“I always visit Bulgari because it is the most important museum of contemporary art.” – Andy Warhol
I would have to agree with Andy! This luxury, Italian powerhouse keeps on dazzling with exceptional jewellery and accessories, and last Friday was no exception. We were treated to a preview of the upcoming collection of leather goods at the Bulgari Hotel in Milan. Housed in a renovated 18th-century palazzo, it’s tucked away on a private street surrounded by courtyards and green spaces – you’d never know you were right in the heart of Milan.
We had this gorgeous bunch of two dozen roses in our room ♥
We woke up hungover bright and early for Bulgari’s signature massages at the spa on the lower ground floor and were ushered into a fancy cave for our treatments.
I could have laid on that heated bed all day, but after 80 muscle-melting minutes we made our way to the emerald and gold tiled pool.
The spa has floor to ceiling windows on one wall overlooking an outdoor lounge with hot tub! So I brought the amazing little wireless speaker
Fully refreshed my friend and I parted ways to go to different events. I popped upstairs to the Bulgari restaurant which had been transformed into a a showroom with waiters milling around with delicious canapés and drinks. The lovely Gianmarco from Bulgari was kind enough to give me a tour and share the story behind the collection.
Introducing the new Viper.
So called because when you open the clasp…these cute little viper teeth appear! The bag is available in different colours and skins, shown here in leather with mink and astrakhan trim. The onyx detail on the clasp is inspired by pavé diamonds from Bulgari jewellery collections.
The craftsmanship of this arm candy is unreal. The Viper in alligator takes 5 alligators to make! It’s not even that large but different parts of the skin are used to ensure a symmetrical finish and relevant sizes of the squares on all sections of the bag.
I’m in love with this one!
The gold you see on this bag is not piping! Oh no. This is a gold bag wrapped in a black bag. It is so elegantly robust, you can tell that it will last forever. Bulgari tried a new technique on the serpent’s head – it’s embellished with shimmering gold glitter tiles.
These beautiful Serpenti Forever bags come with a delicate metal strap that you can tuck away. The new-season metallic finish is not sprayed on top but rather, introduced at various stages throughout the leather finishing process. Amazing news if you’re clumsy like me as if you lightly scratch the bag it won’t look awful since the metallic finish continues throughout the layers.
This little gem was inspired by the Bulgari Seven Wonders necklace and is printed on python.
I love studs – we’ve seen Valentino and Burberry rocking them for years but I think Bulgari elevates them further. On these Serpenti Forever bags the onyx studs are inlaid using the same techniques as gemstones in Bulgari jewellery. The serpent’s head clasp is inlaid with ceramic, onyx and plated with gold. The collection also includes new scarves, and sunglasses with inlaid stones.
Bulgari Bulgari collection. The round bezels are inspired by the Colosseum in Rome.
Hand painted gilt edges
The Serpenti Forever in galuchat. The stingray skin is sprayed with a metal finish to mimic the sparkle of pavé diamonds.
The perfect evening bag finished with glitter! Such a stunning collection I cannot wait for it to come out. Mark May/June in your diaries!
With a few hours to kill before the Bulgari party, we went for a little wander around town and I’m not ashamed to say that we spent the rest of the afternoon camped in the spa, and swimming in the huge bathtub in our room. They have these adorable little Bulgari tea bags that make your bath smell like heaven ♥
Party time! I may have had too much champagne to operate my camera…
