When it comes to the latest trends in women's apparel, there's no better place to shop till you drop than Downtown Chucktown. And if you're searching for the finest threads in Beaufort, look no further than Copper Penny - the Lowcountry's go-to shop for anyone that has a passion for fashion.
We have been dressing women in Beaufort for over 34 years and offer upscale designer collections curated with a Southern eye. Here, women from around the United States discover sophisticated, effortless beauty for every season. Whether you're looking for a sassy new dress to impress that special someone or the perfect outfit for your next vacation, your options are endless at Copper Penny.
With easy-to-find locations close to Beaufort's hottest spots, our curated selection of the newest, most popular women's clothing lines reflects the effortless glamour of Beaufort. Whether you're a tidy professional or a fierce trend-setter, our goal is to help you find the perfect look for your own unique style. With designer brands like CK Bradley and Holst & Lee on hand year-round, finding your new look is easy and fun when you visit Copper Penny.
Our clothing lines give ladies a refreshing mix of one-of-a-kind authenticity with real wearability, allowing them to shine with confidence and style all year long. So, go ahead and spoil yourself - you deserve to look like a million bucks!
Diamonds are pretty and all, but honestly? Dresses are a girl's best friend. Dresses are fun, comfortable, and versatile. At Copper Penny, they're also fashionable and cute. We have a huge selection of women's dresses in Beaufort, SC, from stylistic sheath dresses to drop-waist styles that will make your girlfriends jealous.
These dresses are made to fit your waist and then gradually flare out towards the hem. A-line dresses are excellent for minimizing thighs, hips, and midsections while pulling the eyes to your bust. This style of dress is a great fit for almost any body type. There's a reason why so many brides settle on A-Line dresses for their big day! With plenty of varieties, this is a kind of dress that you can wear again and again.
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Like the A-Line style, empire dresses are made to fit through your bust. Rather than creating a distinctly angular shape like the A-Line, the Empire style flows from the bust down. This is another kind of dress that fits many body types. From curvy to apple body shapes, the Empire draws focus to your bust and minimizes everything else. For lovely ladies on the shorter side, this style defines your silhouette, especially if you choose a maxi length dress.
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A throwback to the roaring 20's style flapper dresses, Drop Waist dresses look best on lean, athletic bodies that don't have too many curves in the hip area. The key to pulling off a Drop Waist style dress is to ensure that it's not hugging you. This dress is best worn when it is able to hang freely on your body.
SHOP NOWOnce you know the kind of waist that fits your body type, it's time to find your shape. A few of our most popular dress shapes include:
Any clothing store for women in Beaufort, SC, worth its salt, will have plenty of fit & flare dresses for you to try. This common-shaped dress is one of the most popular on the market, mainly because they look great on every woman, regardless of age or shape. A timeless choice, fit & flare dresses fit through the bodice and flare out just below your hip. This helps develop a balanced, slimming silhouette for most women. If you want to accentuate your best assets and hide everything else, ask our experienced fashionistas to show you some the most popular fit & flare dresses at Copper Penny.
Time to start doing your happy dance! Fit & flare dresses have very balanced proportions, making them a true winner for every body type. Women with athletic builds love this dress for the extra curves. Women with apple-shaped bodies love how fit & flare dresses define their waistlines. Because this dress already looks like an hourglass on the hanger, it will be a natural fit for ladies with such a figure.
Shift dresses are typically rectangular in shape and tend to be comfy and forgiving since they aren't fitted. Also called a column dress, the shift dress is a great choice for polished professionals needing a conservative, fashionable outfit for work.
These dresses look fabulous on women with athletic, lean shapes and women with an apple-like figure. This kind of dress doesn't work well with a belt, so ladies with an hourglass figure may not be able to show off their curves in a shift. Try pairing this dress with a nice pair of heels for a beautiful new look!
Wrap dresses are one of the most popular styles on the market, because they give ladies of most shapes and sizes a flattering, fashionable dress option.
If you have an hourglass, apple, or generally curvy body shape, you're going to love wrap dresses. This style of dress offers a natural waist while placing emphasis on your bust. Wrap dresses give you a balanced silhouette and, with a knee-length fit, are great for any type of color or style, both day and nightwear.
