Tiffany & Co has been mixing jewellery with the
cultural zeitgeist for years. And a new exhibition, Vision
& Virtuosity, that hits the capital this summer, is set to
lift the lid on its 180 years of fabulous finery. “Since its
inception, Tiffany has held a unique position within
culture,” says Alexandre Arnault, Tiffany’s executive
vice-president of products and communication. And
the show, which opens at the Saatchi Gallery in London
next month, perfectly encapsulates this.
It will tell the story of the company from its humble
beginnings as a “fancy goods” store and mail-order
business to the luxury brand it is today. Highlights of
the exhibition include a section devoted to Tiffany’s
collaborations with the artists Andy Warhol (he
designed Christmas cards for them), and Jasper Johns
and Robert Rauschenberg (the duo zhuzhed up its
window displays in the late 1950s); a focus on its well-
known designers such as Paloma Picasso; plus a rare
display of the 128.5-carat Tiffany Diamond, which is
almost never released from its New York showcase.
Perhaps most interesting of all, though, is how the
exhibition will demonstrate Tiffany’s ability to weave
its identity into the mainstream sub -
conscious without losing its primary
objective: to be a luxury purveyor
of diamonds. Since Arnault (the
29-year-old second son of LVMH’s
chief executive, Bernard) took up his
role at the beginning of 2021, the
company’s appeal among Gen Z has
arguably intensified. Vision & Virtuosity
can be seen as part of that narrative,
as can recent collaborations with the
fashion label Supreme and a divisive
advertising campaign — Not Your
Mother’s Tiffany — which angeredsome traditionalists. But it was last year’s About Love
campaign, fronted by Jay-Z and Beyoncé — who
performed Moon River, from the film Breakfast at Tiffa-
ny’s, as part of it — that was the jewel in the crown of
Arnault’s vision, making the brand relevant (and talked
about) once more.
Fans of the film will be delighted to hear that a whole
room of the exhibition is dedicated to it. Ever since it
was released in 1961, Breakfast at Tiffany’s has resonated
with audiences, indelibly marking the name of the
jeweller in their consciousness while taking them into
the world of Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly, the
godmother of graceful glamour. Its opening scene,
featuring Holly, pastry and coffee in hand, admiring the
jewels in the windows of Tiffany & Co’s flagship 5th
Avenue store, is one of cinema’s greatest vignettes.
Many treats relating to the film await visitors to the
show, including the original Givenchy dress worn by
Hepburn in that scene, Hubert de Givenchy’s original
accompanying sketches, the film script with Hepburn’s
personal annotations and the Oscar statuettes it was
awarded. As Hepburn wrote in 1987 when the jeweller
celebrated 150 years: “A thing of beauty
is a joy forever. That is why the lustre of
the art of Tiffany’s remains undimmed.”
The film’s style — from its LBDs
to Holly’s pouffy updo — also remains
undimmed, while the brand’s sterling
silver Return to Tiffany pieces have
been among its bestsellers since the
line was launched in 1969. They are also
proving popular again among Gen Z,
who love their 1990s-revival feel. The
designs of Elsa Peretti, who joined
Tiffany in 1974, have a similarly
enduring appeal. Peretti revolutionisedFans of
Breakfast at
Tiffany’s will be
delighted to
hear that a
whole room of
the show is
dedicated to it
This picture Elsa Peretti working on her
Tiffany designs, 1974. Opposite Audrey
Hepburn in 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’sGetty Images, courtesy of Tiffany, Shutterstock
The Sunday Times Style • 15