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Crazy About Tiffany's doc maker celebrates capitalist icon

Audrey Hepburn. Robin's egg blue. The sparkling engagement ring. How did a New York store become synonymous with wealth and glamour?
CBC Radio ·
Audrey Hepburn beams in the 1961 film, Breakfast at Tiffany's. The film was game-changer for both the actress and the brand. (Christie's/Ronald Grant Archive/CP)
Q17:52Crazy About Tiffany's appraises cultural impact of a high-end icon

Something old, something new ... something robin's egg blue?

Filmmaker Matthew Miele joins guest host Talia Schlanger to discuss his new documentary Crazy About Tiffany's — a closer look at how a capitalist institution inserted itself into pop culture and became synonymous with wealth and glamour. Miele, who had to convince the retailer to pull back the velvet curtain, says Tiffany's story goes beyond Audrey Heburn and their signature blue box.  

Miele also reflects on why the historic brand, founded back in 1837, may be in trouble if it fails to court a new generation of millennial fans — and he doesn't hide his own hopes for the jewellery giant.

"I would hate to see Tiffany go out of business, or economically not do well; I think it's an important thing to celebrate; American capitalism, and America as a brand ... we have these businesses that I think mean something, you know, it's entrepreneurship."

WEB EXTRA | Watch the trailer for Crazy About Tiffany's below and tell us: what kind of associations do you have with the brand? Do you buy into the narrative that's made it a cultural force?  



Plus, watch the classic opening scene of Breakfast At Tiffany's, featuring Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly.  

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