FIFTH & 57TH

 

Attending the Tiffany exhibition made me think about why I am a consumer of the brand. For me, the objective of an exhibition is to educate the consumer about the artist (/brand) and their art (/brand core value/craft / creativity).  I find that thoughts around luxury brands are similar to visiting the opera for the first time; you either love it or simply appreciate it (Pretty Woman quote ^_^).  So I had to visit my subconscious self, do I truly love the brand or am I fond of the brand? Hmmm

To start off, most of my jewellery is actually from Tiffany&Co, from my first ever set of earrings as a baby, to a few pendants on special birthday celebrations and my promise ring which I wear every day (seriously, ask a friend of mine how different or frantic I act when I don’t have it on/ feel like I’ve lost it). So I guess a connection with Tiffany&Co is somewhat dear to my heart because the brand has played importance materially throughout many milestone moments in my life.

But when I was just talking to people, of course the movie; Breakfast at Tiffany’s may be the very reason why most women of today who place the late Audrey Hepburn as their role model identify with the brand. The associations with the brand from that movie will stick with a viewer from the very first time they see it until the day they tell their grandchild the storyline of the movie.

Then there is the engagement aspect, I remember when I was a little girl, my mother once showed me the price of a Tiffany engagement ring, and highlighted the woman’s worth around the topic of engagement rings (Can you believe I was only about 8, why would my mother be hosting a conversation about this lol).

Also who remembers My Wife & Kids on Trouble ? Remember when Jay thought that Michael bought her something special because Junior said he saw a blue box in his bag? AUTO-MATI-CALLY she thought she knew what it was and creatED a scenery within her head; a scenery which would have been created, by the visual content held by the romanticism around the Tiffany brand, from the famous shade of blue to other aspects of the brand.

Going to the exhibition, I honestly thought this is what I would see. I didn’t read much into the coverage around the launch and I briefly passed the new concession to clean my pieces and that was that. What I loved foremost about the exhibition was it’s inconspicuous location. Though clearly signed, you wouldn't have noticed unless you were truly looking for it. Upon arrival, you meet a mock up of the metro exit that most people would take when getting to 5^th Ave in New York. I chuckled initially simply because it was the 5 and R train that ran to 5^th Ave, closest to Tiffany & Co. on 57^th Street, but when I was working in New York last year, in order for me to get to 5^th Ave, I always ended up taking a 2 train and then picking up a 4. *Just a little reminiscing point lol *

 

Afterwards I headed straight to sit down and view a little screening about Tiffany&Co. and the New York minute. A phrase that I quickly adopted whilst out in NYC, and fully understand the hood meaning by ‘I haven’t seen you in a minute’.  New Yorkers really measure time by moments taken, instead of the usual British literally counting 60 seconds.

There were in total, 6 sections of the exhibition;

The Love Bench

The New York minute

Pretzel and Coffee

Fifth & 57^th

Tiffany& Co. / Master Engraver

Charlie’s Bar

These segments really do make up the beauty of the brand, I was glad to not have seen Audrey Hepburn to be very honest, though she is a beautiful figure within history, her legacy should not only be restricted to her affiliation with Breakfast at Tiffany, as well as the brand.

It’s all about NEW YORK, a place surrounded but beautiful past experiences and celebrated within the new, jazz as an eternal genre, the idea of craftsmanship by hand as well as machine, the Pretzel and Coffee Carts that will refuse to offer payments by card just so you don’t forget what a 5$ bill looks or feels like and appreciates more than any gourmet Starbucks.

Maybe what pushed me to go to this exhibition was the fact that Tiffany &Co is a brand (like many others) that has travelled with me throughout my life thus far. What made me love the exhibition were its bold visuals highlighting the connection with New York City, which I dearly miss.

It was so funny actually, I remember taking this picture after heading out of Niketown and turning on the corner where Tiffany is last year during my placement.

To read my experience at the Tiffany exhibition, click here #selfridgesXtiffany

Tiffany&Co. Brings Fifth Avenue to London #SelfridgesXTiffany

[Courtesy Image]

On Saturday 11th July, I went along to the exhibition FIFTH & 57TH at Selfridges. It was all about Tiffany & Co. bringing 5th Ave to London. Now initially when I had heard about this exhibition, I truly did not know what to expect. I have been paying a slight attention to the brand ever since the arrival of its new design director Francesca Amfitheatrof as well as other changes throughout the company within the past three years or so.

