Street Style: Meet Melanie Lester

I am pleased to introduce Melanie Lester, sales manager and jewelry designer here at Mystique. Her love for jewelry started at a very young age. Melanie's grandmother was from Thailand and would frequently have rolls and boxes filled with jewelry delivered to the house, from which she would choose her purchases and return the rest. Says Melanie, "As a little girl, I was delighted and amazed she would let me help her choose. She was the first to recognize my good taste in jewelry! "Melanie's love for jewelry continued through the years and always played a big role in her life. She started working at a family-owned jewelry store, Dodrill Jewelers, in West Virginia while attending Marshall University, and continued working there after graduating, staying for seventeen years while raising her beautiful family. After relocating to Virginia, Melanie worked for another local jewelry store before joining Mystique Jewelers in 2017."I have always worked for a family-owned business, and that is incredibly important to me. That is just one of the reasons I love working at Mystique," says Melanie. "The family atmosphere is appreciated by both staff and customers alike." Melanie is such a great asset at Mystique because she truly understands the process, having gone though it herself:

One of my most recent favorite jewelry moments was helping my husband design my engagement ring. I love that he felt a part of the creation of making this special ring as much as I did. Women, as you know, have thoughts, dreams and desires about owning a piece of jewelry that is as unique as they are. That is why I have always loved helping couples create unique pieces. My husband wanted something modern, and I had three choices picked out…it was the cutest thing ever sitting across the counter from him telling him all about color and clarity. In the end, though, he already knew I had it all picked out! Every time I receive a compliment on my ring, he does as well. He gets tickled about it."

Melanie Lester

Photography: Sarah Marcella Creative

Styled by: The Hive

ABOUT YOU

How do you spend your time? Enjoying my family and friends, exercising, painting, reading, and cooking

Neighborhood: Fairfax Station

What is your hometown? Huntington, West Virginia

What would surprise people about you? That I am half Thai

You’re a superhero: what’s your superpower? That I am an incredible multi-tasker!!!

Last book read or movie seen: Book: 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson; Movie: The Illusionist

Guilty Pleasure: London Fog

Phrase you overuse: Delightful

Facebook or Instagram? Facebook

Latest binge-watch: Man in The High Castle

Bucket list travel destination: Bora Bora or Phi Phi Islands

If you only could have one for the rest of your life: wine or coffee? WINE! 

FASHION

Define your style in three words or less: Yin & Yang

The go-to piece in your wardrobe: A t-shirt

Beauty product you can’t live without: Sunscreen for the face

Favorite fragrance: Stella McCartney

Heels or flats? Mixture of both

HOME

Favorite room in your home: Kitchen

Antiques, modern, or a mix? Modern

Last item bought for your home: A plant

Favorite way to entertain: We love to entertain on our back patio

Clutter-free or well lived-in? Clutter-free and less to dust!

Wallpaper -- yes, totally modern or no, so dated: Just removed the last room with wallpaper; totally modern! 

FITNESS

Your go-to work-out: Running and weight lifting

Most fun way to exercise: Paddle-boarding, biking, running, tennis, golf

Group exercise or solo: I enjoy working out with my husband

Proudest fitness achievement: Seagull Century and Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

ALEXANDRIA

Favorite spot in Alexandria: Hard to pick just one because I keep discovering a new place all the time!

Last purchase in Alexandria: A teapot from The Torpedo Factory 

Previous
Previous

How To Get More Style Points with Prints

Next
Next

Next Weekend: Gigi New York Is Back (and the Trunk Show Specials Are, Too)