The Style Spy: What's Old is New and Trendy Again

By Jan Tong, The Style Spy, February 12th 2014

Vancouver resale boutique Mine & Yours is turning conventional consignment on its head. Far from being a place where trends from yesteryear go to die, expect to find new or nearly new designer on-trend pieces at approximately 75% off retail prices. Items are regularly curated from the closets of local fashion bloggers, celebrities and stylists. If you have items to offload yourself, get them exchanged for cash up front or store credit.

During my visit to Mine & Yours I discovered a host of fashion treasures that would tickle any fashionista’s fancy: A beautiful nude Valentino rock stud handbag, a practically new Saint Laurent Classic Large Sac de Jour tote, and a ton of Louboutins and Prada shoes. Amongst the high-end labels, you can also expect to see a highly edited collection of mid-priced brands like Aritzia, Zara and Club Monaco. If you coveted something 1-2 years ago, here’s your chance at rekindling that missed connection. I spotted a gold sequin Club Monaco dress I refrained from buying a year ago for only $55!

Everything is nearly new and in great condition. And in case you were wondering, no, the clothes don’t have that musty smell you’d expect from the stereotypical consignment shop. I caught up with co-owner, Courtney Watkins to get the scoop on the covetable collection and the store’s “wish list” service.

How does consigning at your shop work?  How do you choose pieces and what labels do you covet the most?

We eliminate all the hassles of consignment (appointments, rules, waiting for a cheques etc.) by paying cash up-front for clothes! Customers wishing to sell to us simply bring us their clothing on one of our designated “buying days” (Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays), and we make them a cash offer on the items we’d like to have in our store.

Because we take on all the risk of resale, we are very selective about what we buy. Clothing must be in-season, on-trend, and in almost-new condition. We buy things we ourselves would be proud to wear.

Labels we love include: Isabel Marant, Alexander Wang, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Diane Von Furstenburg, Helmut Lang, Theory and Celine.

Do any of the pieces you’ve received have any interesting stories behind them?

Yes! Almost all of the pieces we buy and sell have great stories behind them. Fun examples include: a Chanel skirt purchased directly off the runway in Paris, a dress worn to the White House, and a Louis Vuitton dog carrier that was sold to us because “the dog got too fat”. Pieces with a past also have a future. For example, we bought a pair of blue shoes from a fashion blogger and resold them to a girl who will get married in them!

We hear you have Chanel! Can you tell us about the pieces that have come through recently? 

Yes, we have a number of Chanel pieces at the moment, including an iconic bouclé little black dress, some classic two-toned shoes, sunglasses, gladiator sandals, and a black sweater skirt that they only made three of.

Tell us about the running “wish list” and how it works

If there is an item you are coveting but would prefer not to pay full price, let us know, and we’ll add it to our running “wish list” and call you when it comes in. Right now the top items are Louboutins, Cowachin Sweaters and anything Isabel Marant. We get new items in multiple times a week, and have made a number of successful fashion matches!

Mine & Yours is located at 1060 Hornby St in Vancouver, B.C.