What it's like to visit the new Tiffany & Co. flagship store in New York City where the jewelry is stunning, but the real treat is the escape from reality and the museum-quality art
Tiffany & Co. reopened its New York City flagship, called The Landmark, on April 28 after four years of renovations.
I visited the store a few days after it opened. It was filled with eager customers admiring five floors of Tiffany jewelry, accessories, and home decor.
While the jewelry was stunning, the museum-quality art and the luxurious architecture were the best parts — keep reading to find out what the store is like inside.
While the Tiffany Landmark might be brand new, Tiffany & Company is a 186-year-old business — the first Tiffany store opened in New York City 1837. An illustration of the interior of a Tiffany's store in New York City in 1879.
Kean Collection/Getty Images
Source: Tiffany & Co.
The jeweler opened its flagship Fifth Avenue location in 1940. The store was opened "without any ceremony," but 12,000 shoppers still visited on opening day, The New York Times reported. The "silver floor" at Tiffany's New York City flagship, circa 1955.
Sherman/Three Lions/Getty Images
Source: The New York Times
Tiffany and its Fifth Avenue store were immortalized in the 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" starring Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn's style in the film — not to mention her adoration of the brand — catapulted Tiffany to icon status. Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
Photo by Paramount Pictures/Getty Images
Source: Tiffany & Co.
In 2019, Tiffany began a gut renovation of its flagship store and moved into a temporary space next door, an old Niketown store. The company unveiled renderings of the exterior a year later that included a glass addition and an eighth-floor roof deck. A rendering of the Tiffany flagship by architecture firm OMA.
OMA/Bloomimages.de
Source: The New York Times
Soon after, there was a major shake-up inside Tiffany's: French luxury giant LVMH bought the company for $15.8 billion, adding the jeweler to its stable of high-end brands, which includes Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Dom Pérignon. The Fifth Avenue Tiffany's store in 2019.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Source: Insider
Now, roughly four years after renovations began, Tiffany's flagship has reopened with a new name — The Landmark — and new leaders at the helm: CEO Anthony Ledru and Executive Vice President Alexandre Arnault, son of LVMH chief exec Bernard Arnault. Alexandre Arnault, Gal Gadot, and Anthony Ledru perform a ribbon-cutting at the Tiffany & Co. Fifth Avenue flagship store grand re-opening on April 26, 2023.
Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
The new store opened on April 28, and Tiffany hosted multiple celebrity-studded events to celebrate, including a ribbon-cutting with "Wonder Woman" star Gal Gadot and a party attended by stars like Michael B. Jordan, Blake Lively, and Florence Pugh. Michael B. Jordan attends the Tiffany & Co. Fifth Avenue flagship store grand re-opening event on April 27, 2023.
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Source: Harper's Bazaar
Pop star Katy Perry — decked out in jewels, of course — performed for party-goers. Katy Perry attends the Tiffany & Co. Fifth Avenue flagship store grand re-opening event on April 27, 2023.
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Source: Vogue
After all that fanfare, I had to check out the new flagship for myself. I arrived at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street around 11:30 a.m. — the store had only been open for a half-hour, but there was already a line outside, waiting behind Tiffany-blue velvet ropes. The exterior of The Landmark on Fifth Avenue.
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I stood in line for five minutes or so, and even though I'd brought an umbrella, I was grateful for the tents outside (thanks, Tiffany's!). When I got to the front of the line, an employee bagged my umbrella for me so it didn't drip on the floors. There were about 10 people ahead of me in line outside The Landmark.
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The first floor of the store was dedicated to iconic Tiffany jewelry, like Bone Cuff bracelets and "Bird on a Rock" brooches. The windows inside weren't actually windows at all — they were digital displays of what looked like Central Park, complete with blooming flowers and bejeweled birds. A view of the ground floor of Tiffany's The Landmark.
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I had several more floors to check out, so I headed to the elevators. Hanging in the elevator bank was a Tiffany-blue painting by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat — Jay-Z and Beyoncé fans might recognize it from their 2021 Tiffany ad campaign. The painting "Equals Pi" by Jean-Michel Basquiat.
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Source: Tiffany
The elevator took me to the fifth floor first, which was packed with customers admiring cases of sterling silver heart tag bracelets — if you were a teenage girl in the early 2000s, you probably remember them well. The fifth floor also housed racks of silk scarves ... My favorite of the scarves were printed with the "Bird on a Rock" pattern by designer Jean Schlumberger.
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... brightly colored Tiffany handbags ... These heart-shaped mini tote bags retail for $1,700.
