H A R PE R S B A Z A A R . C O M . 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 BChange 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

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 and Tiffany’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 black Aquazzura 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 New York 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 New York 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 making Tiffany & 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.

2013THE 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

COU

RTE

SY O

F TI

FFA

NY

& C

O.