A Letter From a Customer
The one cardigan I reach for when I want comfort and style
A cozy everyday cardigan with a soft knit texture, practical deep pockets, a relaxed fit, and multiple colors designed for effortless layering.
The Annika cardigan, the cozy layer I now reach for every day.
I am 61 years old, and for a long time I have dresses so as not to be noticed. Shapeless tunics, a navy cardigan, the same tired slacks. Safe, sensible, invisible. Somewhere along the way I decided that pretty Cardigans were for younger women, and I quietly stopped buying them.
But on a warm Savannah morning, a baggy top does nothing to lift the day. What I secretly wanted was a Cardigan with a little romance in it, something that made me feel put together, without clinging to me the second the humidity found me. The pretty Cardigans were tight or fussy. The comfortable ones were shapeless and dull. Nothing was both.
Then a woman in my walking group turned up in the most beautiful little Cardigan, soft rose-knots at the cuffs, a different color every week, and I could not take my eyes off it. She told me to read the Brooks family's letter first.
The Brooks Family runs a small boutique here in Savannah, Georgia, family-run since 1976, three generations, mother to daughter. The Cardigan is called the Annika cardigan, and their letter walks through the handful of things they refused to compromise on. I am going to let their words carry it, because they say it better than I could.
1Rose-knot cuffs that hold their shape
The cuffs are the whole Cardigan. We made them soft and sculptural, tied into a rose at the wrist and large enough to be seen from across a room. Three times the factory sent them back flat, and three times we sent them back again. They are the reason someone at brunch will stop you mid-sentence and ask where your Cardigan is from.
★★★★★
"Three people asked about the sleeves the first day I wore it. Three."
Carol R., Pooler GA2A textured weave, chosen over linen
We tried linen first and turned it down. Pure linen looks lovely for about two hours, then it creases into a paper bag and the cuffs go limp by lunchtime. So we chose a textured weave with a linen look instead, light and breathable, with a fine grain that catches the light and enough body to keep those rose-knots standing until evening.
★★★★★
"I wore it on a four hour drive and walked into dinner with no creases."
Diane M., Richmond Hill GA3Sleeves that cover the tops of the arms
We gave the Annika cardigan voluminous three-quarter sleeves, so nothing is pressed against you and nothing is on display that you would rather keep to yourself. It takes more fabric, which is exactly why most Cardigans at this price will not do it, and it is the thing women thank us for most.
★★★★★
"Finally, sleeves. I have it in two colors and I am going back for a third."
Patricia L., Rincon GA4A shift that skims, and never clings
We cut it as a relaxed shift with a subtle A-line that falls just above the knee, loose where it should be loose so the air can move underneath. We let the waist out twice before we signed it off. It skims, it never grabs.
★★★★★
"It skims straight over my middle instead of hugging it. The first Cardigan in years that does."
Linda K., Tybee Island GA5Floral buttons, all the way down
A full row of soft floral-shaped buttons runs down the front, not the three decorative ones at the collar that most makers get away with. Open the collar on a hot afternoon, close it again for supper. It is a small thing that does a lot of work.
★★★★★
"The little flower buttons are what sold me. Such a small thing, and it makes it."
Janet S., Guyton GA6Ten colors that go with what you own
From crisp white to deep black, with gray, mushroom taupe, mocha, olive, sage, navy, pink and black in between. We chose every one of them to sit beside the shoes and cardigans already in your closet, so the Cardigan earns its place from the very first day.
★★★★★
"I started with the gray and went back for the black and the sage."
Maureen T., Statesboro GAThe Annika, against the Cardigans you have been buying
| The usual summer Cardigan | The Annika | |
|---|---|---|
| The cuffs | Flat, stitched-down | Sculptural rose-knots that hold |
| The fabric | Creases by noon, or clings | Textured weave, crisp and breathable |
| The sleeves | Bare arms, or they pinch | Three-quarter, room to move |
| The fit | Tight or boxy | A relaxed shift that skims |
| Colors | Two or three safe ones | Ten, chosen for your closet |
The usual summer Cardigan
- Flat, stitched-down cuffs
- Creases by noon, or clings
- Bare arms, or they pinch
- Tight or boxy
- Two or three safe colors
The Annika
- Sculptural rose-knots that hold
- Textured weave, crisp and breathable
- Three-quarter sleeves, room to move
- A relaxed shift that skims
- Ten colors, chosen for your closet
Why they're clearing it now
They priced the Annika cardigan at $210 when it launched, and it sold at that price all season. But for America's 250th, the Brooks family wanted to give something back to the women who have kept their doors open since 1976, so every Cardigan is going out at a fraction of that.
I ordered mine that evening. It arrived a few days later in a kraft-paper parcel with a short handwritten note from the family. It has been the first thing I reach for on every warm morning since.
Annika™ | Cozy Cardigan with Deep Pockets
$195.00$59.95
America's 250th Sale · Save 70%
- Sculptural rose-knot cuffs and floral buttons
- A textured weave that breathes and never clings
- A relaxed shift that skims, just above the knee
- Ten colors, from crisp white to deep black
- Sizes XS to 2XL · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
Annika™ | Cozy Cardigan with Deep Pockets · $59.95 while sizes last
Buy 2 get 10%, buy 3 get 15%, buy 4 get an extra 20% off. When it's gone, it's gone.
I do not usually write things like this. But I had dressed to disappear for so long, and this one pretty, easy Cardigan quietly gave me back the pleasure of getting dressed in the morning. If that sounds like you, I hope you get yours before it clears.
— Deborah Willson · Savannah, GA
This is a personal account from a Brooks Family customer. Deborah was not paid to write it. · The Brooks Family · Family Fashion · Savannah, Georgia, since 1976 · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.