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... and an homage to Audrey Hepburn and "Breakfast at Tiffany's." The movie's theme song, "Moon River," played on a loop and Hepburn's black gown from the film was displayed behind glass. Audrey Hepburn's character, Holly Golightly, eats a croissant in perpetuity on the fifth floor of Tiffany's.
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Next, I headed down to the fourth floor, and rather than take the elevator, I descended the mirrored staircase that spirals through the heart of the building. The staircase was inspired by legendary jewelry designer Elsa Peretti, according to The New York Times. The mirrors in the stairwell had a trippy effect, making anyone walking down them appear in duplicate.
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Source: The New York Times
The fourth floor specialized in gold and diamonds, and the first thing I noticed was this celestial chandelier suspended above the jewelry. An employee told me it was inspired by the drawings by Jean Schlumberger, another iconic Tiffany jewelry artist. This chandelier was one of my favorite parts of the entire store.
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I decided to head up to the sixth floor next, which houses home goods. Tiffany dinnerware was displayed to look like Tiffany was expecting a dinner party at any moment, and I noticed that no detail was spared — even the floral arrangements were real. These cups look like paper coffee cups, but they're bone china and cost $170.
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The sixth floor was also home to some incredible art, including this untitled painting by artist Julian Schnabel and an installation of a dinner table set with custom Tiffany-blue plates. Artist Julian Schnabel's work is displayed on the sixth floor of Tiffany's.
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Source: The Wall Street Journal
Nearby, some of Tiffany's most well-known window displays had been recreated, including this one from 1963 by legendary window dresser Gene Moore. Upside-down cones made "marvelous holders for rings and bracelets," Moore said, according to the plaque.
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This one from 1970 features hypnotizing rows of flatware — try to spot the one fork that doesn't match the others. The "wrong fork" was placed to "see if the observers are really observing," designer Gene Moore said, according to a plaque.
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The sixth floor also houses, appropriately, Tiffany's restaurant, the Blue Box Cafe. It was operational when I visited — the breakfast smells were wafting onto the sales floor — but a blue velvet rope barred people from entering. Tiffany's Blue Box Cafe opened in 2017 so customers could truly have "breakfast at Tiffany's."
Avery Hartmans/Insider
Source: Insider
Up on the seventh floor, I peeked in the Patek Philippe boutique, which displayed high-end watches. This was among the quietest of the floors — it seemed like anyone who wanted to check out a watch needed to make an appointment. The seventh floor houses a Patek Phillippe boutique and a jewelry workshop.
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The eighth floor was also closed off, so I began to head back down. If you visit the flagship store, skip the elevator if you're able — the staircase is truly breathtaking, and even the railing is wrapped in a luxurious leather. This seventh-floor view offered me a glimpse of the statue down below.
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I finished my visit on the third floor, which specializes in engagement rings. I was greeted by a towering Venus statue created by artist Daniel Arsham. This 12-foot-tall statue is titled "Bronze Eroded Venus of Arles."
Avery Hartmans/Insider
Source: The Wall Street Journal
The third floor was truly filled with art, from the foiled ceiling — an homage to Andy Warhol's Factory — to a mirrored, ceiling-height installation by artist Rashid Johnson. The ceiling at Andy Warhol's Factory was famously covered in aluminum foil.
Avery Hartmans/Insider
Source: The Wall Street Journal
It also housed one of my favorite displays of the day, a Valentine's Day-themed window of arrows in the shape of a heart, framing a gigantic yellow diamond engagement ring. This window display was from Valentine's Day 2014.
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At this point, I'd begun to notice how friendly all the Tiffany employees were and how many were stationed throughout the store. I'd been greeted on every floor I visited and several people had taken the time to show me around or explain the art and architecture in detail. The "rose room" on the third floor houses art by Rashid Johnson.
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I also realized that for the whole hour I wandered the store, I forgot that it was storming outside — Tiffany really had transported me to a lavish world where everything glitters and pesky things like rain don't exist. An employee recommended I stand behind the Venus statue to get this cool view.
Avery Hartmans/Insider
Still, it was eventually time to head out. As I headed toward the exit, a smiling employee spun the revolving door for me, ushering me out to Fifth Avenue — and back to real life. The Tiffany & Co. Landmark on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Avery Hartmans/Insider
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By: [email protected] (Avery Hartmans) Title: What it's like to visit the new Tiffany & Co. flagship store in New York City where the jewelry is stunning, but the real treat is the escape from reality and the museum-quality art Sourced From: www.businessinsider.com/tiffany-and-co-landmark-nyc-flagship-store-photos-2023-5 Published Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2023 14:05:05 +0000
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