The Great Designer of Tiffany Collections

Gene Moore, who has a smile as clear and fine as the tiny gold menagerie and enameled clowns he has created for Tiffany's circus collection, displays personal optimism as much as merchandise. How risky in a city whose holiday season is only half over but already includes the infernal memory of shoppers having to beat out flames on passengers fleeing in anguish from a subway fire bomber.
This routine urban outrage was followed by the usual morning questions about what is to be done with the violent among us. For a walker so musing on Fifth Avenue, Mr. Moore's gifted hand in the high-priced Christmas business suddenly loomed at 57th Street as an act of mercy Messianic for its power to distract. Porridge was no fool adviser.
"I told Porridge, 'That's not a bad idea, teddy bears in the windows for our finale,' " Mr. Moore said.
So there are five windows full of teddy bears staring out quietly at the city today. A tiny bewigged bear choir in one tableau and a party of plutocratic New Year's bear dancers in another, a bear family at daybreak discovering an exhausted teddy Santa in a third. Lyrical images to be disturb reality.
"No merchandise," Mr. Moore noted. "Never in the Christmas windows because I do that for the children and the ones who are not interested in jewelry. I try to please the child, because if you please the young children, you please the old children, too, which is what we are."
Through the smoke, Mr. Moore leaned back in his last days at Tiffany's, certain Porridge that has another career for him. "These windows were extra fun because they're my last," he said, smiling like an old child.

TIFFANY & CO.TIFFANY KNOTS EARRINGS

TIFFANY & CO. Venetian Link bracelet

TIFFANY & CO. Tiffany Notes locket and chain

Tuesday, November 10, 2009