That is a brilliant marketing coup. I'm not sure Truman Capote would have appreciated the title of his book being taken literally, though.

The cafe is lovely. . After being sated with breakfast or tea, how could someone leave without taking something home from the jewelry case. Tiffany's is counting on it. I wonder if Tiffany's will open cafes at other locations.

I think it is charming. I intend to go there with my daughter when we get a chance. Surely, there will be a Tiffany's item purchased.

No way would I pay $29 for breakfast! I have my favorite diner - The Sunflower Diner on 3rd Ave. I can get a freshly made breakfast of 2 poached eggs, bacon, home fries and toast for under $10. Delicious!

I lived in NYC in 1964-65 when Tiffany's was at it's peak, when Walter Hoving was president. The man had impeccible taste. At that time, Tiffany's table settings on an upper floor, were a feast for the eye - all that silver and vermeil - utterly fabulous. And the jewelry! Fabulous pieces that have become classics. The salespeople were mainly men who had spent their entire lives selling jewelry and actually KNEW something about it - not some snooty 25 yr old girl who is imperious and very self-important and knows nothing. What a treat to spend time in this store! My favorite time to go was when there was a big snow storm and most people stayed home. Then, the elderly salesmen would show one unbelievably pieces of jewelry and teach one all about it.

I love my Tiffany flatware but the store today holds little interest for me. It's geared to today's Tiffany customer - wealthy tourists from the Far East who must take home presents for their 50 closest family and friends. It's all about the Tiffany Blue box, not about something very special anymore.

Anglo, was that before Elsa Peretti was discovered? John Loring told me the story about how Carrie Donovan (youngster will remember her from the Old Navy ads way back in the 90s) brought Peretti round to the design director and told him to hire her on the spot.

Anglo if someone else paid, would you go? Would you take pleasure in being there?

Penny, you didn't ask me, but I will answer anyway if you don't mind. I feel passionately about Tiffany's.

No, I would not take pleasure in feeling like I was being used in a marketing scheme by the retailer. Over-priced food in the service of selling trinkets and posting Instagram pics are not worth anything to me- regardless of price. Of course if a friend invited me, I would focus on my experience with my friend, but that is not what the question is really about.

If I want to splurge on a meal, I want that meal to cater to me without ulterior motives.

Tiffany's has always prided itself on having many "democratically priced" items (John Loring's exact words to me almost 20 years ago- he was the head of Tiffany's and the designer of the Atlas collection.) I loved those silver items from Elsa Peretti or the inexpensive key chains and whatnot. My wedding band is a Jean Schlumberger Sixteen Stone ring. I have quite a number of Peretti pieces and some fabulous Atlas pieces and a few great Schlumberger things aside from my wedding band.

I loved Tiffany's for the beauty and style they used to stand for (and I have some serious quibbles about their quality- they do not use great diamonds in their rings for example and their pearls are quite subpar.)

I have a few Tiffany items, but I'm rather specific about jewelry, so I wouldn't buy it for myself.

Thankfully, there are so many other places you can spend your money on if you have an issue with quality or marketing or... ?

A meal at Tiffany's would just be a fun thing to do...No different than visiting Walt Disney World...

I really only deny myself if I think it causes harm to others....

Most likely I won't get to go in my lifetime, but I would have a very good time. It's an iconic place that's just trying to stay competitive and that doesn't affect me.

ETA: spelling and grammer because I'm constantly tired.

I was just re-reading my post and want to be clear most of my pieces are from the democratically priced lines- mostly silver.

Penny, they may offer dining events at a Tiffany's near you in the future. Since your moniker indicates you are a design person, I wonder if you could not approach Tiffany's about doing a design story around their new housewares for a local newspaper where you live or even a design blog. I have had many a meal at my local Tiffany's as a press person. You can contact your local Tiffany's and make your proposal to the general manager- I promise you that when they are launching new products, they are very generous with press passes. Once you are in with one story, you will have continued access to write about their products and receive their marketing largesse.

No interest no matter who pays. I quit going in the store years ago.

Rita, I'm green with envy that you have some Jean Schlumberger pieces! I'd kill for a couple of his enamel/gold bangle bracelets and the enamel shrimp earrings, many of his brooches were gorgeous as well.

