Her name is Francesca Amfitheatrof and she is the creative director of Tiffany. She debuted with the T collection. Then, in April 2015, here is the new edition of the Blue Book. But in addition to being a manager and designer, Francesca Amfitheatrof has quickly become a character. Partly because of her international experience (she has worked for Chanel, Marni, Fendi and the MoMA in New York, among others), but also because of her natural predisposition to be truly international: born in Tokyo, to an aristocratic mother who was half Italian and half Czech, while her father was Russian, she lived in London, at the editorial office of Time. Now the How to Spend supplement of Sole24Ore has published a fun self-portrait of the designer, in a text collected by Giulia Crivelli. Here are the most unusual ideas.
The distinctive signs of my style. I like to wear many rings on the same finger: I never take off my grandfather’s wedding ring, who was an orchestra conductor, and all around I wear small ones, made of different materials.
The object I will never part with. A shell that Francesco Clemente, an artist and dear friend, gave me. Every now and then he timidly asks me to give it back, but I have always refused.
The latest addition to my wardrobe. A Rick Owens jacket, I love his often transgressive style and I know he has just opened a large store in Milan, I will go and visit it.
My favorite room in the house. The library: I have collected thousands of books on literature, art, and non-fiction. I like to see them all together, they give me an idea of the path I have taken, they are friends who have accompanied me and will continue to do so.
A style icon. Sheika Mozah, the second wife (and favorite, it is said, of the three) of Emir Hamad ben Khalifa Al Thani, ruler of Qatar. There is much of the charm of the Hollywood divas of the Forties and something very contemporary in her.
The last thing I bought and loved. Japanese Sakai knives: I would like to have time to cook and I hope, one day, to use them. But they are also beautiful objects.
The book I keep on my bedside table. Gone Girl, which I bought after seeing the movie; Wild, which was adapted into a movie starring and produced by Reese Witherspoon, and War and Peace. All on Kindle, however, so it is easier to take them with me if I have to go on a business trip, short or long.
What is never missing from my refrigerator. Linseed oil: it is rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6 and they say it is very good for you. But I am not a vegetarian.
The best gift I have recently received. A digital radio received from my husband. Besides, if I weren’t doing this job, I’d love to own and run a radio station.
