Mina

As a frequent consignor, this store and particularly Edward, is a dream to work with. I have unloaded my fashion mistakes and finds and to good results. Most recently, I’ve been needing to purge to faciliatate moving apartments. Having worked with numerous consignment places, it’s nice to work with nice genuine people who actually know their stuff! The store selection is fantastic as well — a collection of beautiful pieces of fashion history from the who’s who of designers.

A pleasant find while I waited for my dinner reservation next door. The sales person was very nice and took the time to explain to me the store, the refund policy and pointed out which racks were on sale. I have to admit I went to the handbag section hoping to get a steal, but instead found bags that are worn out with visible signs of fading or scratches. The shoe section had insane deals, but I’m just not the type to wear used shoes. The selection of clothing is impressive. Although a great deal from the retail price, beware that it’s discounted for a reason… out of style, worn down, or slightly damaged. Don’t fear… there are plenty of options to find your perfect «little black dress» — the best part of the store.

I finally got around to checking out Mina and it lives up to the hype. It’s a gigantic store and it’s laid out like a nice boutique. I was actually worried when I stopped by on my way back from the gym that the sales people would be rude to me, given my slightly disheveled appearance, but, nope! They greeted me warmly and were very nice!
So, the clothes are a mix of new and consignment — pre-​worn, if you, will by celebs and models and who knows who else — and there’s a lot of them, if you are looking for inspiration and/​or to blow some serious cash, it’s not possible to walk away from Mina without at least a few pieces.
I also love that they also use their blank walls to display art/​photography exhibitions. They had some amazing b&w photographs up when I visited.

I read about Mina in WWD; it’s a retail outlet for garments that were once housed in (and rented from) the Albright Fashion Library.
The Albright Fashion Library is a mecca of designer clothing. Unfortunately, it’s not accessible to normal people like me. Stylists, celebrities, and fashion insiders can rent –for a fee– garments from the Albright Library to wear to events, for movies, or any other occasion where expensive fashion is needed short term.
Mina, open to the public, is Albright’s rejects. Of course, «rejects» is a rather severe word since clothes have to be fashionable to make it into the Albright Library. Nevertheless, the garments in Mina are sent there for a reason: either they’re getting dated, being rented infrequently, or have been in the library for a really long time.
Sadly, I was underwhelmed by the garments at Mina. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I was hoping to walk into Carrie Bradshaw’s closet and instead the garments were much more ordinary. I wanted eccentric, unique, timeless, one-​of-​a-​kind pieces, but those were sorely lacking. This was most poignant when I found a skirt that I purchased about 5 years ago and donated to Goodwill 3 years ago.
That all being said… this is a good place to find diamonds in the rough. Some garments were awesome, yet it’s luck if you fit into them or run into them before someone else does. As for price, 70−90% off original pricing sounds amazing, but be warned, that does NOT mean things are cheap.

This place is EVIL if you are a girl and loves shop. Although I wasn’t be able to find anything in my size but they do have great sections. top brand names.
Great shoes sections too. I would be so broke if they had my size. In the way I was glad =)
Ladies go check it out!

Just got back from the Mina store launch party, hosted by Mintbox. It’s a huge store, with styles like Chloe, Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang, Stella McCartney and Cynthia Vincent.
The walls are covered with great paintings and artwork, and DJ Ahmed was rocking the sounds…