“Everyone who comes in here has to take their clothes off,” said Susie Plaisted, co-owner of .
Located off the beaten path on a lovely block of Columbia Street, which also features a cake shop and a view of Manhattan, Winkworth is a lingerie shop quite unlike any other lingerie shop - or any store at all, for that matter.
Don’t get too shy about stripping, though, because Plaisted will also call you “sweetie” and “dear” and on my first trip there about a year ago, she even gave me a glass of white wine to sip while I strapped on and tore off lacy garment after lacy garment.
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At the shop, which also has a sewing room in the back where stunning handmade slips are created, you’ll find rainbowed racks of soft lingerie; underwear and bras laid out on tables in spirals like pinwheel lollipops. Peacock feathers plume from behind mirrors, and dressing rooms are adorned with carpets, beaded pink lanterns and rows of high-heeled shoes.
Winkworth, which Plaisted opened with her partner Sonya Wells six years ago, identifies itself as somewhat of an “alternative” lingerie store.
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“We really like being silly,” Plaisted says, who herself is tall and regal, warm and open.
“Funny is sexy, sexy, sexy, as far as we’re concerned," she added.
Winkworth caters to the “friendly and vivacious woman.”
“I’ve watched Gigi, My Fair Lady and Funny Girl way too many times,” Plaisted reflects, siting these “transformation” movies as huge influences on her life view as well as her vision for Winkworth.
“I firmly believe in transformation – that’s what good lingerie does,” she said.
“A lot of women live in very dark places in terms of their body image,” reflects Plaisted. “I can change that in 45 minutes.”
Shops like Winkworth are, these days, a rare bird. Not just a mecca of lusciously delicate candy colored bras and undies, Winkworth creates an environment that is fun, lighthearted, personal and indeed, transformative.
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Bras range $40-$80
Handmade (and made to order) slips range $90-$175
Stop by for unofficial punk rock Sundays with shop girl Carla Rey
