Literally show me a color more iconic than Tiffany Blue. The luxury jewelry company’s signature shade has been with the brand since its beginnings in the 1830s and is as inextricable from the Tiffany legacy as the massive yellow Tiffany Diamond that most recently adorned Lady Gaga’s neck at the 2019 Oscars, or a certain 1962 film in which Audrey Hepburn dines on a morning pastry while gazing longingly into the windows of Tiffany’s Fifth Avenue flagship. The trademarked hue, officially dubbed “1837 Blue” in a nod to the brand’s founding year via a partnership with Pantone in 1998, is as inimitable as it is recognizable. While stray glimpses of similar shades of bright teal or robin’s egg might conjure up Tiffany associations, a side-by-side comparison to one of Tiffany’s coveted little blue boxes will almost always reveal the brand’s signature hue remains unmatched.
Needless to say, Tiffany’s April 1 announcement that the brand would be replacing its centuries-old house color with “Tiffany Yellow” was an obvious, if clever, April Fools’ joke. While an Instagram post featuring the iconic Tiffany box decked out in a bright shade of canary yellow managed to fool a few mostly shocked and dismayed commenters, most recognized the prank for what it was, and Tiffany copped to the joke the next morning with another post showing the box back in its traditional blue uniform.
As someone who has been fortunate enough to acquire many a little blue box over the years and keeps them stacked in a tower on my dresser in lieu of actual decor, I am surprised to admit that I don’t hate the idea of a Tiffany Yellow. When I first saw the bright hue on Tiffany’s Instagram yesterday, my third thought — right after the obligatory, “Wait, what?” followed by, “Oh, it’s April Fools’,” — was, “I’m actually kind of into it?”
Let me be quite clear: you will never catch me trying to argue that Tiffany should, for any reason, replace Tiffany Blue altogether. But I do think Tiffany Yellow could make for a fun, special-edition spring line — like when the company swaps its traditional white ribbon with a red one around the holidays. Moreover, it’s not like Tiffany and yellow are strangers. As previously mentioned, the legendary Tiffany Diamond — a massive yellow diamond that made founder Charles Lewis Tiffany the “King of Diamonds” upon its acquisition in 1878 — is one of the brand’s most iconic features. There’s room for a little more yellow in the hallowed halls of 727 Fifth Avenue.
While Tiffany promised the brand would “never mess with with Tiffany Blue” in their April Fools’ confession, the caption did tease “some exciting new things in the works.” If that includes the opportunity to get my hands on a limited edition little yellow box, you’ll know where to find me.
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