Meet Gemma Redux

Why Rachel Dooley gave up law and feels really good about that.

The Gemma Redux creation story is not that of your typical jewelry line. Rachel Dooley did not spend her childhood playing dress up. She didn’t go to school for art or design. Instead, she hammered stained-glass mosaics in her garage, tie-dyed her bedspread, and graduated college with a degree in mechanical engineering. Then she moved to Manhattan, went to law school, passed the bar, and became a big-shot, no-bullshit city attorney. And on lunch breaks behind closed doors, she got a jewelry business off the ground.

“It was totally preposterous,” she says. “I was part of this huge firm, but I was hiding behind my desk responding to customer emails and packing orders.” As you’d expect, it became a lot to juggle. So she quit her job. “Looking back, my parents were like, ‘Oh my god, what are you doing?’” she laughs. “But once everyone saw the brand and identity I was creating, it became an exciting thing to get behind.”

Her line Gemma Redux, which means reconstructed gems in Latin, has grown and evolved since she launched it in 2007—her pieces have shown up on Gossip Girl and on A-list celebs. And 2010 was a banner year: The CFDA chose her to be one of a dozen designers in the inaugural class of their Fashion Incubator program. She has since shown at fashion week and collaborated with Bibhu Mohapatra—basically, she’s not quitting (or slowing down) anytime soon. —lydia woolever

Get your hands on Rachel’s edition now! The coral-fueled necklace she made for Of a Kind will punch up your spring look in a hot second.

Fave Look: Bibhu Mohapatra

Least overwhelming fashion week coverage ever: One look we love from the fall 2012 shows we care about. See more hits here, and click thisaway for the full collection.

46 Fashion Designers You Should Be Following on Tumblr

Fashion Week is hectic and exhausting—even if your front-row seat is your Tumblr dashboard. But it’s also fun, and whenever it’s over, we feel a sense of, “Well, what now?” So, to keep you (and us) entertained throughout the year, we compiled a list (alphabetized, NBD) of fashion designers—up-and-comers and established powerhouses—whose Tumblrs you should be following, stat. Now’s the time to abuse that like button. —jiayi

• Alexander McQueen
• Alice & Olivia
• BCBG Max Azria
• Bibhu Mohapatra
• Billy Reid
• Collina Strada
• Clare Vivier
• Dannijo
• Dolce & Gabbana
• Donna Karan
• Dream Collective (peep the cuff the designer, Kathryn Bentley, made just for us!)
• Edun
• Erin Considine
• Erin Fetherston
• Giambattista Valli
• Gretchen Jones
• Gucci
• Helmut Lang
• The Hill-Side
• Jason Wu
• JF & Son
• Juicy Couture
• Kaelen
• Kate Spade
• Katherine Kwei
• Katie Ermilio
• Kelly Bergin
• Mociun
• Moises de la Renta
• Nicole Miller
• Norma Kamali
• Oscar de la Renta
• Pamela Love
• Prabal Gurung
• Rachel Roy
• Rebecca Minkoff
• Sophie Monet
• Stefano Gabbana
• Symmetry Goods
• Thakoon
• Tibi
• TOMTOM Jewelry
• Tory Burch
• Toujour Toi & Family Affairs
• RED Valentino
• Vena Cava

Of a Kind