{ the jaunty magpie }

The melody-sweet voice of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly rings in this Bird's head, when she says quite matter-of-factly, Nothing bad can happen at Tiffanys. Do not doubt the wisdom of The Golightly. Because no one made big sunglasses, a tiara with strings of pearls and a glazed doughnut look so stylish.

The Jaunty One was blessed with an invitation to attend the Forever in Fashion party at Tiffany and Co. in Bellevue, part of the whirlwind week of Bellevue Collection's Fashion Week 2010. The guests wore their favorite personal baubles from Tiffany as well as oufits reflecting the iconic robin's egg blue tone that is exclusively Tiffany. This Bird's background in graphic design makes me absolutely marvel at the way they've maintained and cultivated their brand for decades. The simple fact that this exact blue is able to be perfectly matched across jewelry pieces, their signature bags and boxes, fabric, and now leather goods truly dazzles this Bird's design production mind. Believe me, it's not an easy feat, so it's a subtle reflection of the attention to detail and the level of quality behind all of Tiffany's items.

I absolutely marveled at their jewelry because, as always, it's exquisite and literally feels like its made for the wearer. However it was the nontraditional Tiffany items in that marvelous robin's egg blue that put this Bird in a dreamy Mood -- their new Leather Collection particularly caught my eye. They had a few of the new Tiffany Reversable Totes, with butter-soft suede on one side, and a bright metallic silver on the other, which you can of course, reverse, so there really is no official inside or outside. They had a couple of elegant satin clutches as well as smaller accessories like wallets and coin purses. I particularly loved the clasp detail, as it's a beautiful silver cylinder with a hit of their blue on the end. Subtle, smart and it's a beautiful way to carry a bit of glamour around every day.

This Bird snapped more photos around the shop, like their beautiful displays, showing off travel themes and their adorable charms that are perfect replicas of the gift boxes and bags. The scarves were especially lovely and inspired a friend to want a necktie version for her husband. I've been loving the white silk scarf with the Tiffany Keys design on it -- crisply elegant, perfect for year-round wearing, and the narrow style makes it a great hair wrap or even as a boho-chic bracelet.

I have to give a Jaunty cheer to the way Tiffany and Co. has managed to keep their designs moving forward throughout the years, involving different designers like Frank Gehry and Paloma Picasso to take the brand into different directions for signature collections, applying their keen eye to accessories and non-jewelry items, and just finding new ways to bring that graceful touch of style into people's lives. Now if only I can find a silver phone dialer...


Jaunty Fine Print: photos by Denise Sakaki, thanks to Tiffany and Co. of Bellevue