Unless you're feeling extra sassy, chances are you're wearing a top at this very moment. Tops are garments that cover the top half of your body. At Copper Penny, we have an endless selection of tops in a wide range of styles - from basic tees to blouses and everything in between. If you're looking for the highest quality women's tops in Beaufort, SC, you just hit the jackpot!
With that said, finding the right top for the right occasion is easier said than done. However, at Copper Penny, we make finding the right top fun. Whether you're looking for a top that makes a statement or you need a classic button-down for a subdued style, we've got your back. We only carry the most popular tops from the best brands and designers around the world.
Sometimes called broadcloth tops, poplins have classic characteristics and are often woven with an over/under weave. This kind of weave gives more substance to your top while also giving you room to breathe. Poplin shirts are typically soft and smooth, and are great for everyday business attire, some formal occasions, and for certain ceremonies. Sweet and feminine, our Bruna poplin eyelet bib top features ruffles at the sleeves and an eyelet lace yoke at the front. Pair your poplin with your favorite pair of shorts or jeans for a contemporary, relaxed look.
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Great for wearing solo or layered over a camisole or tank top, wrap tops are lightweight, versatile, and great for many different occasions. Wrap tops go well with jeans, maxi dresses, and high-waisted jeans or trousers. Our V-Neck Wrap SLV Top by Jayden is uber-popular at Copper Penny and the perfect choice for dressing down or dressing up. The choice is yours!
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For a dose of feminine fashion, be sure you add an off-the-shoulder top to your everyday wardrobe. A casual, sexy choice, off-the-shoulder tops have unique necklines that cut across your upper arms and chest, leaving your shoulders bare. The result is a flirty flash of skin, which elongates your neck and gives a relaxed, "daytime casual" look. Our Nola off-the-shoulder top pairs perfectly with shorts or even a flowy skirt and is hand-woven in Spain using Jacquard fabric.
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Who doesn't love a good tank top?! Tank tops are lightweight, versatile, and equally great for lounging in the yard or running errands on weekends. Tank tops lend an air of simplicity to your outfit and can be styled in endless ways. Take our Velvet Heart Victory Tank, for instance. This tank is a refreshing update on our classic sleeveless tank top, complete with fray details and a scoop neck. Throw in the fact that it's machine washable, and you have a wardrobe winner.
Shop NowHaving trouble finding the best top for your size and style? As the most trusted women's clothing boutique in Beaufort, SC, Copper Penny has helped women discover new looks in the Lowcountry for more than two decades. We take pride in providing a personalized, boutique experience for our customers. If you have questions, give us a call or swing by one of our locations. We would be happy to give you our professional opinion.
Until then, here's a quick guide you can follow to help you find the right fit for your women's top in Beaufort:
When choosing a women's top for your outfit, you have to consider how comfortable, confident, and beautiful you will feel. The best way to feel your best in an outfit is to make sure it fits correctly. To get started, you'll want to take your measurements. For most women's tops, the best areas to focus on are your hips, waist, and chest.
Hip Measurements: Measuring your hips is fairly easy. Take your measuring tape and use it to wrap around the widest area of your hips.
Waist Measurements: Take your measuring tape and place it at the very top of your hip bone. Wrap it all the way around your body. Try to keep your measuring tape in line with your belly button. For the most accurate measurements, stand up straight and breathe normally.
Chest Measurements: For an accurate chest measurement, take the end of your measuring tape and place it on the fullest area of your bust. From there, wrap the tape around your body, under your armpits, and around the blades of your shoulders. Then, wrap the tape tightly from the back of your body to the front, where you started.
Swing by Copper Penny and ask one of our friendly sales associates to help you out! While you're there, don't forget to check out our huge selection of women's tops in Beaufort, SC.
Looking to take your style to the next level? You can also get in touch with a personal stylist directly from our website. With a personal stylist by your side, you can find stunning looks for specific occasions, using comfortable clothing in your favorite colors and cuts. Copper Penny is your one-stop-shop for fashionable, fun, fabulous designer clothing in Beaufort. But don't take our word for it's come see for yourself!