Not an Elsa Perreti fan - just don't care for silver jewelry. Most of my jewelry is estate pieces. I prefer the workmanship and the uniqueness. No Tiffany estate pieces - big premium for signed pieces.

I adored NYC shopping the year I lived there in the mid '60s. They were all very special. At Bergdorf's, one felt like a princess - sat on a banquette while clothes were brought out for me. Huge, luxurious dressing rooms. Henri Bendel was a treat - such unusual things. Bloomingdales also had very special thing - their Christmas wrapping paper was handmade and extraordinary. Saks shoes dept was wonderful. And all the small shops on Madison and Lexington help very special delights.

Now, one can barely walk down 5th Ave - hoardes of foreign tourists taking selfies and pictures of one another in front of designer stores. The clothes are outrageously expensive and poorly made with cheap fabric. It's all about the label, not the quality.

i know - I'm an old dinosaur but the glamour is gone from retailing, thus it's demise today. Just go online and order.

You are no dinosaur, Anglo. Having standards is not being a dinosaur. My grandmother was apoplectic when I would show her my Elsa Pereti finds. Spending money on silver jewelry was like spending money on paste jewelry in her eyes. I see her point now.

As for your point about the quality of the clothes, it's utterly astounding what people will pay for a label and nothing else. There is a relatively simple solution for me- in SF we have many Russian immigrants who are excellent seamstresses and we have a lovely fabric store- Britax. I put those two together plus some patterns from Burda and Vogue and my nice clothes are actually nice for a tiny fraction of the cost of designer things.

I do not feel sorry for the retailers going out of business. They deserve what they are getting. They took their customers for granted. They have treated those of us who bought "bridge" type lines with contempt and now they have no clients.

What a great idea, Rita, using a seamstress. Where do you get the patterns? My daughter has some of her clothing hand made, but she lives abroad and it is really inexpensive. But finding a designer pattern might be a nice gift for her.

Rita, my DD started her own clothing line and she has made me very aware of fair trade. How do you factor in what is a fair price when deciding on price?

Sleeper blues, I use Vogue patterns for the more fashionable things and Burda for more simple ones. What really got me into having my clothes made was finding amazing fabrics and wishing for clothes made of them. Check out Britax Fabrics, even online you can see how much more interesting and nice the fabrics are than what we are offered in stores.

Eld, I have my clothes made just for me, so there is no pricing involved. My seamstress charges me by the project. I usually buy my own patterns, but sometimes I have a pattern made if I want a very specific dress.

It's wonderful that your daughter pays attention to fair trade practices. Clothing manufacturing is incredibly complicated from the harvesting of the cotton to the final finish of garments- there are so many people involved who have very little bargaining power. While high end clothing is outrageously expensive (you can pay $2000 for a designer blouse,) most clothing is absurdly inexpensive these days and it's hard not to wonder who is actually paying for our garments, because at $20 for a dress from Target, I am pretty sure many people in that supply chain are not being paid at all.

Penny, please forgive my detour about clothing.

ETA

My favorite designer brand is Swiss- pretty low key- no logos- no bling- but the clothes are made in Switzerland, so I assume no one is being abused in the process- the fabrics, I hope are European as well, though I don't know for sure. A simple sheath dress costs $1,790. I have no idea of what that cost represents. Is that what it costs to pay everyone fairly- or is there a huge designer mark-up. My sheath dresses wind up costing me no more than $200. They fit me like a glove and the fabrics are amazing.

(Akris is the brand)

Not at all, Rita. It was just a PSA of sorts and I enjoy any discussion about anything, really...

I do understand that all clothes should be taken to the tailor for fit.

Yoga pants and my husbands sweaters being the exception of course :)

I have a seamstress that makes my dress/church clothes for me. I go to NYC and buy the fabric - can also call them and they'll send swatches. I don't need a pattern - just a picture of an existing garment. We took an old Liz Claiborne coat dress and we've adapted it in at least 5-6 different ways. No one would ever know it's the same pattern. I have her use china silk to line the dresses, she puts the zippers in by hand, she made hand-bound button holes on a coat, and she sometimes does hand-done top stitching. She likes to do these things for me as I appreciate them - most people wouldn't know the difference. I like very simple clothes with simple lines out of very high quality fabric. A dress might have $150 in fabric, and she might charge $250. But I can promise you, I get a superb dress for $400 - one far better than a dress for $2000 (a price WAY out of my budget). Since the styles are classic, I can wear them for years. And since they're simple, my jewelry become the main attraction.