I remember reading an interview on the NY Times site in NYC last year, Amfitheatrof’s vision for the brand was discussed as well as sharing her view about the consumers attitudes towards the brand based on its energetic and romantic history. I remember reading on the train in NYC, how interesting it was to see somebody comment on a brand like Tiffany. Amfitheatrof talked about the brand in a new way; what really grabbed me was a possibility of patterns overriding the infamous tiffany blue, also demonstrated in Tiffany T collection.

This got me thinking, if you were to take a position like Amfitheatrof as design director of a brand like Tiffany, what is there to do with it? Continue? If so, are you truly a design director or a replica director? What would you really expect to change around a brand like Tiffany? (That is a question for you and I by the way ^_^)

What I have notice about Tiffany really is the way the brand really connects it’s relevance to New York City. How powerful is that? With the launch of the Tiffany T collection, Amfitheatrof really showed the measure of the city in regards to the energy, daring personality and its power qualities in a graphic way.

“I wanted to create a symbol for modern life and its relentless energy that flows through New York and drives art and culture around the world,” she says. “This is just the beginning of what I hope to accomplish.”

Also in October 2014, their interaction with consumers over social media turned up one notch; Google+ hang out session with Amfitheatrof, model Coco Rocha, Aimee Song of Song and Style and Elle fashion news director Anne Slowey. These high-profile women took the pulse of the moment, sharing their expertise in media, fashion and design and reflecting on the wider world of art, style and culture. 

I remember asking a few people I met out in NYC about the new appointments vision, and many said, if she doesn’t focus on what Tiffany is already striving in within the market, consumers wont react well, but will react quickly. Regarding my final project at university on Dior and Raf Simons; my research showed that consumers didn’t feel too pleased with the appointment of Raf because of his ‘minimalistic’ characteristics; however, his modernistic vision in the Dior woman of today continues to express the beauty of the female silhouette just like Mr Dior himself.

It’s all about modernity but clear references to the brands key values, and in Tiffany a rich heritage spanning over 175 years touching many pieces from home ware to engagement rings.

Overseas Internship

The most common question I was asked throughout my journey in New York was :

Was it worth undertaking an internship abroad ?
And my response is simply :

 

I remember talking to year below me about my plans for this internship, and a fellow student of mine said "overseas experience is not worth it" yet that student was an international student, and would rather stay in London to partake in an internship then in their home country ... *side eye* very weird right?

Experience is experience, I will NEVER get a chance of doing something like this again and I learned so much about myself as well as exercised my ability to do things I had never put much attention to. 

My intention was to explore life for myself, people who know me week know that I never put myself first, and 2014 was the year of putting myself as a priority, and with God, I was blessed enough to experiences things that I didn't even know I needed ! With Christ and determination, anything is possible ;)

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Summertime Sadness

Where did summer go this 2014?

Fortunately, I spent this summer in New York. For work and some pleasure hehe ^_^. To end my second year at university, I had to partake in a 6-week long internship at a public relations firm/ agency or brand. I remember starting my course and just discussing with my peers about where our ideal internships would be, and within the blink of an eye, it was October 2013, and I had to really start thinking. I've always been a person that likes to put my energy in one thing at a time but then I end up spreading myself very thin, however I was determined to apply and work for Karla Otto in New York.

I've had a few months of experience within the UK; I had an awesome time working at River Island last summer and every season I embark on a face-paced journey behind the scenes as a fashion week assistant with brands like Bora Aksu and Mark Fast, so I thought that I would have a change of scenery. Mind you, this took up a load of my time, I had to get another job (explains my lack of blogging and disappearance from social media) and save save SAVE! I have an unhealthy habit of buying clothing for kids, for all who know me, I have 2 nieces and nephews, 1 godson and was blessed with a beautiful goddaughter this year ! Baby clothes as well as just spending on 'my' kids is like a guilty pleasure lol.

So yeah - I applied in January, received the good news in February and was off by May this year to spend 4 months interning at Karla Otto in New York !  

Feel free to drop any questions in the comment box about my time during my 4 month long internship and Karla Otto, as well as my opinion on making a decision to intern abroad instead of just alone in London, and for pictures - they will be filtering little by little. Theres more personal than public which I've taken so please bear with me

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