Hearts, Flowers, and Coins Precious: Bulgari Bags

If your most famous collection is called Serpenti, then the Year of the Snake simply cannot be an ordinary one for you. That is why Bulgari’s creative director of leather goods and accessories Mary Katrantzou has created a truly festive tribute for this occasion. She has utilized the full range of Bulgari bag models, with almost every name featuring the word Serpenti.

Let's start with the main premiere – the Serpenti Cuore 1968 bag. Its distinctive silhouette is adorned with a metallic handle in the form of an alluring snake, evoking the famed Bvlgari Serpenti Harlequin jewelry watch of 1968, which was embellished with multicolored enamels. During the Parisian presentation of the accessories collection, Mary Katrantzou mentioned this in response to my question about the inspiration behind this shape and added that working with Bulgari’s extensive archives is a special pleasure for her. The bag is offered in an array of gem-inspired colors that match the hand-set enamels decorating the handle. It might seem that the heart shape has been overused lately, especially in bags, but Bulgari has come up with an original and memorable variation on this theme, full of real camp energy. This energy comes through especially strongly in the most elegant version of the Neige Pavé Crystals, featuring nearly 5,000 hand-applied crystals that entirely cover the black suede body. This bag of 5,000 crystals perfectly matches the dress of 3,000,000 feathers from Susan Sontag’s classic definition of camp.

Another new design in this collection is the Bvlgari Tubogas. A clutch of a similar flat, rectangular shape and with the same name has been made before, but this is definitely a new model. The evening bag features a metallic handle that faithfully reproduces the industrial-inspired, flexible coils of Tubogas. The highly detailed handle is enhanced with the geometric Parentesi motif, set with zircons. This combination of two historical details – one very famous (Tubogas springs are used by Bulgari in everything from watches to jewelry), the other much less known, as Bulgari does not currently have a full-fledged Parentesi collection – embodies the real Roman glamour according to Mary Katrantzou.

In addition, almost all the main bag lines have introduced new models, with the standout being last year's sensation, the Ginko clutch. This elegant bag, suspended from a leather bracelet, mirrors the fan-shaped polychrome mosaics of the Baths of Caracalla in Rome in its design. The fan motif is also seen in the Diva jewelry and watch collections, recognized here in the shape of the ginkgo leaf bag charm, and appears as decorative stitching in other bags, where it is named Calla and associated with a flower. However, it is particularly striking in the most luxurious versions of the Ginko clutch, such as the sparkling Neige Pavé iteration with hand-applied gold-platinum crystals, and our favorite – the most lavish and extravagant version in Smeraldo Prezioso Green Alligator, available only for special orders.

And last but not least: the Polychroma high jewelry collection was recently showcased in Taormina, and it included bags, which is a rare occurrence. There were three bags, all crafted from alligator leather: the silver Blue Spinel with matching stones on a classic snake-head clasp, the soft blue Diva’s Dream featuring the fan-shaped pendant mentioned earlier, and the Monete, adorned with a pendant that incorporates a genuine old Roman coin. All the stones and metals used are precious, and the pendants of the last two bags are removable and can be worn as jewelry. Thus, the theme of “precious bags,” which brought Bulgari fame, has found its most direct and immediate expression.

Courtesy: Bvlgari

Text: Elena Stafyeva