ML - Michigan Avenue

2015 - Issue 5 - September

Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!

Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/553637

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 55 of 163

STYLE Reinvention 54 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM PHOTOGRAPHY BY © TIFFANY & CO. Tiffany, Transformed THE ICONIC LUXURY BRAND'S MICHIGAN AVENUE FLAGSHIP UNVEILS A NEW LOOK WITH A NOD TO THE COMPANY'S RICH HISTORY. BY JACQUELINE BENDER For almost 50 years, Tiffany & Co.'s Midwest f lagship on Michigan Avenue has drawn scores of customers seeking out the brand's sumptuous, timeless jewelry and accessories. Now, after a nine-month, top-to-bottom renovation, there's even more appeal to the place, as the refreshed and reconfigured 10,100-square-foot space is officially unveiled this month. Walking into the store, customers are welcomed by a striking white marble staircase at the center of the room's light, bright salons. Dramatic high ceilings draw the eye upward— from the cases of sparkling jewelry to a commanding white-gold magnolia chandelier by New York artist Michele Oka Doner—and the overall effect is startlingly lovely, and aimed at invoking a particular feeling. "There's that moment—that sort of Holly Golightly moment," says Tiffany Executive Vice President Jon King of the effect produced on visitors. "It's the feeling that you are coming into a space where important things happen." The contemporary new aesthetic feels every bit as rich and luxurious as the medium cherry wood it replaced, but with a refined elegance and a hint of femininity. The serene space is accented with layered velvet draperies and chairs in Tiffany Blue. These design elements aren't unique to Tiffany's Chicago location, but their implementation is on a much larger, more lavish scale for this expansive f lagship, where customers come from all over the Midwest to take pictures, make special-occasion purchases, and perhaps even see a Tiffany & Co. store in person for the first time. "Because of the grand scale of Michigan Avenue, we have the opportunity to do things in a more important way than a [smaller] boutique in Tokyo," King says. One example is that grand staircase, which integrates a wheatleaf motif in its detailing. "The wheatleaf pattern is, we think, a very American motif that Midwesterners understand—a design that is at once elegant and that which is understood to be at the heart of America," says King. Nature inf luences not just the décor, but also Tiffany's collections as well. Oka Doner's magnolia chandelier and sconces pay homage to the company's first director of design, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and the stained-glass screens he designed for his Manhattan home. His wisteria pattern is framed by black lacquer and white gold in five new private sales salons, whose décor draws inspiration from Tiffany's Upper East Side residence. Notes Chicago-based Regional Vice President Cathy Elward, "There's a lot more dedica- tion to allowing people to sit down to have a consultation." Other changes to the store's layout include a 1,400 - square-foot expansion, and the company's first-ever dedicated watch salon in the Americas. Even the f lagship's familiar granite façade didn't go untouched. Branded Tiffany Blue awnings have been added to decorate the store's exterior, a touch that was most definitely deliberate. Says Elward, "We wanted to make sure there was no way you could walk past and not know this is Tiffany's." Tiffany & Co.'s newly renovated boutique will be unveiled in September. 730 N. Michigan Ave., 312-944-7500; tiffany.com MA FALL MUST-HAVES Tiffany reimagines three iconic collections for autumn. Design Director Francesca Amfi theatrof 's reinterpretation of the iconic Tiffany Bow, Victoria, and Infi nity collections has made these pieces some of the season's most coveted. "This is jewelry that can be worn day and night," says Amfi theatrof. "The designs work together or on their own to create a spectacular diamond look." CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: A rendering of the Tiffany & Co. flagship on Michigan Avenue; Tiffany Victoria key pendant in platinum with mixed-cut diamonds ($10,500); Bow cuff with diamonds in 18k white gold ($7,500); Infinity rings with diamonds in 18k rose, white, and yellow gold ($2,200 each).

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of ML - Michigan Avenue - 2015 - Issue 5 - September