Commuting - On One Mary Bars: Which Levers/Shifters?

My girlfriend bought a Bianchi Volpe on my recommendation. It's from the last year they were manufactured. She loves the bike, but is not too happy with the drop bars and brifters. She just doesn't find them comfortable and easy enough to use. She has tried for a while now to get used to them to no avail. My plan is to swap out the drops for the On-One Mary bars. They look like a happy medium: not too aggressive, not too relaxed. Plus, I think they will complement the classic beauty of the bike. This means I will also have to ditch the Tiagra brifters (which she doesn't like anyway). So I am looking for recommendations for brake levers and shifters that will work well with the Mary bars. The current setup is as follows:

Front Derailleur: Shimano Tiagra Triple
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Diore
Cassette: 9-Speed
Brakes: Cane Creek SCX-5 Cantis

I was thinking some simple thumb shifters would work well, but not sure if any are 9-speed compatible.

Also, would like some recommendations for the grips: something classic looking. Thanks.

If you want to save some cash get the SRAM Attack shifter (http://www.sram.com/en/srammountain/compatibleshifters/attack/index.php) (comes in trigger/paddle or twist, 2:1 ratio Shimano compatible). Any short pull brake levers should work...the Shimano BL-R770 seem to be out-of-stock and the cool Tektro CL510 with the ergo rubber inserts are only sold in Japan.

BUT you should really let your GF choose the handlebars. On-One Mary bars are pretty ergo, but she 'might' want some more traditional and just as ergo, like North Road bars.

Thanks for the info, Sci-Fi. As a matter of fact, I did some research and narrowed the choices to the Mary and the North Road. I showed her both, including some pics of each bar mounted on bikes, and she thought the Mary would suit her better.