ARTISTS CONJURE NEW DREAMS FOR TIFFANY

The most spectacular windows during our visit would have to be the ones at Selfridges, thanks to Tiffany and Co.

- RICKY TOLEDO CHITO VISANDRE

Taking over the store’s outdoor displays that made a virtual art gallery of its storefront featuring works by notable British artists alongside those inspired by the jewelry company’s archives, many of which brought back memories of our favorites in New York and other cities through the years It was a fitting homage to Tiffany’s nearly 200-year history and the famous windows at its flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York where the stunning displays have always been a signature draw and a proud tradition, epitomized by the enduring film, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, where Audrey Hepburn, playing Holly Golightly, was always drawn to the store’s windows, immortalizing the iconic scene of admiring the displays while eating a croissant.

The scene would also embody the spirit of the store’s founder, Charles Lewis Tiffany, who always understood the universal desire to dream about something bigger than oneself, and this lived on through the magical windows that never fail to surprise, inspire and create desire.

When Gene Moore joined the company in 1955, he revolutionized the look of window displays through his pioneering designs that were radical and witty, juxtaposing Tiffany jewelry with unexpected, quotidian materials like string, popcorn and even a toy dump truck. From a pile of dirt, a bird would tug at a “worm” that turned out to be a dazzling diamond necklace.

He invited kindred minds to collaborate with him – celebrated artists including Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. The Tiffany storefront became a democratic gallery for all who passed by through the decades, a longstanding connection to the arts that the company chose to honor for the Selfridges takeover.