My original baby died today from complications of oral cancer. She was 13 1/2 years old. For long time followers you know she was on the recieving end of any and all "Indian mom in training" energy and love I had. She grounded me. Taught me to see the bigger picture. Defined unconditional love. I feel lucky to have known this incredible soul. Fortunate she chose me to be her mom. I want to thank the doctors at Blue Pearl Animal Hospital for taking such good care of her, specifically Dr. Jodi Kuntz, Dr. Andrew Kaplan from CityVet and Dr. Wendy Mcculloch at Pet Requiem. Thank you to all of my friends and family for being so supportive. Ferocious saw 3 presidents (one president elect), the first black president of the United States, cats become more famous than soap opera stars, the iPhone, the iPad, Facebook, Twitter, lived through a recession, met and charmed famous people in our home, survived pancreatitis, ingesting lillies, her brother dying, her mom getting married and Mayor de Blasio. She died the same year Bowie, Prince, Glen Frey, Muhammad Ali, Phife Dawg, Arnold Palmer, Leonard Cohen and Gwen Ifill. This was a life well lived.
How A Fox News Feminist Changed Things From the Inside Out
Feminism. When I was in the 7th grade the word made me want to apply to all women colleges (yes I was thinking about college at age 11). When I got to Smith College and graduated to a job in investment banking, the word made me recoil. The connotation inferred I was a sideline extremist complaining about things that went against the very nature of "God given gender roles." This was in 1998. In 2016, "feminism" means an entirely different thing. I'm vocal but in my own way, which I talk about in this piece for Tuesnight.com. Writing it was both reflective and cathartic and made me homesick for my mom. On the eve of electing the first woman president of the United States, she is someone I would love to be with to watch it all unfold. - Hitha Herzog
Why is Black Friday so early this year? watch Abc World at 6:30PM Et. to find out!
Got questions about Black Friday? You're in luck. Catch me on ABC World at 6:30 ET for all the details!
#FridayFakeOut: Is this Goyard real or fake?
I'm working on the sequel to my book Black Market Billions. Research has taken me back to the same places I hit while writing my first book. Last weekend, it was Chinatown. Things have changed a lot in what I call "the epicenter of counterfeit handbag sales in NYC" since 2010. First, people come up to you asking if you want a luxury handbag. A couple years ago, those bags were displayed in the street on blankets. Second, the police presence is felt. Third, the "good fakes" are almost always in upstairs rooms where it can take up to 20 minutes for someone to take your request, fetch it and bring it to you. Last, sellers of fake goods are aware cops are around, and don't want to get caught.
As an experiment, I went to Canal Street. An Asian man approached me and asked what type of bag I wanted. I told him "Goyard." The Goyard brand has been around for more than 161 years. It started out as a luggage and trunk maker based in Paris. It's been a favorite of the well traveled elite, created an air of mystery around it, and has become a favorite of the hip-hop set thanks to style icons like Pharrell, A$AP Rocky and Lil Yachty. I picked it because it's incredibly difficult to identify the real from the fake. Check it:
Goyard bags are sold in limited quantities and in limited places in the United States. Retailers like Barneys (see above) or Bergdorf Goodman have the exclusive rights to sell these bags. Caveat Emptor if you are purchasing a bag on eBay, Craigslist or some rando site that doesn't have a verification process in place.
To the untrained eye, this bag could look authentic. The plastic wrap around the handles is a dead give away it's not real, however the chevron logos and the placement of the Goyard lettering is spot on.
Aha! Indication #1 this is a fake Goyard bag: logo placement by the stitching. Real Goyard St. Louis bags do have white stiching on them. In fact, do you see where the logo gets cut off at the top left hand corner? Goyard bag patterns don't cut off the logo in that way.
#2 indication this bag is fake: The color. You may be saying to yourself "this fake bag is the same color as the real trunk below- what gives?" You are right, however, the St. Louis Goyard bag comes in a darker blue which is almost a navy color.
Goyard display at Barneys New York. If you want the real deal bag, save your money and come here instead of Canal Street in Chinatown!