The Lowcountry’s tradition of helping its neighbors continues this Christmas, ensuring everyone can enjoy a home-cooked holiday meal.For those who may not have family nearby, plans for Christmas Day or simply want to share the holiday with others, two Beaufort area eateries will offer free community meals to celebrate the holiday.Here’s where folks can find free, community Christmas meals this year:A Christmas Community Lunch at Sea Eagle MarketA Christmas Community Lunch offering connection and comf...
The Lowcountry’s tradition of helping its neighbors continues this Christmas, ensuring everyone can enjoy a home-cooked holiday meal.
For those who may not have family nearby, plans for Christmas Day or simply want to share the holiday with others, two Beaufort area eateries will offer free community meals to celebrate the holiday.
Here’s where folks can find free, community Christmas meals this year:
A Christmas Community Lunch offering connection and comfort will take place at Sea Eagle Market.
The lunch will be held on Christmas Day from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 2149 Boundary Street.
All are welcome, and the event is designed to ensure that no one has to spend Christmas alone.
Sea Eagle Market says guests can expect a warm meal, friendly conversation and good company.
This beloved, decades-old tradition continues on Christmas Day, starting at 2:00 p.m. at Hemingway’s Bistro on the Beaufort waterfront.
Hosted by Hemingway’s Bistro and Panini’s on the Waterfront, this annual free Community Christmas Dinner invites anyone to attend the potluck-style meal, where those who wish are encouraged to bring a side dish to share, though it is not required.
Hemingway’s and Panini’s donate their time to prepare the main entrées along with additional sides.
The meal is free and open to everyone, including locals and visitors who might otherwise have few options for spending the holiday.
Hemingway’s Bistro is located at 920 Bay Street in downtown Beaufort’s Waterfront Park, with Panini’s next door at 926 Bay Street.
If we missed a spot, please email amiller@islandpacket.com to have it added to the list:
Ready to ring in 2026?Residents and holiday visitors across the Lowcountry will have several chances to celebrate the New Year with events, ball drops, dinners and waterfront fireworks on New Year’s Eve.From Hilton Head Island to downtown Beaufort, communities are offering family-friendly events to welcome the year ahead.Here’s a running list of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day festivities taking place across Beaufort County:Hilton Head IslandOne of the area’s most popular N...
Ready to ring in 2026?
Residents and holiday visitors across the Lowcountry will have several chances to celebrate the New Year with events, ball drops, dinners and waterfront fireworks on New Year’s Eve.
From Hilton Head Island to downtown Beaufort, communities are offering family-friendly events to welcome the year ahead.
Here’s a running list of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day festivities taking place across Beaufort County:
One of the area’s most popular New Year’s Eve celebrations, Harbour Town’s New Year’s Eve Ball Drop.
Taking place at 149 Lighthouse Road, this event features entertainment, food and music. To celebrate the start of 2026, an illuminated ball will drop twice — once at 7 p.m. for families with younger children and again at midnight to welcome the New Year. The $9 Sea Pines gate fee is needed for entry.
In addition to the onshore festivities, guests can celebrate from the water aboard the New Year’s Eve Dinner Cruise with Vagabond Cruise. The cruise runs from 5 to 7 p.m. and departs from the Harbour Town Yacht Basin. Dinner is included and reservations are required. Tickets are $109 for adults and $70 for children aged 3 to 12.
For those in search of fireworks, in Beaufort, the New Year will be welcomed with a fireworks display over the Beaufort River at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.
Set against the backdrop of Beaufort’s historic waterfront, the display is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m., lighting up the sky with colorful bursts over the river.
Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and arrive early to secure a good viewing spot along the waterfront. This event is free and open to the public.
Below is a list of restaurants serving prix fixe meals or hosting New Year’s Eve celebrations. Click on each restaurant to be directed to the webpage.
If we missed a spot, please email amiller@islandpacket.com to have it added:
Hilton Head
Bluffton
Beaufort & Port Royal
Hilton Head Island will host its annual Polar Plunge at Coligny Beach on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.
