Crazy About Tiffany’s
There is only one jewellery store in the world where your diamond ring or bejewelled necklace will be wrapped up in a little blue box and secured with a white ribbon. This iconic packaging has made hearts beat faster for hundreds of years, when the lucky recipient realises they have received a gift from the illustrious Tiffany & Co.
If this documentary is to be believed, there is no one who wouldn’t agree with Holly Golightly’s famous exclamation, “I’m just crazy about Tiffany’s!”. The heroine of Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) is the brand’s crown princess, though it had a colourful and varied history before she tiptoed on screen. Established in 1837, the image and prominence of the company has evolved into the global player we know today, but has always catered to those with the deepest pockets. Everyone from executives to celebrities to the jewellers themselves give insight into Tiffany’s and what it means to them. Children talk about receiving their “very first little blue box”, while adults daydream about the ones to come. There is no doubt about whose side director Matthew Miele is on.
It is not surprising therefore that Crazy About Tiffany’s is more an 86-minute advert than a unique insight into a well-known brand. Of the 67 people interviewed, there is a single dissenting voice. No one ever questions the rampant materialism or ultimate uselessness of buying a $1 million engagement ring: “The more he spends on you the more he loves you!” declares a ten-year-old girl confidently. It unveils a world totally alien to most, where overpriced necklaces are sold to those too lacking in imagination to shop elsewhere. As in his previous documentary Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s, Miele focuses on another purveyor of consumerist culture but fails to make the subject in any way appealing to outsiders.
The resulting film is much like Tiffany’s itself: stylish in appearance but ultimately of little substance. Holly Golightly would find the whole thing a little too excessive.
Sarah Button
Crazy About Tiffany’s is released nationwide on 24th June 2016.
Watch the trailer for Crazy About Tiffany’s here:
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