Jewels: A Tony Duquette love story
Designer. Theater producer. Visionary. These are some of the ways people described Tony Duquette whose insanely gorgeous 32 piece collection of unique jewels went up for sale last August. The amazing Frank Everett, Sales Director for Sotheby's Jewelry in New York invited me to Sotheby's to take an exclusive view (and let's be honest- try on) prior to the pieces hitting their first-ever online only sale. According to Frank, Tony Duquette was a man of many talents including interior, costume and of course jewelry design. His "more is more" aesthetic were coveted by women like the Duchess of Windsor. If I was one to throw caution to the wind, I would have cleared out my savings to purchase a cocktail ring!
Hitha Herzog showing off a stunning Tony Duquette bracelet.
Hitha Herzog wearing a Tony Duquette bracelet.
A few Tony Duquette cocktail rings.
An assortment of Tony Duquette pieces.
Hitha in Tony Duquette, a stunning violet dress, and cheetah print high heels.
Frank Everett, Sales Director for Sotheby's Jewelry in New York with Hitha Herzog.
#TBT NYFW SS17
Honest hour: The month of September was horrible for me. Not sure if it was mercury in retrograde (or what that means), an overwhelming sense of being 10 steps behind on literally everything, or if my beloved Ferocious the cat was diagnosted with a terminal illness. One highlight: #NYFW SS17 shows and presentations. The week is always hectic, but it reminded me what I do what I do in the first place: this stuff is dope.
Entrance to the New York Fashion Week Shows, held at Lincoln Center.
Inside New York Fashion Week.
Stunning gold gown by Oday Shakar, from his Fashion Week debut.
A gold Oday Shakar gown from the back.
Gorgeous Oday Shakar top in this year's It Color, Rose Quarts, and white pants.
Menswear from the Tom Ford Collection.
A collection of men and womenswear from Tom Ford.
Models from the Tom Ford presentation.
Art, Fashion, and Sotheby's
It's no secret we live in a visual culture. Art and fashion play into the same pleasure of looking at (or designing!) something beautiful. They are also both economical behemoths, with individual pieces costing well over thousands of dollars. With both having a high symbolic value in our culture, it may be easy to write it off as something frivolous and ignore the painstaking details and creative elements included in any garment or artwork. Fortunately for me, keeping up with those details and elements is part of my job. This summer I was invited to be a host for Sotheby'sFacebook Live Shows, where we discuss the details of art, photographs, contemporary furniture and jewelry being sold that month online or IRL. We have more coming up, so I hope you will tune in!
Makeup Vibes: Sotheby's Facebook Live Show
Despite what Instagram would have you believe, it takes a village to get camera ready! For my Sotheby's Live Show, we wanted to do a look that was classy, polished, and had an autumn tone! Rockstar makeup and hair artists Sherry Stinger and Laura Weinstein killed it again, and were nice enough to share their secrets with me—check it out:
Hitha Herzog getting her hair teased and combed.
Product shot of different styling brushes, and Oribe dry texturizing spray.
Sherry Stinger on hair:
"To achieve a full bodied straight hairstyle, I used Matrix Wonder Boost Root Lifter on the roots of Hitha's wet hair and blew the roots dry with a vent brush. Then I proceeded to dry the shaft of her hair with a large round brush. Finishing the ends with a Mason Pearson brush for straight ends. I flat ironed only the ends to add an extra touch of shine. To finish I added Oribe Dry Texturizing to add texture and volume. To give her hair a final polished look, I used Kenra Shine spray."
Hitha Herzog getting her eye rimmed with black eyeliner by a makeup artist.
Hitha Herzog getting her eyelashes coated in mascara.
Product shot of makeup used on Hitha for the Sotheby's Live Show: pictured are Inglot Lip Duo, Makeup Forever Professional HD High Definition Powder, Makeup Forever Lip Palette, various lip glosses, makeup brushes, and an eyeshadow palette.
Lauren Weinstein on makeup:
"Today's look was created with Autumn in mind...a spiced latte color scheme. Prepped her skin with with Eve Pealr Primer, Too Faced Lid Primer, For her eyes, I used a combination of Naked Palette: Half baked on center of lid, Rule in crease, Corduroy on outer corner. I lined her lid in Feline pencil, and Voluminous Mascara by L'Oreal. On her cheeks, a combo of peaches on the apples and matte bronze. To get the lip look, I prepped with Rosebud balm, then lined with Makeup Forever Acqua Lip in 4c, and covered the entire lip in Mac Lipglass in Hot pepper! Finally, I blot her face with Mally Evercolor Poreless Face Defender
Hitha Herzog getting her makeup done by Laura Weinstein, while looking over notes for the Live show.
