Monday, August 3, 2009

Breakfast at Tiffany's













It was nearing sunset when Dutch walked through the door carrying not only his briefcase but… something else… a small gift bag… of the robin’s egg blue variety.


Standing in the kitchen cutting strawberries, I knew instantly – after all these years – the moment had finally arrived: I was being given a gift from Tiffany’s! The sleepless nights, the painstaking toil and suffering, had finally paid off!

The straight black script made it official: TIFFANY & Co., it said, with unassuming grace.

My eyes widened. “Are you serious?” I asked, incredulous.

“Yes,” he said. “It is a gift from my business partner and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. A.”

I was first introduced to the allure of Tiffany’s via THIS WOMAN:



…who starred in THIS MOVIE:




…which opens with THIS UNFORGETTABLE SCENE:








As you might suspect, the events of my young life unfolded predictably. Apart from collecting paraphernalia from the film (i.e. below is a copy of Audrey's actual script upon which are her actual hand-written notes):



...I proceeded to fill my adolescent closet with ballet flats, little black dresses and belted trench coats. Men were henceforth classified as either “rats” or “super-rats.” I never got ‘the blues;’ but often came down with cases of the “mean reds.” And if I wasn’t stroking my cat, Cat, I could often be found sitting out on my parent’s back porch, strumming a ukulele, and singing “Moon River” late into the night.

What, you may ask, was inside the little blue bag? Tiffany's being what it is, the bag contained a little blue box tied with a delicate white satin ribbon; the little blue box contained a little blue suede purse...

...the little blue suede purse contained ... not a bird or a plane but a genuine Tiffany & Co. charm bracelet which I can say with 100% honesty was the exact item I have been hinting about to Dutch for years...






A Little Miss Audrey - Baker, not Hepburn - helped me unveil the gift.








May these photographs serve as an homage, not only to Tiffany’s, but to Mr. and Mrs. A, who (entirely ignorant of my lifelong obsession) thought to commemorate Evie's entrance into the world in such an elaborate and tasteful way.














In the words of Ms. Golightly: "Quelle gift!" Thank you!!!

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