August is one of my favorite months! It’s my son Truman’s birth month (he turns 5 this year!), the sun is always shining, beach weekends are priority #1, and I insist on some me-time before the start of the fall fashion rush. Long days spent in swimsuits and barely-there dresses mean jewelry and accessories take center-stage! Understanding that these adornments are often the heart of an outfit, I tapped designer Alyssa Wasko of LA-based brand, Donni, as this month’s Finding. She started making scarves in college to cope with the sudden loss of her father, Donald, and almost overnight her side hustle became a full-fledged business. Soon after she was selling nationwide & she was recently named one of Forbes 30 under 30 – what a feat! From her signature wraps and head pieces to her baroque pearl encrusted barrettes and casual wear, her pieces are the perfect addition to any ensemble. During our styling sesh, Alyssa was not shy about piling it on! She chose thick bands, diamond signets, chunky cuffs and mega-watt necklaces to accent her mustard Donni Bow Tank and sun-kissed skin! Alyssa is vibrant, easy-to-love and a true go-getter. We both know the power of a statement accessory…it can make (or break) any outfit! But even more than that, as Alyssa and her brand ethos attest, when you ‘feel good, you look good.’ Amen, style sister! | photos by annie mcelwain |

During her stying sesh, Alyssa went straight to the biggest, baddest rings she could find! On one hand she went all signets - 4 in all - including our star set signet, large oval signet, marquis diamond signet, and pear and pave signet. Boom! On the other hand she focused on diamonds sleek bands choosing our star set half round ring paired with the marquis diamond wide flat band and the pear and pave wide flat band matched with bezel set emerald cut diamond ring. She nailed the ring thing!

Self-proclaimed “grannie-chic”, Alyssa has a deep respect for accessories that never go out of style, like the Cartier Love Bracelets she wears on both wrists. To accent these forever bracelets, she chose our 14k half round cuff and 14k half round star set cuff. On the other wrist, she opted for our diamond bar tennis bracelet and small single diamond curb chain bracelet to contrast her dainty everlast heart charm bracelet – yep, that’s right - Alyssa got #charmed4life at our debut event in LA!

Because she only has 1 piercing in each ear, she didn’t realize there were so many fun ways to create an ear story without adding extra holes! We introduced her to 2 of our newest ear cuffs – the wide round chubby ear cuff and thick pave ear cuff - and she was smitten! She chose to mix and match studs, opting for 1 emerald cut diamond stud and 1 marquis and pave diamond halo stud, adding some major sparkle factor. We all fell in love with the color of her Donni Bow Tank - it really made the herringbone chain with emerald diamond slide, star set round locket and medium diamond sunbeam medallion POP!

Besides drowning ourselves in a sea of gold and diamonds, we shared stories of our fave travel destinations, the ups and downs of travelling with friends and we even swapped recommendations for our next trips across the pond! Alyssa is the epitome of summertime – she’s cool like the sea, bright like the sun, easy-breezy like a warm afternoon and, just like summer, we never wanted to see her go!