ROCKING FASHION

Tiffany flagship’s Trump comeback as Gaga rolls

Tiffany is finally peeking out from the shadow of Trump Tower.

The upscale jeweler said business at its Fifth Avenue flagship — located next door to President Trump’s swanky Midtown residence — has returned to normal after months of disruptions from police barricades.

“Our New York flagship stores returned to a relatively normal flow of customer traffic following the disruption immediately after the 2016 election, and was not a drag on overall sales in the quarter,” Mark Aaron, vice-president of investor relations, said Thursday on an earnings call.

That’s in sharp contrast to just five months ago, when interim CEO Michael Kowalski had lamented that the maze of barricades blocking easy access to its doors were “largely beyond our control.”

At the time, Kowalski saw no end in sight for the Trump Tower strangle.

Perhaps the crowds are getting used to the barricades — which still line Fifth Avenue.

The 1 percent decline in same-store sales in the company’s Americas division — its largest sector — were the best in nine quarters.

Despite beating expectations, Tiffany shares fell 1.3 percent on Thursday, to $87.55.

The chain’s comeback, however, seems on track.

Kowalski noted in March that the flagship was working with the Secret Service and NYPD to “maximize access to the store and minimize the disruption.”

Earlier this year, comparable sales plunged 7 percent at the flagship location.

The declines have since moderated, Tiffany said Thursday, with global samestore sales off 2 percent from last year.

Second-quarter profits of 92 cents a share beat analyst estimates of 86 cents.

Tiffany is trying to revitalize its brand by focusing more on fashion jewelry and less on fine jewelry. It seems to be paying off.

Much of that effort is cen- tered on Lady Gaga, who made her debut as a pitcher during February’s Super Bowl, appearing in ads for Tiffany’s fashionable Hardware line

The company recently appointed Bulgari alum Alessandro Bogliolo as its new CEO to help revitalize the brand. Bogliolo is expected to start in October.

The previous CEO, Frederic Cumenal, resigned in February. Soon after Cumenal’s departure, Jana Partners acquired a stake in Tiffany and got three directors on the board.

One of those directors, Francesco Trapani, also a Bulgari alum, assisted with the CEO search.