Boutique offers designer style consignment

Tina Land's store, The Diva's Closet, is well-known for having some of Austin's most attractive mannequins, which remind her of her favorite childhood toy, Barbie.

"Everyone comments on the mannequins; they say we have the hottest mannequins in town," Land said.

The manicured mannequins complement the girly atmosphere that Land wanted to create when she opened her store in June 2012. The Diva's Closet is an upscale consignment boutique that sells clothing, shoes, accessories and jewelry in women's, juniors and children's sizes.

The store carries more than 500 brands and specializes in designer labels. Customers can shop or bring in items of their own to sell on consignment.

Just in time to celebrate the store's one-year anniversary, Land launched an online store that allows customers to shop for items that are carried in the store.

Before selling designer wares in the store, Land worked in the medical field for many years, but her love for fashion can be traced back to age 10, when she made clothes out of towels and fabric for her Barbies. She said she hopes to design her own brand to sell in her store.

Using the name the_divas_closet, Land sold her personal items items on Ebay for 11 years. She now uses social media tools and gets involved in charity events to promote her business.

"I'm just trying to give back to the community and the fashion world," she said.

Land has about 550 consignors who contribute to the store's inventory. Julie Petrovic, a regular shopper and consignor at the store, said she uses The Diva's Closet to clean out her closet and get a good price for her designer items.

"It's not like a regular consignment shop," she said. "I think sometimes there is that perception that consignment shops are like garage sales that happen to be in stores, and this is not the case at all."

Diva Coffee Scrub

• $29.99 for 12oz., $19.99 for 8oz.
• Owner Tina Land makes her own body scrub, which is meant to be used to exfoliate and soften skin and reduce cellulite. Ingredients include coffee grounds, brown sugar, sea salt and various oils, including almond, coconut and grapeseed.

Recommended use

• Use three times a week on the body. Do not use on the face.
• Apply the scrub to your body in the shower and rinse, or apply to your body, cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes and then rinse.

How it works

• The caffeine in the coffee grounds firms skin, reduces cellulite and helps rid toxins and water in the body. The sea salt softens and exfoliates skin and helps absorb the antioxidants in the coffee grounds. Brown sugar is a natural source of glycolic acid, which helps improve skin texture and protects from toxins. The oils in the scrub tone, plump and moisturize the skin.

How to consign

• Bring clean and ironed items into the store. Items must be new or in excellent condition.
• Land sorts and prices items within 14 days.
• Items go out on the floor and are kept there for 120 days. The price of the item is discounted 10 percent every 30 days it has been on the floor.
• Consignors typically receive between 50 percent and 60 percent of the total selling price.

Brands at The Diva's Closet include

• Burberry
• Cartier
• Chanel
• Christian Louboutin
• Coach
• Fendi
• Jimmy Choo
• Louis Vuitton
• Nanette Lepore
• Prada
• Roberto Cavalli
• Stewart Weitzman
• Tiffany & Co.
• Tori Burch
• Vera Wang

The Diva's Closet, 11521 N. RM 620, Ste. 275, 512-433-6643

www.thedivasclosetaustin.com, Hours: Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Closed Sunday