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Why is the Tiffany’s box a trademark blue? And why is it more coveted than the actual contents?

February 9, 2015 by anubha76 Leave a Comment

It was in 1878 that Tiffany & Co.’s Blue Book catalogue acquired its first cover in the particular shade of blue that’s now come to be known as Tiffany Blue. Variously described as ‘forget-me-not blue’ and ‘robin’s egg blue’, it was handpicked because of the popularity of turquoise gemstones in the 19th century.

Turquoise was also a favorite of Victorian brides, who usually gave their attendants a dove-shaped brooch set with turquoise so that they would not forget the occasion – a detail that was not lost on Charles Lewis Tiffany, who founded the brand as the pinnacle of wedding luxe.

tiffany blue 2The box incited such a flurry of emotions that in 1906, The New York Sun famously reported: “(Charles Lewis) Tiffany has one thing in stock that you cannot buy of him for as much money as you may offer; he will only give it to you. And that is one of his boxes.”

At the beginning of the 20th century, the venerable jewellery house trademarked this cult shade and it now bears the same number (1837) on the Pantone Matching System as the year Tiffany was founded. More than a century later, the “little blue box” remains an international icon, whispering romance and sophistication, and inciting bidding wars on eBay from collectors who sometimes value the packaging more than the contents.

tiffany blue 4Bonus facts:

1. Pantone makes the blue-coloured paper for all Tiffany’s packaging materials.

2. The white satin ribbon that is tied at the counter is another de rigueur for all Tiffany’s boxes. The only time it’s replaced is during the holidays, when Tiffany’s uses a red ribbon for the festivities.

3. The brand’s name is embossed in Baskerville Old Face.

4. During the shooting of Audrey Hepburn’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the store posted 40 armed guards on the floor to prevent its blue boxes from vanishing!

5. The Tiffany’s blue box has even inspired actual pieces of jewellery (like this pretty charm) – not to mention the innumerable nail polishes, desserts, wall coverings, fashion collections and decor objects.

Own a Tiffany’s blue box? Want a Tiffany’s blue box?

Filed Under: Brands, Cult, Design, Fashion, Gifting Tagged With: Pantone 1837, Tiffany, Tiffany & Co., Tiffany blue, Tiffany blue box, Tiffany blue box charms, Tiffany color, Tiffany colour, Tiffany font, Tiffany history, Tiffany nail polish, Tiffany packaging, Tiffany red ribbon, Tiffany signature, Tiffany trivia, Tiffany white ribbon, Tiffany's, what is Tiffany blue, why is Tiffany's blue

Conversation starter: What is the Hermès orange?

January 21, 2015 by anubha76 Leave a Comment

Orange has been the Hermès hallmark colour since the Second World War, when the company’s packaging supplier ran out of its traditional brown-trimmed beige box. When the company was launched in 1837, the first boxes were cream-coloured, with gilded-edging, imitating pigskin; a few years later they became mustard-coloured with brown edging.

hermes orange 2The Second World War forced the next color change. During the Occupation, the shortage of all materials forced Hermès to use the only plain paperboard available: it was orange. Moving to orange was a pretty bold move in the 1940s, but there has been no turning back for the company that began in Thierry Hermès’ saddle shop in Paris.

According to Leatrice Eisman, author of All About Colour, “Because orange is closely associated to red from which it comes, vibrant orange is a very physical, high-visibility colour, calling for attention. And because of it’s connection to sunny yellow, orange is seen as friendlier and more approachable, less aggressive than red – a gregarious, fun loving hue.”

After the war, this color was continued, but in a much more vivid shade (as today) with a relief pattern. In 1949, the Bolduc (brown ribbon) was introduced. Before 1996, jewellery and tableware had different colored boxes: grey for jewelry and green for tableware; however, today all Hermès objects come in the orange box, which comes in 188 different sizes. This burnt orange corresponds to No. 1448 on the Pantone Matching System.

hermes orange 1

Filed Under: Brands, Cult, Design, Fashion, Gifting Tagged With: Hermès, Hermes color, Hermes colour, Hermes orange, Hermes packaging, Hermes signature colour, what is the Hermes orange, why is hermes orange

Ice breakers: The most jaw-dropping facts about Santa Claus you’ve (n)ever heard

December 20, 2014 by anubha76 Leave a Comment

Do you believe in Santa Claus? I do. And I also pity the poor old man for the frantic rush that is Christmas. Because when I am going out of my mind buying gifts for the 38 people on my list, imagine the sheer craziness of delivering pretty packages to 1,817,989,536 kids (yes, that’s a real statistic). That too, around the world. Which means that he needs to travel at twice the speed of light and can only afford to spend 0.0005 seconds in each house.

How do I know all this AND more (like the fact that Santa starts deliveries from New Zealand)? Because the nice people over at iGo put together this superb infographic based on scientific calculations. If you believe in Santa, it will make you appreciate the man even more. If you don’t believe in him (why?) it will still give you some fabulous ice breakers and talking points for the next gathering.

santa-claus-trivia

 So, do YOU believe in Santa Claus?

Filed Under: Festivals, Gifting Tagged With: christmas, christmas trivia, holiday, reindeer, rudolph, santa, santa claus, santa claus trivia, sleigh, st. nicholas, what you don't know about santa claus

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