Vintage clothing stores make me feel a little melancholy, in a Toy Story 3 sort of way. They’re stocked with objects that were once madly loved by someone but then got cast aside.
Also like Toy Story 3, Westville’s Lower Forms gives them a chance to be loved again—or at least have their usefulness restored. My first great find was a Michael Bolton tee ($40) out of the late ’80s or early ’90s—the days of his megahits “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” and “When I’m Back On My Feet Again.” On black fabric, a blue-shirted, long-locked Bolton sits astride a chair, wearing an expression that’s either meant to be alluring or warning you to get off his lawn. Either way, it’s catnip for collectors, especially those who know Bolton grew up in New Haven.
Next, a collection of what the store called “teeny tiny skirts” caught my eye. My favorite was a tartan number in pink and black with ribboned bows and what Stanley Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada would call “a hint of saloon”—a fringe of lacy slip peeking out ($15). It definitely projected a Britney Spears-ish “naughty schoolgirl” vibe, and try as I might, I couldn’t find a top to match. Then again, I may have been thinking too conservatively. I did find a glaringly pink, heavy sequined top with a sheer midriff ($10) that would have been a perfect fit for Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie, though there weren’t any matching harem pants.
Dresses on display included formalwear reminding me of the costume design for Feud: Capote vs. the Swans. I can easily imagine Naomi Watts or Diane Lane in a velvety wine-colored number with a huge cowl neck ($30). Several other dressy dresses and skirts illustrated the charms of the uneven (or handkerchief) hemline, pioneered in the 1920s and revived in the late 20th century by designer Alexander McQueen. None of the gowns I saw were designer originals, but I liked a sleeveless black shift with embroidered pink roses and flourishes that fell farther on the right than the left ($25).
My favorite was a silky bright red frock in the window with a flouncy collar and rosebud at the waist ($20) that could fit right in at a high-profile occasion. I’m very partial to this color but was once warned off it by the owner of another Westville clothing store, her adage being: “When you wear red, dear, you don’t wear the dress; the dress wears you.” It’s true, stoplight red is domineering, and only a few women carry it well. Still, while most seek the perfect little black dress, I’m looking for the red dress of my dreams, even if this wasn’t quite it.
I also didn’t quite find the perfect piece of casual dinner- or even dressing-up-for-work-wear: a dark brown Talbot’s cardigan covered with red, blue and purple embroidered flowers and an assortment of green and gold stems and leaves ($25). A busy and particular design to be sure, but matching it with a nice khaki skirt or pair of slacks would’ve made me look like buttah. Alas, it was a size or two off.
In the end, I left Lower Forms empty-handed—unless you count the fully formed intention to let the stock turn over before continuing the hunt.
Lower Forms
16 Fountain St, New Haven (map)
Mon-Thurs 12-7pm, Fri-Sun 11am-7pm
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Written and photographed by Patricia Grandjean.
