Tiffany unveils one-year Avenue Montaigne Paris pop-up boutique

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
May 31, 2022

Tiffany has unveiled a new one-year-long Paris pop-up boutique, with classy archive display, and it’s picked the toniest shopping district in town for the location - Avenue Montaigne.

 
Underlying the ambitions of its owner LVMH, the new store sits directly across the street from the newly revamped super-flagship of Christian Dior, the luxury behemoth’s most famous fashion marque.
 
The 80-square-meter store is situated on the much-sought-after axis of Avenue Montaigne and Rue François Premier in the heart of Paris’ Golden Triangle. Somewhat like the Dior concept flagship, besides which stands La Galerie Dior, a remarkable full-time installation of Dior history, fashion, accessories and scents, the new Tiffany store provides a savvily displayed selection of remarkable works of jewelry by the American brand.

Ranging from several remarkable  masterpieces by George Paulding Farnham - the House’s chief jewelry designer from 1885 to 1908 – like his a mesmerizingly realistic enamel orchid brooch, to a delicate golden thread bracelet, a favorite of Annie Olivia Tiffany, daughter of founder Charles Lewis Tiffany. An historic centerpiece of the pop-up exhibition experience is the original catalogue from the auction of the French Crown Jewels, a significant portion of which was acquired in 1887 by Charles Lewis Tiffany - solidifying the house’s reputation as the most important American jeweler.
 

“The love affair between Tiffany & Co. and Paris has been ongoing for nearly 200 years, from the earliest moments in the House’s history. The new Paris pop-up store is a modern embodiment of this important relationship. It represents an innovative approach to Parisian shopping and a forward-thinking vision of experiential retail,” opined Anthony Ledru, CEO of Tiffany & Co., to give it its corporate name, in a release.
 
The cut-stone fronted pop-up, which runs to May 2023, will also feature a curated exhibition experience showcasing historic objects from The Tiffany Archives. Though there is also plenty of the house’s contemporary hardware - including Tiffany T1, Tiffany City HardWear, Tiffany Knot and Tiffany Victoria; and classic modernist works by Elsa Peretti, like her famous chunky sculptural bracelets. As well as from high Jewelry masterpieces by the brand’s single most famous creator Jean Schlumberger, like his Diamond Bird on Rock topaz brooch.

 
There’s a quiet backspace for private clients, illuminated by Louis Comfort Tiffany’s famous leaded-glass lampshades in this three-room emporium.  Aesthetically, the new pop-up partially reflects the recently revamped upper floors of its Fifth Avenue flagship, with its Blue Box café, baby boutique and antique books. But, somewhat surprisingly, instead of the classic Tiffany robin-egg blue, this pop-up’s key hue is lapis lazuli, from the backlit marble abstract expressionist walls to the deep pile carpet.
 
What’s also noticeable for such a legendarily grand brand is the pricing, with several glass display boxes offering restrained entry-level price tags. Some bracelets start at 1,950 euros,  while Perretti’s iconic wristbands will only set one back 3,000 euros. But inevitably,  a circular display contains the house’s most famous idea – diamond engagement rings – whose blue velour boxes carry the instruction, 'Marry me!'

 
Founded in New York City in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany, the American jewelry house boasts more than 300 retail stores worldwide and a workforce of more than 13,000 employees.
 
After protractive negotiations and a legal battle in American courts, LVMH completed the acquisition of Tiffany in January 2021 for $15.8 billion, its most expensive purchase ever. This store marks its first noticeable play in LVMH’s hometown.