WORDS
Joanne Glasbey
Even before Holly Golightly peered longingly into the windows of Tiffany & Co through her signature cat’s eye shades in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the upscale jewellery retailer was being acclaimed for its memorable window dressing. The US brand was one of the first to create miniature worlds in its store windows, bringing stories to life at a time when others were just using dusty vitrines to display their creations. From 1955 when visual merchandising maestro Gene Moore joined the firm, he took the window display to an art form, taking jewellery off models and immersing it into a world of creativity and charm. Many of these vintage window displays were the result of collaborations between Tiffany & Co and famous artists of the time.
To celebrate the new art-filled Tiffany & Co boutique in Selfridges – spanning more than 352sqm and inspired by the Fifth Avenue flagship store in NYC – the brand is launching a month-long takeover of the department store’s Oxford Street-facing windows, the latter part coinciding with Frieze London.
It’s revisiting its role as art patron by commissioning four renowned contemporary British-based artists – Damien Hirst, Rana Begum, James Righton and Jason Bruges – to participate. Each artist has taken inspiration from a Tiffany & Co collection to create a window installation in their distinctive style, to sit alongside window displays inspired by The Tiffany Archives, a tribute to Gene Moore’s groundbreaking artistry.
This open-to-all gallery on one of London’s most popular streets captures the creativity and heritage of the flagship store, bringing its New York City legacy to London, and can be seen until 20 Oct. Ideal for more Holly Golightly moments.