Held at 1 Coligny Circle, the event begins at 9:30 a.m. with activities and t-shirts. The plunge into the ocean is at 11 a.m. This event is free.
The 16th annual Pelican Plunge will take place on New Year’s Day at Hunting Island State Park, located at 2555 Sea Island Parkway.
Festivities begin with a costume parade at 12:30 p.m., followed by the official plunge into the ocean at 1 p.m. The event features prizes, food trucks and commemorative T-shirts for participants.
Tickets are required to take part in the plunge. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
Federal regulators cited Beaufort Memorial Hospital for multiple policy violations that led to a woman giving birth unassisted in the campus’ parking lot in March.A Statement of Deficiencies submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services details noncompliance with 1986’s Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, which requires hospital staffers to evaluate and treat anyone who arrives with an emergency medical condition.The report chided the hospital for incomplete EMTALA training that did not...
Federal regulators cited Beaufort Memorial Hospital for multiple policy violations that led to a woman giving birth unassisted in the campus’ parking lot in March.
A Statement of Deficiencies submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services details noncompliance with 1986’s Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, which requires hospital staffers to evaluate and treat anyone who arrives with an emergency medical condition.
The report chided the hospital for incomplete EMTALA training that did not include definitions, policy requirements and on-call physician guidelines. It was BMH’s first violation of this type since 2010, according to federal records.
The report says the hospital lacked a staffer in a critical triage position when the woman’s partner rushed into the emergency room around 7:30 a.m. March 11 as she waited in the car. Her partner told staffers her water had broken as they turned into the hospital and she “felt the baby’s head coming out.”
Emergency room personnel told the man to drive to the nearby Birthing Center, according to the report, but no one from the department came to talk to the woman “to evaluate the situation” and determine if the trip was safe for her to make.
Construction on the hospital campus and closures on certain portions of roadways left the couple struggling to find the Birthing Center, the report says. The woman’s partner went into the Surgical Center for help. The woman “delivered a baby boy in the car alone” and without the assistance of staff, the report said. Staffers arrived to find the newborn on her chest.
Surveillance footage from that morning showed a red, “Jeep-like” vehicle pulling up to the ER and rushing inside. In the passenger seat was a woman in “birthing position,” with her feet resting on the dashboard.
The patient care technician on duty at the time later told interviewers there had been no triage registered nurse assigned to the ER lobby, which violates the staffing protocol’s requirement to have always someone in that position on duty. Because the direct route to the Birthing Center was “walled off” by construction, the technician said he told the woman’s partner that it would be faster for him to drive her over.
“I should never have done that,” the technician said in an interview, referring to sending the couple by car to the Birthing Center without going outside to assess the situation. When the man came in asking for help, the technician did not call back to the department’s charge nurse, which is protocol when a triage nurse is not present.
A department manager told interviewers “there was no excuse” for the oversight and that the patient should have been assisted into the ER for examination. The manager confirmed their policy requires patients in all childbirth cases to be transported by hospital staff to the Birthing Center.
Regulators found not all hospital staff had received the same EMTALA training. The report ends with observations of gaps in the hospital’s childbirth policies, such as a lack of a “defined obstetric triage process” based on national standards.
Federal officials approved a plan submitted by Beaufort Memorial to amend the violations detailed in the report, according to reporting from The Post and Courier. The hospital instituted new online training that is required for all staff members and pledged to have a nurse stationed at the emergency room’s reception desk at all times.
Asked to comment on the federal report, a spokesperson for the hospital sent a statement from Russell Baxley, the president and CEO of Beaufort Memorial.
“We take our obligations under federal law very seriously. Patient safety and access to emergency care remain our highest priorities,” Baxley wrote in the statement. “Beaufort Memorial remains committed to those priorities and compliance with law. At this time, the matter is not closed, and no further comment will be made.”
Founded in 1944, Beaufort Memorial Hospital is chartered by the state and governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees appointed by Beaufort County Council. Its plans for expansion include new locations in Bluffton and on Hilton Head Island.
