything, it is that a woman who tries the Marlowe once usually comes back for the second colorway. That is the quiet bet I am placing in writing you this letter at $59.95.
I now own both colorways. Between the two of them I have barely reached for anything else since June. Comfortable, put-together, and I always get a compliment on the cardigan.
Wrapped by hand, the way every order has left this shop for 22 years.
It is the easy set I am proudest of in 22 years. I would rather it go to women who will wear it than sit folded in a box.
The reviews say the same things I have, over and over. 4.8 stars across 896 women. If you have ever wanted one set that simply works everywhere, without three separate decisions each morning, this is the one I would put in your hands myself, while the colorways are still in stock.
— June
The Marlowe Three-Piece Set
- Soft knit that skims and holds its shape wash after wash
- Open cardigan, relaxed top, and wide-leg pants — sold as one set
- Free shipping & 30 day money back guarantee
Stack and save: buy 2 save 15%, buy more and save up to 30% extra.
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