Smart Fashions Turn Heads At Sabrina Style

By Nancy K. Crevier

Irene Caulfield took a break of several years from the New York retail world she loved when she and her husband, Chris, moved to Newtown to raise her children, Katy, now 19 years old, and Chris, currently a senior at NHS. “I’m grateful that I was able to spend that growing up time with them,” said Ms Caulfield, the co-owner of Sabrina Style at 4 Washington Avenue in Sandy Hook Center, along with her husband. “But this has come along at the perfect time.”

Ms Caulfield is the primary shopkeeper during the spring and summer months when her golf-pro husband is busy, and he has more free time to help during the fall and winter, which are the busy months for the specialty dress shop. “It’s not something I could ever do alone, so this works out perfectly for both of us,” said Ms Caulfield.

But it was not just because the business suited their personal lives that the Caulfields decided to delve into the fashion world. Sabrina Style, a boutique featuring prom and wedding gowns, and special occasion dresses, opened in the historic former Sandy Hook Post Office building in May 2008, in response to the frustration Ms Caulfield said that she and other Newtown mothers experienced in trying to find formalwear for their daughter’s dance events, or for themselves.

“Malls don’t carry much, nor do they register the dresses. And outside of the malls, it seemed all of the stores were old-fashioned bridal shops. It was stressful, when it should have been a fun experience,” said Ms Caulfield.

Initially Sabrina Style — named for the Audrey Hepburn movie, and whose timeless and original style is a model for the store — carried just Sweet 16 and prom dresses, but the realization that the area was bereft of any stylish dress stores for the young or mature woman has led the Caulfields to expand the lines that they carry.

Bridal gowns, bridesmaids’ dresses, special occasion dresses, dresses for flower girls, and communion dresses have joined the racks of long and short prom dresses. Contemporary styles appeal to the mothers of the bride and groom, Ms Caulfield said, for whom 50 is the new 30. “They aren’t looking for the heavy, jacketed, brocade dresses that are often pushed on mothers,” said Ms Caulfield.

Sabrina Style is also a source for pageant dresses. “We were very happy that Melanie Varian, who is our Mrs Connecticut, was sponsored by us and wore two gowns from our store for the pageant in September,” said Ms Caulfield.

The shop carries a variety of sizes, but what makes Sabrina Style stand apart from other dress shopping experiences is that Ms Caulfield will fit the individual and order the perfect size, most of which are delivered by the next business day, or within two weeks at the latest. Sabrina Style also registers every dress sold, ensuring that a woman’s mirror image is not going to show up at the same event.

Personal service is another selling point of the small dress shop. “I can work from pictures or magazines or catalogs that a customer brings in, to find the right gown,” said Ms Caulfield. While she may not have the exact gown in her store, she can have the client try on one with a similar “body” to see if it works. This way, the customer knows that she will like the style before ordering the gown from a reputable supplier. Beware of trying on a designer gown in a store and then ordering it online from an unfamiliar discount retailer, cautioned Ms Caulfield. She has heard horror stories of women doing so and receiving a knock-off dress that is poorly made, does not fit, and may not even be the same dress at all. Her expertise and connections can help clients avoid such a sad outcome, she said, plus many customers find the perfect dress right in the shop. “I’m always excited to help someone find the dress that they will love,” she said.

The store is color-coded, with gowns in the blue and green color family grouped together, the reds and pinks together, and yellow, creams, and whites all together. It makes shopping easier, if a woman has a color already in mind.

She is pleased to be one of only two shops in Connecticut to feature the La Sposa wedding dress line, from Barcelona, Spain, and has bridesmaids’ fashions by Bari Jay and wtoo in the near future. Love by Enzoani and Liz Fields fashions will also be found at Sabrina Style, as is a line by French fashion designer Yasmine, with whom Ms Caulfield is collaborating on a line of destination wedding gowns. Designer brands from Faviana, Jovani, Alyce Designs, BG Haute, Terani, and Dave and Johnny are also among the styles sold at Sabrina Style, but that does not mean all come with a big price tag. “Dave and Johnny is a very reasonably priced designer,” pointed out Ms Caulfield, “and we carry dresses that start as low as $60. We have a lot of things that are moderately priced, and try to keep in mind the economy when pricing.”

