Theatrical Fashion at Mona-Lea's Boutique

For playwright, painter and boutique owner Mona Depena, fashion is an art form.

“It doesn’t matter what age or shape you are, you should always be able to express yourself with clothing,” she said.

But Depena, a former fashion punk who moved to the U.S. from Finland at age 17, found that difficult to do with the conventional clothing in New York City department stores. She frequented the Fashion District, ogling dresses in the windows of wholesalers, only to find that they sold exclusively to stores.

Depena window shopped instead and befriended Fashion District workers, who encouraged her to open her own store.

And last January, Depena found a tiny, narrow space for rent on Court Street. A few months later, Mona-Lea’s Boutique opened its doors. The shoebox-of-a-shop is bursting with colorful blouses, sequined skirts and flowy frocks, and dripping with handmade jewelry and silk shawls.

“It’s like a little treasure chest,” Depena said. “If you look hard enough you can find anything here.”

Depena brings her background in the theatre to play in the shop, too. The eccentric fabrics, bright colors and innovative designs all take a hint from costume design.

“I don’t think the clothing that I have would be here if I weren’t so influenced by theater,” Depena said. “Some of the pieces are just so theatrical.”

A few years ago, Depena wrote, produced and designed costumes and sets for a multimedia play, “Michael - a Story of Love.” With two other multimedia plays in the works, Depena knew she had to raise money and saw opportunity in opening a shop. The best part about Mona-Lea’s, she said, is that it combines all of her passions.

If all goes well, she'll set aside 10 percent of the profits to design her own clothing, and 10 percent to rent theater space for her company, Theatre of the Living Painting.

Often mistaken for a vintage store, Mona-Lea’s is a Court Street standout, both for its flamboyant fashions and low prices. The shop is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, and has a sidewalk sale each day, with pieces discounted to $10, $20 and $30.

“I try to be very reasonably priced because I believe that everybody should be able to afford clothing that’s unique and fun,” she said.

As a storeowner, Depena can now shop to her heart’s content at wholesalers. She buys weekly from funky Fashion District stores such as Body Language, Banana Lemon, Tempo, La Cite and Kikiriki.

Depena favors European-made clothing, silks and textured fabrics. She balances 18th century-inspired garb with more modern modes, and sparkly styles with everyday items. Her mother Lea, a painter who lives in Pennsylvania, selects more mature styles for the store.

“The whole idea was to create the perfect walk-in closet,” Depena said.

Since she opened in March, Depena has found a few regular customers, and she sometimes buys clothing with them in mind. Depena recently purchased a dress she knew regular Siham Othman would love. Othman, who works nearby at salon, shops exclusively at Mona-Lea’s.

“The clothing is comfortable, it’s different, it’s fashionable and it’s good quality,” Othman said. “Since I started shopping here, I feel like my style is changing, it’s getting better."

Penelope Vagelatos, who has lived in Carroll Gardens for 11 years, shops at Mona-Lea’s at least twice a week. She said other boutiques in the area can’t compare to Mona-Lea’s fun, affordable fashions.

“I have a pair of jean shorts that I bought down the street at for $100. I bought a pair from Mona-Lea’s for $30 — and they’re better quality,” Vagelatos said.

Mona-Lea’s is a great overall shopping experience, Vagelatos added.

“It’s small and it’s cozy, so you kind of have to dig around, or let Mona know what you want, and she’ll find it for you."

Depena also holds clothing for a week or more as a favor to cash-strapped customers.

“I have so much clothing that for me it really doesn’t matter, but if it makes a difference in somebody’s life to get that one particular item that they cant afford today, I’ll hold it for them,” she said.

Depena, who bartends on the side, says she plays more than she works at Mona-Lea’s. She enjoys picking clothes for conservative customers and dressing her less fashion-forward shoppers.

“It’s like playing Barbie,” she said. “They can come in here and say, ‘I’m looking for something black,’ and walk out of here wearing something bright orange. I love that. Then I feel like the right piece of clothing found the right body and I had a great day.”