Mia Mora
If you like what Maria Morales is wearing, ask her about it–she might just sell it to you off her back. Much of the stock at her vintage and designer resale shop, Mia Mora, which opened in December across the street from the Fireside Bowl, comes from her own collection, assembled over 30 years of satisfying a serious shopping jones. Her taste is broad, so her acquisitions range from a proper Christian Dior black silk damask suit to a wild pair of yellow-and-red pony-skin boots festooned with brocade and lace (which she says she only wore a couple times). I spotted a gray Armani suede suit, gold lame wedges, and lots of accessories that recall a more elegant era, including a brown velvet turban and taupe satin opera gloves. But there are plenty of more contemporary pieces too–wide belts, a tiny suede Abercrombie & Fitch miniskirt, Dolce & Gabbana vinyl-front jeans. Prices run from about $10 for small accessories to $500 or $600 for the high-end pieces. Morales, who worked at Carson’s on State Street in the late 70s and early 80s, can even do minor alterations. The small storefront is packed–there’s something to look at everywhere you turn–but Morales says it’s not even a quarter of what she’s got, and she doesn’t mind seeing her scores walk out the door: “It’s nice to see someone else taking pleasure in it.” Mia Mora is open Thursday through Saturday only.
