#FakeoutFriday Going undercover in Chinatown

The last time I went undercover, I was embedded with the LAPD in 2010. We were on a stakeout of a counterfeit ring selling close to $1.5 million in fake NFL and MLB merchandise. This mission was different, mainly because I was by myself (meaning no protection of law enforcement) and sellers of the merchandise seemed more aggressive/protective of their pieces. I was on a mission to find (and show) how easy it is to get a Celine Nano Luggage bag AND how similar they look (mostly so you can call out your friends for carrying a fake bag). Check it: 

Met a vendor who approached me. "You looking for a handbag?" He asked. "Yes, of course I am! Celine Nano Luggage to be exact!" He walked swift and was taking me to a "secret location." 

 I spy a table full of "designer" sunglasses. And I have to give the counterfeit manufacturer credit, these do look good. But let's be real, they are FAKE Tom Ford, Prada, Gucci and Celine. 

From a distance, they look good. My undercover photographer Jack, agrees. 

Fake or not? Clearly yes since I am downtown and you probably wouldn't get a pair of legit Prada shades on the street. Which is my first point: if a pair of designer shades are being sold on the street for $30, they ARE NOT DESIGNER! 

The vendor is sensing something is wrong. At this point, I have less than one minute to try and find out where she sourced these sunglasses, who her supplier is and if she is selling more merchandise around the area. 

No dice. The vendor realized I was taking pictures and got pissed. This was her feeble attempt at blocking my photo of the fake items. Nice try. 

Pretending to talk to my sister. Notice how the vendor suspciously looks at me as I wait for the Celine handbag. 

I got it! The Celine Nano Luggage bag. But clearly it's fake. Below are five ways you can tell if a Nano is fake or the real deal. 

What's up with Black Friday 2016?

I went on MSNBC to talk about what to expect this Black Friday. As I said in an earlier blog post, this year's Black Friday is more of a "Grey November" and more people are starting to do their shopping online starting September 30th. One difference in this year's Black Friday is the uptick in app usage to find good deals. People are using apps like RetailMeNot to show price differentiation to make sure they're paying the best price possible. Apps like RetailMeNot are able to check which discounts are going on at which stores, and then offer coupons to users to get even better deals. Clearly the Internet Age and the ability to research beforehand is having an effect on consumer behavior—smarter purchase decisions are just a click or an app download away!

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!

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.

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! 

#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.