Photographs by Georgette Gouveia.
“You see what I mean how nothing bad could ever happen to you in a place like this,” Audrey Hepburn”™s Holly Golightly says in a scene from the 1961 film “Breakfast at Tiffany”™s.”
You wonder what Holly would make of the Tiffany & Co. flagship on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, which has been reinvented as The Landmark by new Tiffany owner LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE.
“If you have memories of the old store, this visit will be bittersweet,” a sales associate warned us gently as we rode up in the elevator to the seventh floor where we were to begin our Tiffany reacquaintance on a recent pleasant Friday. Gone was the mahogany paneling ”“ the essence of mid-century modern décor ”“ on the main floor and the framed letter from Hepburn that hung to the left of the entrance, congratulating the store ”“ now 186 years old ”“ on a milestone anniversary.
In its place is a lucent, airy, creamy design with pops of Tiffany blue, and other shades as well. Hepburn”™s spirit is there, however, in a black-and-white temple to her Holly Golightly persona that includes blowups of her in the signature Givenchy black gown that she wears in the movie”™s opening scene, accented with the Tiffany Yellow Diamond set in a ribbon-style necklace by longtime Tiffany designer Jean Schlumberger. (In the movie”™s opening scene, the gown, which is on display, is accented by multiple strands of cultured pearls with a central diamantine brooch.)
As the opening scene plays on a loop,, we chat with another staffer about the baked goods the actress, who didn”™t like pastry, nibbles on with a cup of coffee as she gazes at Tiffany”™s windows. We concluded it must”™ve been a Danish and not a croissant as French food was only beginning to become popular in the United States in the early 1960s.
Photographs by Georgette Gouveia.
We wander down the spiral staircase to photograph Daniel Arsham”™s “Eroded Venus of Arles” (2022), a massive neoclassical sculpture painted to look like patinaed bronze that anchors the staircase, then head up again to take in floors devoted to silver, gold, diamonds, home goods ”“ each with corresponding design details.
Photographs by Georgette Gouveia.
The sixth floor is home not only to tableware but The Blue Box Caf̩ by Michelin-starred Daniel Boulud. The 18-table, 75-seat restaurant with blue and white d̩cor, over which signature robinӪs egg-blue Tiffany boxes dangle like turquoise lights, is a joy of sights and tastes. Indeed, we so savored an Aubergine Confite of tomato tartar, baked eggplant and stracciatella; a plum tart with almond cream and vanilla anglaise; and an herbal infusion of cinnamon, basil and anise that we didnӪt stop to photograph them.
There are all-day Breakfast at Tiffany”™s offerings; a continental breakfast labeled Holly”™s Favorites featuring a croissant; a seasonal menu; and desserts. Given the popularity of the store ”“ it was mobbed with tourists”“ and the restaurant”™s intimate size, this is a tough reservation. But persevere, as the setting is as delicious as the food and the service is impeccable.
That”™s true of the service throughout the store: Everyone is friendly, informative and complimentary. Sparkling water flows with the shoppers. Of course, it”™s all designed to keep you there browsing and ultimately purchasing. You could easily while away a couple of hours there as a couple selecting a silver band and a global IT executive selecting a silver bracelet and heart-shaped earrings did. But the staff seems genuinely glad to entertain you.
And those new blue shopping bags with the white ribbon handles and silver charms stamped with the store”™s exterior that accompany each purchase are so seductive, aren”™t they?
As Holly would say, “nothing bad could ever happen to you in a place like this” ”“ still.
For more, visit tiffany.com and blueboxnyc.com.
