One of my all time favourite brands, Tiffany & Co. will mark the opening of its new boutique at Selfridges with a brand new installation titled “Fifth & 57th”, named after the corner where Tiffany’s iconic New York flagship is located and known around the world as the crossroads of style and luxury.
The installation explores this fabled corner and Fifth Avenue, with all the energy and excitement of New York City, where Tiffany was founded in 1837. “As part of the celebration surrounding the opening of our new location at Selfridges we wanted to give our customers a true New York experience, with Tiffany at the center of the city’s glamour and sophistication,” said Barratt West, vice president and managing director of Tiffany & Co. UK and Ireland.
The installation is open from 3 July through 12 July at the Old Selfridges Hotel, adjacent to Selfridges department store. Visitors enter through the doors of a subway car and may stroll the avenue lined with buildings constructed of hundreds of boxes and light projections of architectural details and Manhattan’s bustling street life. The flagship’s storefront greets visitors with window displays by the legendary Gene Moore, who designed Tiffany’s windows from 1955 through 1994.
Nearby, a master engraver will offer complimentary hand engraving of Tiffany designs purchased at Selfridges during the run of the exhibition.
Visitors will find a bench with a magnolia tree, a prominent motif in the stained glass masterworks of Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of the company’s founder and a leading American designer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This romantic setting recalls Central Park, where couples from around the world become engaged with a Tiffany diamond ring, the ultimate symbol of true love.
The installation explores the city’s sights and sounds at a cinema, which features a montage of films on the launch of the new Tiffany CT60TM timepiece, as well as the company’s watchmaking heritage established by founder Charles Lewis Tiffany, who exemplified the famous phrase—New York Minute. Charlie’s, a bar appropriately named for Mr. Tiffany, will be open for cocktails inspired by the Big Apple and will host live musical performances. Pretzels or coffee are available from a vendor’s sidewalk cart, a staple of New York’s street life.
Every 13 minutes, a light projection of the setting sun will signal a dramatic finish to a wonderful day on Fifth Avenue. As shadows lengthen, the sun transforms into a dazzling Tiffany diamond, its multitude of facets radiating throughout the entire space. This brilliant display is a prelude to the beauty and magic that await customers at the new Tiffany boutique on the ground floor of Selfridges. The boutique is Tiffany’s ninth in London and tenth overall in the UK.
“Fifth & 57th” will be open to the public from Friday 3 July until Sunday 12 July at the Old Selfridges Hotel, Orchard Street, London. For opening hours and more information visit www.tiffany.co.uk/fifthand57th
Love Laurel x
