Who or what is Habitually Chic?
Habitually Chic was a nom de plume I chose in 2007 when I decided to start a blog while I was working for an interior designer and didn’t want to say who I was in case it caused trouble at work. I wanted a name that matched my initials so I worked through numerous word combinations until I came up with Habitually Chic which matches my initials HC for Heather Clawson. I wanted it to cover all the topics that interested me so it has always included fashion, shopping, design, art, architecture, beauty, films, tv, travel, events, and more.
Where are you based?
I have lived in NYC for the last 23 years. I plan to rent another apartment in Paris after the Olympics so I can go back and forth for longer stretches. My long-range goal is to move to Paris full time within 3-5 years.
What is your background?
I grew up as an only child reading and drawing, going to museums, and playing with Barbie’s dream house. I have a degree in art history and almost had enough credits for a minor in English but didn’t really know what I wanted to do in the art world. I ended up working in commercial real estate for years, much of it in marketing which was at least a little creative. I started out in Boston before transferring with my company to NYC in August 2001. When I couldn’t stand the male dominated industry any longer, I took a pay cut to work for an interior designer in 2005. It was during this time in 2007 when I started reading design blogs. Two based in Atlanta were talking about a store opening one block behind my office in New York and that was my “ah-ha” moment that maybe I should write about what was in my backyard. I went out on my own as a designer in 2008 but decided to stop taking on clients in 2012 when my book Creativity at Work was published. I have been a full-time blogger, influencer, and creative consultant ever since and have been my own boss for the last 16 years.
What else should we know?
Since its inception in 2007, Heather and Habitually Chic have been featured in Elle Décor, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Domino, Lonny, Rue Magazine, Belle, Canadian House & Home, Fast Company, Elle, and Amica magazines. She has also been profiled on HarpersBazaar.com, 1stdibs, Barneys: The Window, Tory Burch Blog, The Huffington Post, The Telegraph, Guest of a Guest, Serena and Lily, and many more sites.
Heather is respected influencer with over 227,748 Instagram followers with a high engagement rate. The blog sees hundreds of thousands of visitor each day while her Pinterest has 2.1 million monthly viewers.
She has collaborated with numerous brands in design, fashion, beauty, art, and travel. Partnerships have included Net-a-Porter, Saks, MyTheresa, 24S, ME+EM, Ann Taylor, Halsbrook, Nordstrom, Woman by Ralph Lauren, StriVectin on Instagram Stories, Ritz-Carlton, The White Company, Bottega Veneta, Hamilton Princess Bermuda, Shiseido, Auberge du Soleil, Third Home, and La Prairie.
In 2022, Heather decided to sell her Paris Guide that she shared with only friends and close followers after spending a month in the city in the spring. You can find it for sale here. It is constantly updated in between and after trips and includes detailed information whether you've never been to Paris before or traveled there many times. Guides for London and NYC will follow.
Her first book Habitually Chic: Creativity at Work was published in October 2012 and she is currently at work on her second book and a tv series treatment.
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