After a three-year hiatus, designer Mina Stone has finally moved back to Brooklyn and relaunched her eponymous label, bringing her hand-dyed silk dresses and cotton voile skirts to the selective racks of Stuart & Wright and Steven Alan. The Pratt Institute grad — who spent her time off in Greece, designing and working as a personal chef — grew up shuttling back and forth between the Mediterranean and the East Coast. Fittingly, her silky dresses and gauzy jumpsuits would be as appropriate at a Greek resort as on a New York roof deck.
After graduating in 2004, she interned at Lutz & Patmos and worked as an assistant for renowned stylist Christine de Lassus, an experience that prompted her to launch her own label in 2006. The line’s inventive draping, ruching, cutouts, and pleats set it apart from the sea of summer’s silk frocks. “I believe that clothes that are practical can be wild and expressive at the same time,” says Stone. And although her vibrant dresses and tanks are an investment, they’re meant to carry you from day to night and require minimal styling. “I love when dressing is a one-step process,” she explains. “Each piece is simple, but interesting enough to stand on its own.” Click ahead to see more looks from her spring and fall collections.
