American Wit

Tiffany & Co.’s Chief Artistic Officer Reed Krakoff on that magic ingredient called humour.

- Charmaine Ho

The elevator door opens to reveal a three-metre-long display table dressed up with finery that would fit perfectly in the pages of an interior magazine. To its right is a cosy corner with sofas and shelves of coffee table books that read like Rizzoli’s summer catalogue. Beyond that, it’s a retail space that any respectable urban creative with disposable cash (or not) would be happy to shop in: Chic, modern and stylish. As I soak in the atmosphere, surrounded by beautiful products I can’t keep my hands off, I can hardly believe that it was only 10 months ago in April that I last visited Tiffany & Co.’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue, New York.

I’m standing in the midst of the Home & Accessories collection on the fourth floor and so much has changed that it’s almost surreal. For one, the renovated space (which welcomed visitors to its new look in November) now boasts The Blue Box Cafe, Tiffany’s first-ever retail dining concept that proved so popular, the brand was forced to introduce a month-long reservations system. Then, there’s the seamless integration of art with commerce, all delivered with a chic industrial feel, somewhat like the Pin Art-style portrait of Charles Lewis Tiffany who looks on sagely from one of the walls.

It’s clear that Chief Artistic Officer Reed Krakoff has been very busy indeed; not just with how the store looks, but what it offers: Take, for example, the headline-grabbing Everyday Object collection (which includes a US$1,000 tin can and a US$9,000 ball of yarn; all in sterling silver, of course) which was released in November. Then, there’s the healthy range of leather goods and handbags, punctuated with the brand’s signature blue in clever, snazzy ways, that reinforce the something-for-everyone motto of Tiffany’s retail mix.