Mina Stone is an adorable oven mitt-wearing, sewing needle totin’ superhero. No, she can’t fly, move things with her mind, or shoot lasers from her eyes (as far as I can tell), but she will make you fall in love with her through her delicious cooking and beautifully designed clothing. I am very lucky to have consumed (more like devoured) some of her fine cuisine (I still dream about her carrot salad to this day), and I still wear her quintessential cotton summer dress from a couple of years ago. But as with all superheroes, they need to take a break. Luckily for us, Mina Stone is back! We are beyond thrilled about carrying her comeback collection of divine hand dyed silk frocks. And if it sounds like I have a girl crush on Mina, it's because I do.

Doris: Besides being an awesome human being and a talented fashion designer, you’re a gourmet chef. Tell us more about your love of food creation!

Mina: I love cooking because it makes sense to me. I feel like my brain can look at five ingredients, compute something and spit out dinner. I also definitely have some sort of Like Water for Chocolate relationship to cooking. I think whatever is going on in my head translates to what I am making...sort of a meeting between the emotional and the practical.

D: You’ve taken a brief hiatus from fashion for the past couple of years. What made you want to return to designing?

M: I have never thought of this before, but it is the same as cooking. Some feeling or person or thing inspires me and it whirls around in my head and spits out a dress. So during my hiatus, my problem was that this kept happening, which made me realize that no matter what I do it is just a part of me and I decided to completely dedicate myself to it. I actually just quit one of my most beloved cooking jobs and surprisingly it feels ok.

D: What inspired your Spring/Summer 2010 collection?

M: I rarely have super specific inspirations. It’s usually some feeling that somehow gets explored through the clothes. In this season, it found its way into all of the hand dyeing (and it is driving me nuts....if you could only see my hands). But I would say something about living in Greece fueled SS10. I don’t know what the feeling is, I’m still trying to figure it out. Sort of a longing but not belonging feeling. I designed it partly when I was there, and finished when I came back. And in practical news, I like designing things that barely touch your body in the summer.

D: Who or what are you in love with right now?

M: I’m in love with Kristian Fraga and macarons (though I think the latter happens to the best of us).

D: You’re in Brooklyn! Tell us about your favorite local spots to shop, eat, and visit.

M: I love the Fulton Mall because it somehow reminds me of Piraeus. I love Franny’s and the Fort Greene farmers market. And to shop? Stuart & Wright of course.

D: What’s the one thing in your closet you have worn over 100 times?

M: My vintage blue polyester dress with neon flowers I’ve had since I was 14.

D: What is your favorite vegetable and why?

M: Kale. I had 4 huge bags leftover after a dinner for 90 people and I roasted it, sautéed it, shredded it raw for salad and realized when it was all gone I had not gotten sick of it yet. It was almost disturbing really.

D: What album can you listen to all the way through, on repeat, for like 3 months straight?

M: Reasonable Doubt. Jay-Z.

D: If you could go back or forward in time, when would you most likely want to live out your teen years? Why?

M: Doris, this seems like a pretty sci-fi question...I really don’t know. 

D: Please share with our readers a favorite recipe that’s perfect for the upcoming warm, sunshine-y months (and for my own selfish reasons, please veganize it).

M: Here is one of my favorites and totally vegan of it’s own accord: green gazpacho.