Elinor Coleman Vintage Mirage

BEWARE.
I went in today while shopping on King Street and was disappointed. The staff were unfriendly and treated me like I was an inconvenience or even suspicious. There is no indication anywhere that bags are not allowed, yet I was asked to hand over my very small shopping bag and wristlet.
I walked through the shop once and was almost immediately asked if I wanted my bag back before leaving. I wasn’t leaving, and had given no indication that I might be.
The items for sale varied wildly between actual vintage and simply second hand, but there was no discrimination when it came to price. Mall brands from five years ago were priced outrageously high, and actual vintage was worse. $ 200 for a dumpy 60s house dress? They are also reselling leg Avenue tights for nearly double msrp. Why would anyone purchase any of these things? There was nothing special and there’s no organization. If you know what you are looking for, there are other vintage shops in the area. Beware.

Friendly staff and a nice selection of vintage jewelry! I purchased a pair of screw back clip-​on earrings for my wedding day. I didn’t have a chance to check out the clothing and other accessories but I will definitely return in the future.

Buyer beware. Know your labels if you are seriously looking for vintage products. I was searching for a unique evening gown and really was struggling to find something that fit and was made to feel like a huge inconvenience to them. I did purchase a unique item, though. I will not shop there again. :(

This place apparently is so successful that it doesn’t need customers. I phoned ahead to find out the store hours. Open till 6, I was told. Got there at 5:49 to find the «closed» sign up and store employees looking at me through the locked door.

This is such a gem. My preferred souvenir from any vacation is an item of clothing from a local thrift or consignment shop — you just find such different stuff in different areas that it truly is a great and unique (not to mention practical) way to take a piece of a city home with you! I had a ton of fun shopping in Alexandria, but this was the only real vintage store I came across (as opposed to the many awesome consignment shops I happened upon, with more modern stuff on the racks).
This store is GREAT if you’re looking for actual vintage clothing. A ton of dresses to choose from and they are all helpfully tagged with bust and waist measurements. I saw a few adorable Mad Men-​esque 50s and 60s dresses in my size and really had a very hard time limiting myself to one item. In the end, I went with a Betsey Johnson skirt from the 80s or maybe early 90s. It hangs so beautifully and is so flattering; you just don’t find that kind of quality and attention to detail too easily.
Are you going to find a total steal here? Probably not. The stuff you’re buying is quality, and you’re going to pay a few bucks for it. But it’s definitely not over-​priced, in my opinion. Dresses seemed to run about $ 150 or so — quite reasonable for what is being sold.
There are a ton of adorable hats as well, but I found myself truly enchanted by the jewelry up near the register. I ended up impulse-​buying a costume jewelry ring for a very reasonable $ 15. (I regret nothing!)
I will absolutely stop in here again next time I’m in the area. The woman who owns the place is also incredibly friendly and very helpful — she mentioned having a bunch of off-​season stuff in the back and told me to e-​mail her anytime for pictures or with questions. Really, it was just an all-​around great experience!

I LOVE this store! The staff was sooo friendly and polite; it was such a pleasurable experience to browse the unique finds here! The hat selection alone is great, I wish I had an occasion to wear a pillbox hat with a veil, they have several lovely ones.
There is also a large jewelry selection, lots of brooches, clip on earrings, etc.
There was a sale going on when I was there, and I think they have them every so often. I really wanted to buy something, but I was mainly just browsing. I will definitely be back to check the jewelry out more thoroughly, and will bring my out of town girlfriends here as well!

This place has the most helpful employees in the entire world. I came in because I need to dress up as a 1960s housewife for a show. Aisha (not sure on spelling) immediately started finding me tons of dresses to try on. She was friendly and she and Megan quickly helped me come up with the perfect look. I am SO impressed with the customer service here and with what I purchased. Thanks Vintage Mirage!

Hi folks! It’s been nearly a year since my last disastrous visit to Elinor Coleman’s. I’ve been looking for vintage or vintage-​styled hair combs for a while, and thought I’d give it another shot… big mistake! Elinor continues her misleading pricing and labeling habits. Her assistant showed me metal alloy and rhinestone hair pins marked ‘Made in Korea’ and priced at $ 37 apiece. The exact same combs are for sale in a kiosk at Pentagon City for about $ 10. She also had rhinestone hair combs marked at $ 45 apiece — the same kind you can buy at Claire’s (where I ended up getting hair combs for about $ 12 each).
While at the store, I also saw a pair of purple and black striped thigh-​highs — the kind that come with the «sexy witch» or «sexy fairy» Halloween costumes — labeled as being from an estate sale and priced at $ 30.
has the same pair for $ 5.99.
I am seriously amazed that her store is still in business. The woman working there told me they’re moving to another location further up King Street, but I doubt her practices are going to change. It’s a shame because her store has a big selection, but she’s simply dishonest about her products.

Sign on the door said «be back in 5 minutes.» We waited for 20 and no one every came back. We looked around at some of the items that were sitting outside of the front door. Many were over priced. I had read Hasma H’s review concerning low end retail store products being falsely represented as «vintage» with inflated prices. Sure enough, my girlfriend found a pair of sunglasses that you can purchase at Target for $ 10. They were priced at $ 35… Steer clear. There’s other shops/​boutiques in the area.

My experience at Vintage Mirage has only improved in the number of times I’ve been there. However, this past visit really highlighted the benefits of shopping in small local boutiques! I was looking at the vintage jewelry (as per usual!) and the owner, Elinor, told me I needed to accessorize differently to look more put together for my presentations at work. She literally pulled jewelry for me, and was telling me the best ways to make accessories work for my body. It was so much fun– and a fashion education as well! And I have to admit that I really did look better.
I highly recommend this place for something unique– I saw a perfect condition, beaded, vintage wedding dress and a yellow silk, old hollywood looking wrap dress that someone thinner than me is going to absolutely rock.

I’m always on the lookout for vintage clothes and accessories so I was psyched to stumble across this place. It is a bit tough to find. on the second floor of what looked like a row house between Queen and Cameron streets.
But I guess that is part of shopping for vintage, the hunt! Elinors has clothes and jewelry from practically every era– current back through Victorian. And really unique décor pieces like throws and pillows.
I had a question about some depression glass that I have (was given to me by my mom) and the salesperson let me know that they do «estate consultations» here. Meaning that they’ll pay some good coin for vintage items.