The response to the shop has been very good, Ms Caulfield said. Girls stop in to the store, conveniently located just down the road from the high school, and then bring their mothers in to shop. The store is drawing customers not only from Newtown and area towns, but also from towns in lower Fairfield County and Westchester County. “I’m glad we made the move [to open a new business] even in this economic climate. We are networking with other local businesses, like Stephan Colbert Photography on Glen Road, and local florists, banquet halls, and salons. This way we all support each other, and I think so many people want to support local businesses. That’s the background of our country,” she said.

Because she knows how important it is to stay on top of the trends, Ms Caulfield and her daughter, a fashion merchandising major at the University of Delaware, visited the AmericasMart event in Atlanta, Ga., this summer, where three million square feet of merchandise allowed them to view and order the up-and-coming styles for the shop. “We saw a trend toward print gowns for this year,” Ms Caulfield said, and that trend for both long and short prom dresses and bridesmaids’ dresses will be firmly represented at Sabrina Style. Chiffons, taffetas, and satiny charmeuse fabrics are in fashion for all kinds of formal wear, she said, with higher end designs showing in silk, as well.

Like Cinderella, Sabrina Style shoppers cannot go barefoot to the ball. Sabrina Style has all sizes in stock of prom and bridal dress shoes from Colorific and Nina. For the finishing touches, elegant clutches, earrings, and necklaces to accessorize a special dress fill the cases at the checkout.

It is not all glitz and glitter at Sabrina Style, though. Denims by LTB and Shams, “boyfriend” jackets, T-shirts, and a selection of other casual clothing round out the displays, along with novel everyday handbags, and scarves, caps, and gloves from Nepal. The Caulfields are pleased to carry Toms Shoes, a casual slip-on with a cause. For every pair of Toms purchased, the designer purchases a pair of shoes for a needy child. To date, Toms has provided more than 70,000 pairs of shoes to children around the world.

Nor is it solely a woman’s world within the walls of Sabrina Style. For the guys who take their eyes off of the flat screen television above the comfortable “husband” couch (and from where shop dog Rudy, a Scottish border terrier, calmly invites a scratch behind the ears), quality men’s leather jackets beckon. Tuxedoes by George is tucked toward the rear of the store, as well, where once again the Caulfields have tuned in to trends. “The look is going away from the big tie back to bow ties, or the very narrow tie,” Ms Caulfield noted, “and cummerbunds are gone.” Formal attire for men now features a shorter jacket, unless the man is very tall, and flat front pants are preferred over pleated front pants. If a date has purchased her gown at Sabrina Style, the Caulfields and Ms Caulfield’s brother, George Martens, are happy to assist in matching the tuxedo to her gown, and helping find the proper fit for a tuxedo.

Sabrina Style will be presenting invitation-only trunk shows of designer collections, and fashion shows at area schools this coming winter, providing opportunities for women and young girls to find that one-of-a-kind dress, said Ms Caulfield.

“The impetus was to create a space with a modern approach, one that is relaxed and beautiful,” said Ms Caulfield. “I couldn’t have done it without the help and emotional support of my friends and family, though. With the store up and running now, I think we’ve found our niche.”

Sabrina Style is at 4 Washington Avenue, near the corner of Washington Avenue and Church Hill Road in Sandy Hook Center. The store is open Tuesday and Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 11 am to 7 pm; Thursday from noon to 8 pm; and Sunday from noon to 6 pm. Closed on Monday. For information call 203-304-1902, -mail sabrinastyle@charter.net, or visit sabrinastyle.com. Become a fan of Sabrina Style at facebook.com.