Katy Perry! Hailey Bieber! Gal Gadot! Inside the Glittering, Gleaming Unveiling of Tiffany & Co.’s 5th Ave Flagship

Katy PerrySansho Scott/BFA.com

The unveiling of the four-year-long renovation of Tiffany & Co.’s famed 57th Street and 5th Avenue flagship (now known as "The Landmark”) was an event that needed so much celebrating, a series of events were required. First, there was a ribbon cutting that took place on Wednesday morning: Dripping in Tiffany’s T and Hardwear pieces, Gal Gadot did the honors, assisting in the snipping of a Tiffany-blue ribbon. Following that, a lunch unfolded at the Blue Box Café, now helmed by chef Daniel Boulud and designed by Peter Marino, who oversaw the refurbishment of the entire building. But the event that shone as bright as a Tiffany-set diamond? Last night’s bash, where the interiors of the now 10-floor retail space (three stories were added to the top of the building via a gleaming glass atrium) were finally on display to lucky attendees.

Wearing the eye-catching hightops from Tiffany & Co.’s recent “a perfect pair” collaboration with Nike, Alexandre Arnault (Tiffany’s executive vice president of product and communications) held court, leading guests through the sprawling space. A highlight reel: the ground floor is wallpapered with a series of screens that (last night) depicted a fireworks display over Manhattan; further up, an extraordinary staircase features mirrored walls that evoke the facets in a diamond; all throughout, you’ll find art with a capital A (around 40 artworks in total, including pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst, Julian Schnabel, Daniel Arsham, and NFTs by Urs Fischer and Tom Sachs); and there’s even a recreation of Audrey Hepburn’s Givenchy LBD worn in the iconic opening scene of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. And then there was the people watching!

It was as though everyone had coordinated to wear the color black: Women almost exclusively wore slick silk suits, evening dresses, and minis in the inky hue—an homage to Audrey, for sure. Plus, it made for the perfect black canvas to display the jewels. Gal Gadot was back again, wearing a strapless dress and a shimmering diamond neckpiece. Hailey Bieber was similarly dressed in a black columnar midi dress with a diamond double-strand necklace. Anya Taylor-Joy shook things up in an extraordinary crimson feathered look by Dilara Findikoglu. Elsewhere in the room were Jimin, Pharrell, Florence Pugh, Zoë Kravitz, Blake Lively, Michael B. Jordan, to name just a few.

After everyone had taken a turn about the new store, they entered a revolving door that normally leads out to 57th Street. For the occasion, it served as a portal to club Tiffany—a black tunnel with neon signage eventually gave way to a black and white checkerboard dance floor where DJ Mia Moretti kicked things off. She was followed by Radio City Rockettes (it was a night all about New York, after all!), and then Katy Perry appeared in a softer Tiffany blue gown by Givenchy. She dazzled the celeb-filled room with her performance of “Firework” and “I Kissed a Girl,” before handing over to Mark Ronson for a DJ set.

It was big; it was splashy; it was totally New York—a landmark moment for “The Landmark.” And for those clutching their Tiffany pearls upon learning of the store’s expansion, know that the exterior of the late deco building, which was built in 1940, remained untouched.