My fashion icon is the Queen! She always looks smart and absolutely marvelous. Just wish I jewelry were as good as hers! I have nothing than can compare to "Granny's Chips" (the famous Cullinane diamonds!).

PS Penny, I hit like for your comment- I meant thank you, but like was the only choice :-)

Interesting how a thread about a jewelry store and its jewelry has evolved into a conversation about custom-made clothes.

My jewelry is all custom made for me by my husband's brother - who is a Certified Master Bench Jeweler.

Lindsey, I would love to see some photos if you choose to share...I'm always looking (online, sadly) at those pieces that show craftsmanship. In clothing and jewelry.

When I was looking at engagement rings, I stopped by Tiffany and I was not impressed. The saleslady showed me what I requested, but she was distant and it seemed she thought of me as nothing but a waste of time. I crossed the mall to Harry Winston (expecting the same treatment) and what a difference! A salesman swept over to me and I was treated like royalty. He spent over an hour with me going over options and never once seemed impatient. He also insisted I try on a $300k necklace I was admiring. :)

My aunt worked at Harry Winston! My cousin has many nice pieces she inherited from her mom.

Chi, where did you wind up getting your ring?

We're having breakfast at Tiffany's next month - can't wait. :)

Chi, I can tell you that the diamonds on my wedding band are beyond appalling. The diamonds are small and the flaws are huge and evident to the naked eye. I like the design of the ring (16 stone.) Tiffany's does not use the usual GIA certifications, telling customers to trust their judgment. Ha!

I will say though that Tiffany's merchandise retains its value very well. My ring, used on eBay, costs more than what we paid for mine. So the branding routine has its merits.

Eld, I fell in love with a Verragio setting that I saw online, so I worked with a local jeweler who offered them.

Speaking of Tiffany's, has anyone seen their "everyday" collection? They are selling random items for obscene amounts. It's worth a peek around!

http://m.tiffany.com/accessories/everyday-objects

Guess how much they are selling this coffee can for? $1,500! They also have a tin can for $1k. I also like the $9k ball of yarn! :)

Chi, I got a kick out of seeing those. I can just see the person who cleans my home throwing that can into the recycling bin.

When my DD's were in high school Tiffany jewelry was "the thing." I inherited back the bean, which I wear from time to time. I also have a silver Elsa Peretti heart that I still wear.

ETA just googled the Verragio setting. Lovely!

Imstillchloe, let us know about your experience.

I lived two blocks from Tiffany's in the 1960's and shopped there often. But that was then. To me today, the restaurant decor looks like robin's-egg-blue overload.

If I ever got taken to Tiffany's as a child, I don't remember it. We lived in NYC in my early years, so it is likely. And I'd say in those early years I disliked going to any shops of any sort, unless it was the butcher's... that guy would hand out free slices of bologna. Oh, I did like FAO Shwartz, where I could watch the toy trains running around...

I do like Tiffany glass... but would I make a point to stopping at Tiffany's today? No, probably not. I am so glad these days that most of my non-food shopping is done on line, although it remains hard to tell clothing quality without being there in person. I'm not encouraged to make today's Tiffany an exception.

I saw Breakfast at Tiffany's when it first came out, and many times since. I remember buying a sterling silver telephone dialer when I was at the Tiffany' in San Francisco. When I lived in Los Angeles, I couldn't go to Beverly Hills without stopping in. I used to buy presents there -- very inexpensive. When I got married, we went to Tiffany for my wedding ring.

I ran into their online catalog on a website, so I took a look. Everything was incredibly expensive. I remember not being wealthy, but I could afford small things there. Now I couldn't afford anything.

My friends knew about my attachment to the movie, so when I got married I got several things from there. I love watching the movie titles, and Moon River is still my favorite song.

My attachment to Tiffany's is sentimental. But I have no interest in going there anymore.

Tiffany's tends to have several catalogues, you might have come upon one of their fancy special ones. OTOH I have noticed that even the silver trinkets have become quite dear.

Chi and Eld - in my sleepy state, I melded together your responses mentioning $1k tin can and "kick," made me think - paying $1k for a tin can to play kick-the-can on the street? LOL Not me in this lifetime!

Haha Stacey. Next Tiffany can make a dented can, for that added ambiance.