1. HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU September 2014200
Tiffany & Co. design
director Francesca
Amfitheatrof in pieces from
the Tiffany T collection.
B R E A K F A S T C L U B
Change is in the air at Tiffany & Co., which has fresh downtown digs and a new design
director, the standalone talent Francesca Amfitheatrof. She talks Natasha Silva-Jelly
through her bold Tiffany T collection, and explains why heritage will always have its place

2. t’s impossible to think of New York without
conjuring images of the Empire State Building,
hot dogs in Central Park and that iconic scene
of a Givenchy-clad Audrey Hepburn, coffee in
gloved hand, gazing longingly at the luxurious
world of fine jewellery in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Tiffany & Co. is, after all, a legacy that dates
back to 1837, when jewellery trader Charles
Lewis Tiffany opened a store selling stationery
and fancy goods in Manhattan.And now,almost
two centuries later, the brand behind those
world-famous diamonds and that baby blue box
is entering a new era.The Fifth Avenue offices
have been relocated to seriously slick downtown digs andTiffany’s
new design director, Francesca Amfitheatrof, unveils her first
offering this month. The Tiffany T collection — featuring bold
graphic gold and silver bracelets and cuffs, diamond-encrusted
chain bracelets and neck chains designed to be layered on in
differing lengths — is nothing if not an unapologetically modern
take on Tiffany & Co.’s heritage. Precisely the point, it turns out.
“It was important to have a collection that stood out and was
recognisable but also felt new and like things
have changed. I also wanted it to embody New
York and the energy and freedom women have
in the city.There’s a chic casualness here; women
are relaxed but also well put together,” says
Amifitheatrof, a petite brunette in her early
forties who is certainly dressed for the part in silk
shirt,Proenza Schouler jeans and blackAquazzura
heels,accessorised with pieces from the new line.
“I can’t stop wearing the T bracelet,” she
confesses. “I love the combination of white
ceramic with the gold. The letter T was my
starting point.It wasn’t about stamping on logos;
I took the T very much for its architecture.The
T has structure and functionality,which is reflec-
tive of gridlike NewYork with its tall buildings
that aren’t necessarily flashy but serve as timeless landmarks,”
continues Amifitheatrof as we chat at the new Tiffany HQ over-
looking one of the city’s greatest landmarks, the Flatiron Building.
Landmarks have no doubt come in handy for the London-bred
and Royal College of Art and Central Saint Martins-educated
jeweller as she navigates her new life in the Big Apple, and her
first foray into fine jewellery.“This is my dream job,” she declares.
“When I was approached I just thought,‘This is amazing’. It was
a big change, but I’m not one to shy away from a new challenge.
And NewYork has such an attraction. It’s a great city; everyone is
so positive and welcoming.”
Something of a multihyphenate — a “slashie”, as we like to
call them in Australia — Amfitheatrof has an impressive CV,
which includes creating jewellery for Chanel and Fendi, acces-
sories collections and jewels for Marni, silverwear for Asprey &
Garrard, and homewears for Alessi (she also has her own epony-
mous furniture line). She has also curated and consulted along-
side the likes of Damien Hirst and Cindy Sherman at major art
galleries around the globe.
It would seem if anyone deserves to be entrusted with taking the
Tiffany & Co. dynasty into the technology-charged, fast-fashion-
and disposable-obsessed future, it’s her. And she’ll serve it all up
with a generous helping of irreverence, thank you very much.“I
definitely have a style.I like a lot of patterns and have something of
a tomboy in me,but at the same time I like beautifully made things
and appreciate beauty enormously. I know what I’m into and I’ve
got very strong opinions that I’m not afraid to voice,” she asserts.
So what can we expect next? “When I arrived, my main focus
was on what we call fashion jewellery,silver and gold.But I’m also
designing small leathergoods and eyewear, I’m involved with store
designs and I’ve worked on the Blue Book 2015.” She’s also busy
adding to existing lines, including resurrecting icons from the
Atlas collection, which no doubt saw her raiding the archives.
“Oh my god, they are amazing,” she confirms. “They’re like a
treasure chest of information. The other day I
was looking at this beautiful watch covered in
platinum and diamonds.I held it in my hand and
then clicked this little handle and opera glasses
popped out. Amfitheatrof admits to falling in
love with the designs of former Tiffany jeweller
Angela Cummings, and cites Lalique as one of
her greatest art and jewellery inspirations.
Are diamonds really a girl’s best friend?
“If I could only have one piece, it would be
a Tiffany diamond,” concedes Amfitheatrof.
“You’ve gotta have diamonds — and they can
be very fashion-forward.I’m also a complete cuff
person — they are probably the thing I design
too much.And I love stones, especially moon-
stones and opals, which are really hot right now.
Working here you are surrounded by the most beautiful stones in the
world and the best gemologists.They can look at a stone and tell you
whether it’s in a good or bad mood.It’s like wine tasting or looking
at art — completely fascinating. I love colour — tourmalines,
citrines,sapphires and emeralds — who doesn’t? But I like different
cuts and interesting, unusual ways of putting things together.”
Is that part of her plan for makingTiffany & Co. relevant to the
next generation while maintaining all the luxury and gloss for
which it is revered? “You know,Tiffany has so many categories,”
she replies.“What’s important is that people feel a connection to
the brand and it continues to be the great house of American
design.So whether you see someone wearing a $300 cocktail ring
or $10 million necklace, you’ll instantly know it’s Tiffany.”
I
“Working here you
are surrounded by
the most beautiful
stones and the
best gemologists.
They can look at
a stone and tell you
whether it’s in a
good or bad mood.”
1953
GENTLEMEN
PREFER BLONDES
Marilyn Monroe gives
a shout-out to the iconic
jeweller twice in her
famous rendition of
Diamonds Are a Girl’s
Best Friend.
1961
BREAKFAST AT
TIFFANY’S
Audrey Hepburn’s character,
Holly Golightly, eats a
croissant outside the brand’s
flagship, inspiring women to
eat pastry at the store’s
window forever more.
1971
DIAMONDS ARE
FOREVER
Jill St. John plays James
Bond’s aptly named love
interest (and diamond
smuggler) Tiffany Case.
Perfectly on-brand with the
store’s famous jewellery boxes.
2002
SWEET HOME
ALABAMA
Reese Witherspoon’s
character, Melanie, is proposed
to at the jeweller’s New York
flagship, then surprisingly
goes home to Alabama to
be with someone else.
2013
THE GREAT GATSBY
Designer Catherine Martin
collaborates with the brand
to create Daisy Buchanan’s
enviable jewellery collection
for Baz Luhrmann’s film
based on the novel by
F. Scott Fitzgerald.
C I N E M A T I C G E M S
COURTESYOFTIFFANY&CO.