Hi, I'm Hannah. NAiiA's marketing manager, longest-standing employee, and someone who spends most of her time happily behind the scenes. If you follow the brand, you probably know my work without knowing my face. So if this feels a little new for me — it is.
To start, I'm California born and raised. Orange County roots, San Francisco transplant. I own zero winter coats that are actually functional, and for years my honest hot take on New York was "it's fine, but...why would you choose that?" I've been a couple times. It always felt like a lot — a lot of noise and a lot of people who walk like they're perpetually late to something important. I'd come home to my perfect weather and accessible beaches and feel confirmed in my choices.
And then last week, I went back for a work project (can't spill much on that yet). And New York absolutely got me. I have too much to say about the city, places, and fashion I witnessed to not write it down, so consider this my full debrief.
The Snow Situation
I need to talk about the snow first because it was genuinely one of the most disorienting but magical experiences of my adult life. Hear me out — I don’t remember the last time I stood outside while snow was actually falling. So when the forecast started buzzing a couple days before, I was excited to say the least.
Then came the blizzard. My flight home got cancelled. Maybe it's a sign? I'm definitely not ready to move there (the rent alone is a personality disorder), but something shifted.
What I Wore (and What I Noticed)
Okay, I work at a jewelry company, so you knew this was coming. After two years at NAiiA, jewelry is the one thing I overpack for on every trip. When most people think "layering" for a New York winter, they mean thermals and turtlenecks. When I think of layering, I mean which pieces are going on top of each other and in what order.
My non-negotiables this trip: the Maeve Pearl Hand Chain and my beloved Luna Earrings (I wear these literally every single day and have gotten countless unsolicited compliments on them). For New Yorkers, the coat is the main character. For me, the jewelry always is — and no blizzard was going to change that. The one thing I did not account for: knit gloves. I put the hand chain on over them and walked outside like that, and I think that tells you everything you need to know about me.
Speaking of — street style there in winter is serious. I will give it to the New Yorkers, everyone just looks cool. Nothing reads as too much or too extra there. The city has this energy where bold choices feel completely natural, whether it's 2pm on a Tuesday or midnight on a Saturday. Then I spotted a couple of groups of girls in tiny tops, leather jackets, and tall black boots, clearly unbothered by the cold, and I smiled so hard. That's the spirit. That's New York.
Where I Actually Went
A few places I'd genuinely go back to since I can’t share exactly why I’m here:
Canto in the West Village for dinner — small, warm, incredible. The seats are very close together (is that just a New York thing? I think that's just a New York thing), and honestly it adds to the charm. The frozen espresso martinis were the highlight of my entire evening and possibly my week.
Mimi's Frozen Yogurt in SoHo — I am a froyo fanatic, and this is important context. San Francisco is tragically underserved in the froyo department (someone please fix this!) and I knew New York had the scene I was looking for. The line was a little insane but I'm not a complainer — it's part of the experience and the matcha syrup alone was worth every minute of it.
Brooklyn for nightlife: We started at Sauced which is the cutest, vibiest little wine bar. Got two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc there and heard it's even better in the summer, so I'm already mentally planning a return. Then we headed to Midnights, also in Brooklyn, and went straight to the basement. The music was incredible, the crowd was perfect. Hours went by – I have no notes.
My Thoughts on New York, As Honestly As I Can Put It
Here's my revised take, post-blizzard, post-conversion: California and New York are not actually opposites. They just prioritize different things.
California is space. It's the feeling that you could get in a car and drive until the noise stops. New York is density — of people, of food, of culture, of energy — and what I didn't understand before is that the density is the point. San Francisco, which I love deeply and will defend, is a strange middle child that perfectly satisfies the current stage of my life. But that's a whole other essay.
What I'll say is this: don't be so quick to write off a place just because you love where you already are. I was guilty of that with New York for a long time. I came back to San Francisco and felt the sun roll in and felt genuinely happy to be home. But I also already planned my next trip to New York while I was still technically stranded there. So.
New York also reminded me that jewelry is never an afterthought. In a city where everyone's bundled up and the coat does the work, the statement earrings, the hand chain peeking out from a sleeve — that's what people actually notice and ask about. That's what I noticed. It's what I've always believed working at NAiiA, and seeing it play out on the streets of Brooklyn and the West Village just made it feel more true. Shop the pieces I wore on the trip — and if this post has you thinking about your stack, we have some things worth looking at.