A former high-ranking Beaufort County employee violated the state’s ethics act by using his position to obtain free architectural work for a personal home renovation, the South Carolina Ethics Commission has ruled.The Dec. 11 decision came more than a year after the commission first received a complaint about Eric Larson’s behavior and he resigned from his role with the county.Larson, who served as the county’s Capital Improvements Project director until his resignation in June 2024, was found to have knowingl...
A former high-ranking Beaufort County employee violated the state’s ethics act by using his position to obtain free architectural work for a personal home renovation, the South Carolina Ethics Commission has ruled.
The Dec. 11 decision came more than a year after the commission first received a complaint about Eric Larson’s behavior and he resigned from his role with the county.
Larson, who served as the county’s Capital Improvements Project director until his resignation in June 2024, was found to have knowingly used county time and resources to have one of his subordinates draft architectural plans for a sun room addition in his home, according to the Commission’s written order obtained by The Island Packet by the complainant.
Larson’s was one of a string of high profile positions that were vacated following the aftermath of former County Administrator Eric Greenway’s exit from Beaufort County in 2023. He was also one of several former Beaufort County employees to face ethics complaints for their conduct while employed.
Larson is now Jasper County’s director of development services, County Administrator Andrew Fulghum told The Island Packet.
The commission determined that Larson violated the state’s ethics law by having a county employee, who reported to him directly, work on a personal project during the workday while using county equipment.
The employee, Construction Manager Mark Sutton, testified that he spent at least 20 hours of county time creating and revising the plans. He also said he felt pressured to comply with the requests of his superior, who had previously discussed promoting Sutton, according to the report. He told the commission that Larson would stand at his desk until edits to the plan were made.
He told the Commission that when Larson received the ethics complaint, he encouraged Sutton to deny he worked on the plan during county hours. Sutton retired from his county job earlier this year.
Larson argued that when he approached his employee about the work, Sutton offered to do it for $1,000, which Larson said he fully intended to pay. He testified that any workplace conversations they had about the plans would happen in between county tasks and that he did not stand over Sutton’s shoulder to make sure he did the work at the office.
The ethics act prohibits public employees from knowingly using their position to obtain an economic interest, or anything more than $50, for themselves. The commission found that Larson had done this, and that county time and resources were used to create the plan.
The Ethics Commission issued Larson a public reprimand, or a formal statement of disapproval for the official’s ethical violation. They also ordered him to pay a $2,000 civil penalty, a $1,500 administrative fee and to reimburse Beaufort County nearly $2,000 for the value of the architectural work.
By Delayna EarleyThe Island NewsThe City of Beaufort has enacted a ban on the release of balloons filled with helium into the air – a first for the state.Beaufort’s City Council members passed the ordinance unanimously during their Dec. 9 meeting on its second reading and this extends an existing ordinance banning the release of balloons from city-owned property.Jenn Clementoni, executive director of the Carolina Bight Birding Center, was a large proponent of the ordin...
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
The City of Beaufort has enacted a ban on the release of balloons filled with helium into the air – a first for the state.
Beaufort’s City Council members passed the ordinance unanimously during their Dec. 9 meeting on its second reading and this extends an existing ordinance banning the release of balloons from city-owned property.
Jenn Clementoni, executive director of the Carolina Bight Birding Center, was a large proponent of the ordinance, said that releasing balloons is dangerous to domestic and wild animals and pollutes our water, marshes and shorelines.
She said that the balloons are not biodegradable and they do not just go away.
The ordinance was introduced in November with language modeled after the bill proposing a statewide ban, H-3047, that was introduced in January 2025 in the statehouse but has not yet made it out of the House.
City Councilman Josh Scallate said before council voted that the city’s ban will hopefully just be the first and actions have already been taken to try and encourage Beaufort County and other municipalities in the region to adopt similar ordinances.
He stated that a formal presentation about the ban is expected to be made during the Southern Lowcountry Regional Board’s Jan. 27, 2026, meeting in hopes of getting more ordinances passed to show support for a statewide ban.
Violation of the ordinance is a misdemeanor offense and is punishable by a fine.
The ordinance does allow for balloons released indoors, hot air balloons that are recovered after launching and balloons released by governmental agencies intended for meteorological studies and research.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at .
