Happy Halloween! I love dressing up, but store bought costumes are extremely expensive and cheaply made. I'm a big believer in putting together a costume from items you already own, so here are three costume ideas you can make from a black turtleneck and pants. Just change out the accessories and you're a different character!

Pizza is an iconic food of NYC and a staple in my diet. There are tons of options to choose from, but I have different go to spots for different reasons. Here is a list of my favorites:

If you just want a slice...

Joe's Pizza
Locations in Union Square, Times Square (my two favorite spots) and West Village
Their pizza is a thin crust and their sauce is super sweet, which is why it's my favorite. I love the fresh mozzarella and caprese slices.

Artichokes Pizza 
Locations in Gramercy, Meatpacking, West Village, Park Slope, Astoria, Bushwick, Williamsburg & Financial District  
My second favorite slice in NYC. It's thicker and bigger than Joe's. The margarita slice is my go to here. Pro tip: if you try the artichoke slice, you only need one because it's so filling!

If you want a whole pie...

John's Pizza 
Located in West Village & Times Square
You can only get a whole pie here, no slices! 

Prince Street Pizza
Located in Soho (on Prince Street, duh)
I've been here for slices, but I honestly don't get the hype. There is ALWAYS a line wrapped around the block, regardless of what time of day you come. However, I've ordered a pie here before and was more impressed with that than with an individual slice, plus you can skip waiting line if you order a whole pie. 

If you want a personal pizza...

Tramonti La Pizza
Located in East Village 
Solid sit down place with personal pies. They also have pasta too!


Speedy Romeo
Located in Lower East Side
They have lots of specialty personal pizzas. I love the classic margarita or the white album for something different. 

If you want nice aesthetics...

Paulie Gee's Slice Shop
Located in Greenpoint
This is where these photos were taken! Paulie Gee's is a Brooklyn staple. The original spot only serves full pies, but the slice shop just opened recently and is a retro dream. I had 2 slices of plain, but according to my friend Emily, the hot honey flavor is amazing.


Top: Vintage; Skirt: Forever 21; Shoes: Eastland Shoes
Location: Paulie Gee's Slice Shop (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)

Last week I received these super cool mood changing sunglasses from Rainbow Optx. I thought the orange pair would pop nicely against this blue dress I thrifted last weekend from L Train Vintage. 

You might have caught the before photos of this dress on my Instagram stories on Saturday. This dress is from the 80's (or possibly the early 90's), complete with shoulder pads and all. I know most vintage enthusiasts turn up their nose at clothes from the 80's, but I really loved the color and print, so I thought I could salvage this dress (especially since it was only $6). It turns out I could, as I was really happy with the end result. To make this dress more modern, I removed the shoulder pads, shortened the sleeve length by about 1-2", and took off 9" from the bottom of the dress. Sometimes all it takes is a few little tweaks to make a vintage dress modern. 

Sunglasses: c/o Rainbow Optx
https://rainbowoptx.com
​Dress: Vintage; Tights: H&M; Shoes: Eastland Shoes; Beret: old; Watch: MVMT
Location: Square Diner (Tribeca, New York)

Lately I've been reflecting on my personal style and how it comes across to people through Instagram. I am constantly examining my feed and thinking of ways I can improve it. Ideas for improvement often come from observing what works on other people's pages. It seems like girls who wear the same color in every photo or perfectly primped pinups grow in leaps and bounds, while my account is moving forward at snail speed. 


Of course feeds that are extremely cohesive are eye catching and are probably more likely to make you turn that "follow" button from blue to white. However, I have to ask myself, are these feeds even inspiring? Yes, when you first stumble upon them they look like a work of art. But then once you are following them, they become so predictable. Thinking about some of these cohesive feeds that I follow, of course I enjoy their photos, but it's rare that the photos from these accounts ever truly inspire me because they are so formulaic.


I think I have a recognizable style, but sometimes I feel like it's all over the place. Some days I look straight out of the sixties, and others I'm more modern with just a touch of vintage. Some days I'm All-American and others my inner Francophile comes out. But one thing I do know is that I am authentic and stay true to myself. I'm not going to confine myself to wearing one color or one decade just for the sake of social media.


If you'd like to shop my dress, you can find it here:
https://www.karinadresses.com/collections/all-work-all-play/products/naomi-dress-power-polka-dot?variant=9444050206767

​Dress: c/o Karina Dresses
Beret: Beau; Purse: No Fakes; Belt: J. Crew; Shoes: Steve Madden 
Location: Roxy Hotel (TriBeCa)

Last Sunday, I finally got to have breakfast at Tiffany's in the Blue Box Cafe here in NYC. The cafe opened in the Tiffany's flagship store last fall. I desperately wanted to get a reservation for my birthday last December, but it seemed impossible. You cannot call to make one, you have to do it online through Resy. They also do not take walk ins. The cafe is very small, and the reservations are gone in a blink of an eye. The reservations open up at midnight for the following two week period. You literally have to log on right at midnight to get a spot. Once I tried logging on the following morning at 7am and they were already all taken.


After several tries, I decided to give up and hoped that it'd be easier to get a reservation once the initial hype died down. Meanwhile, my aunt also continually tried to get me a reservation. Then a few weeks ago she received an email saying they had an opening for September 30th at 4pm, so that's how I was finally able to secure a reservation.


Going at 4pm actually worked out perfectly. The last seating for the day is at 4:30, so it wasn't crowded at all, which meant we could get some good photos. Even though it was afternoon, we were still able to get breakfast, as they serve it all day long. Breakfast cost $32 a person, and includes a pot of coffee or tea, a croissant with fruit, plus an entree. We got the Tiffany Tea, because when in Rome, right? For our entree, Desirae and I each got the waffle, which was delicious!  I was a little nervous about the food, as I read some mixed Yelp reviews. However, everything tasted great! It's slightly on the expensive side, but I thought for the food quality and ambience it was completely worth it. 


Of course Desirae and I both dressed up in our best Holly Golightly ensembles. I thought more people might be dressed up too, but surprisingly we were the only ones.


Overall, I would totally recommend the Blue Box Cafe! Whether you live in NYC or are just here visiting, if you're an Audrey fan, it's a must do.


To make a reservation, click here:
https://www.tiffany.com/Locations/EventDetail.aspx?eventid=1063#


If you’d like to shop either of my Holly Golightly costumes, you can find them here:
https://utopiat.com/collections/audrey-hepburn-collection
And you can use my code NICOLE13 for 13% off your order!