Finally, A Tee That Covers The Tops Of My Arms

It covers the upper arms, skims the middle instead of clinging, and somehow goes with everything already in my drawer.

For a while, getting dressed had quietly turned from a small pleasure into a chore. My drawers were full of tops I'd bought hopefully and never wore — one clung where I didn't want it to, another left the tops of my arms bare, another was too warm — and I'd stand there most mornings not knowing what to reach for.

I'd more or less split my closet into two piles: the things that fit but I didn't like, and the things I liked but couldn't quite wear out of the house. There wasn't much in between — nothing plain and easy that just worked.

It was my daughter Emily who finally set me straight. She'd discovered a tee from a small boutique in Miami and told me it had become one of those pieces she reached for without even thinking. She said I ought to stop hunting for the perfect top and simply try this one. The boutique was founded by two sisters, Susan and Nancy — and after learning why they started it, I understood why their clothes felt a little more personal than most.

Susan and Nancy opened their boutique in Miami in 2005, but the dream had actually begun with their mother. She had always dreamed of opening a clothing boutique of her own — a warm, welcoming place where women could find beautiful clothes and leave feeling a little more confident than when they walked in. Sadly, she passed away from breast cancer before she ever had the chance to make that dream real. Susan and Nancy decided her dream would not end there. They carried it forward together, opening the boutique she had always imagined and building it in her memory. More than twenty years later, that promise is still at the heart of everything they do. The tee is called the Nora, and when I read the little details Susan and Nancy refused to compromise on, I understood why women kept coming back for another.

1Covers the tops of your arms

The sleeve is one of the first details Susan and Nancy wanted to get right. It's a true three-quarter length — it covers the top of the upper arm and stops partway down the forearm, the one part most women tell them they're always happy to show. No bare upper arm to think about, and no full sleeve trapping heat on warm Florida days. It's the kind of length so many women say they had quietly given up trying to find.

2Skims the middle instead of clinging to it

It's cut to fall softly through the middle instead of hugging it. The body has an easy drape, and the hem dips a little longer at the sides so it sits past the waist and stays there when you move. Relaxed where you want it relaxed — without ever turning into a tent.

3Soft enough to forget you have it on

The fabric is a soft, light cotton-modal knit that sits gently against the skin — because comfort becomes even more important with the years, and a stiff seam or scratchy label can become something you notice all day. The neckline sits flat, and the seams are designed to disappear against the skin. You put it on in the morning and don't think about it again.

4Washes and keeps its shape

It goes straight in the machine and comes out ready to wear again. The color holds, the neckline keeps its shape, and it doesn't turn baggy after a few washes — so it stays a top you actually reach for instead of quietly becoming something you only wear around the house.

5Dressed up or thrown on, and right either way

Susan and Nancy kept it simple and well-cut on purpose. With a necklace and good trousers it looks polished; with jeans on a Saturday it feels effortless. It's simple in the way the best wardrobe pieces are simple — easy to wear almost anywhere, without ever looking like you're trying too hard.

6Six quiet colors that go with everything

It comes in six easy-to-wear colors — charcoal, white, light blue, soft pink, a soft blue and a brighter lime for the days you want something a little livelier — each chosen to work with the trousers and jeans you already own. Most women start with one and come back for two more. That's the whole idea: a simple tee that finally earns its place in the drawer.

The Nora, against the tees you've been buying

Why Susan & Nancy are celebrating this summer

The Nora originally launched at $94.95, but this summer means something special to Susan and Nancy. Their boutique began in Miami in 2005 with a dream that originally belonged to their mother. After losing her to breast cancer, the sisters made a promise to carry that dream forward and create the boutique she had always hoped to open herself.

More than twenty years later, they're still here because of the women who have supported them along the way. So this summer, Susan and Nancy wanted to celebrate that journey with the community that helped make their mother's dream a reality. Their Summer Sale is now live, with savings of up to 70% off throughout the boutique — and the Nora is currently included.

Mine arrived beautifully packed with a small note tucked inside, and I had it on before my coffee was cold. It has barely left my rotation since.

I don't usually write things like this. But I've reached for my Nora more in a month than tops I've owned for years, and getting dressed feels like a small pleasure again instead of another decision. Maybe that's why Susan and Nancy's story stayed with me, too. They took something deeply personal — their mother's dream — and turned it into something women like me still get to enjoy more than twenty years later. If you've been standing at your drawer the way I was, this is the one I'd tell you to try while their Summer Sale is still on.

— Carol Whitmore · Naples, FL

See the Nora — $44.95 →

This is a personal account from a Susan & Nancy customer. Carol was not paid to write it. · Susan & Nancy · Women's Fashion · Miami, Florida · Since 2005 · Free shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.