Whoo! Mignonette is on The Street!

Exciting things today!


The article about the Ladies Independent Design League is up on Thestreet.com, and yours truly is on page 2! Check it out here, 'cause it's very exciting to get press always.

Delicious crush on Jewelry By Abby

As you might have noticed, I like shiny things, and I especially like brightly-colored, beautiful, well thought-out shiny things that I can wear. In fact, I have been known to abruptly break off conversations in order to press my face against the windows of certain stores in Soho.

As an unabashed magpie, my jewelry habit has a tendency to become somewhat problematic, so it's always nice when a designer comes along whose work is so well-edited that you cannot make a bad choice. One of my current favorites is Abby Umansky, the designer behind Jewelry By Abby.Abby's pieces go beyond mere bling - she takes into account the healing properties of the stones, the origins of the silver and gold, and the ability of each piece to act as a mood-enhancer (they certainly cheer ME up).

I had the good fortune to do a couple of shows with Abby this Spring, and convinced her to trade a one-off striped jersey halter with ribbon tie for a deep-orange chalcedony collar-style necklace with a delicate gold-chain setting. It is one of my favorite necklaces and leaves the house with me almost every day. Whenever I wear it people ask about it. I wear my chalcedony whenever I need to look more dressed-up; In fact I am wearing it right now and deciding which of Abby's new pieces should become my next all-time favorite. The colors that Abby picks for her jewelry are so vibrant that they look like little fruits piled on her display table; even the metals are unusually bright and shiny and light up your face when you put them on.

Luckily, Abby has also been blessed with a genuinely spot-on sense of what girls want to wear. Invariably she manages to mix findings, stones, and finishes that are the perfect combination of exotic, feminine, and urban, so that you can wear them with jeans or a flirty dress (my personal favorite) and look completely pulled-together. With prices ranging from $50 - $200 for special orders, they are also priced so that you can treat yourself to one (or two) and not feel any guilt.
But, as they used to say on Reading Rainbow - don't take my word for it. You can visit Jewelry by Abby here and pick up an all-time fave for yourself as well.