Hitha Herzog, smiling while looking over talking points for the Live show.
Hitha Herzog doing a run through of the Live Show.
Hitha Herzog doing a run through of the live show.
#RetailDetail
308: The number of events including runway, presentations, appointments and parties on the inclusive women's fashion calendar. #RetailDetail via @hithaherzog on instagram.
#OOTD Louboutin Red
#NYFW Day #2 Oday Shakar
Oday Shakar took a two year hiatus and is now back. His vibe is California style combined with Middle East heritage, or as I would like to think of Palm Springs circa 1977.
Beach house vibes... (Model is wearing a canary yellow gown with a white geometric pattern.)
From the back... (Model is wearing a geometric patterned canary yellow gown)
Easy, breezy, beautiful! (Model is wearing a geometric patterned Rose Quartz top, paired with flowy white silk trousers and metallic heels.)
#JustMillennialThings: Lingerie as Office Attire
Yesterday I had a great time discussing Victoria's Secret's latest ad campaign, which features lingerie being worn as regular clothing—specifically office clothing, paired with blazers and pantsuits. Some would consider that controversial, but as I pointed out, Victoria's Secret is catered to millennials, who in turn look to icons like Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner for sartorial advice. Are we really that shocked to see Victoria's Secret cashing in on the Kardashian trend? Younger generations will continue to push the fashion envelope whether it's "controversial" or not, and since Victoria's Secret profited immensely from this campaign, who are we to judge?
#RetailDetail Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret: Net sales (in billions): $7.672. Number of stores: 1,164. Selling square feet: 7,309,000. (As of YTD 2015.) #RetailDetail
Bras I owned in high school? 7.
#TBT The Hurricane that Wasn't
Last weekend, we all braced ourselves for the impact of Hermine—an impact that turned out to be, well, beautiful skies and incredible weather here in New York! Before it hit, I was invited to Fox News to discuss the potential economic impact the storm would have on Labor Day Weekend. As it’s often a weekend filled with outdoor activities, back-to-school shopping, and general spending, being trapped inside during possibly dangerous weather could detract from those purchases. On the flip side, in regions around Florida, companies like Home Depot and grocery stores would experience a boom of spending by people looking to batten down the hatches.
Happy Birthday America!
When "Liberty" also means having the skill to fix someone's crown. That someone being me.
Hitha Herzog in Times Square wearing an inflatable Statue of Liberty crown, holding an inflatable Statue of Liberty Torch, surrounded by two street performers dressed as Statue of Liberties.
Amazon manipulates pricing based on demand. What comes next will shock you...
Rebecca Jarvis and I discuss the Amazon pricing structure on Nightline. We both were "shocked" but also not surprised.
WJA Keynote speech March 2016: How to Navigate the Markets like a BAMF
Yep. I used "BAMF" in the title of my speech when I keynoted the Women's Jewelry Association's annual "In the Know" annual meeting.. and everyone loved it. Check out the entire discussion below!
Gotham Magazine: Luxe 2.0 by Hitha Herzog
It's not every day you get to sit down with the CEO of a luxury company, much less five! Talking to the CEO of Graff, the president of LVMH perfume and cosmetics North America, the president of fashion at Chanel, CEO of Hermes, president of Ferragamo AND the CEO of Lalique at a round table breakfast hosted by Gotham magazine was one of the highlights of my career. Below is their take on the future of social commerce and digital marketing 2.0.
#TBT When the Puppybowl puppies come to visit you at work, its...
Hitha Herzog holding an adorable puppy. Meme caption reads: "Ruff" day at work.
Hitha Herzog discusses "Vanity Sizing" on Dr. Oz, womenkind breathes a sigh of relief.
Ever wonder why jeans fit differently based on where you shop? We went undercover for the Dr. Oz show to show exactly why that happens.
