Bulgari has unveiled the new Fall Winter 2017 Accessories Collection at the Bulgari Hotel during Milan Fashion Week and used the event as an official occasion to announce the beautiful and talented Bella Hadid as Bulgari’s new Ambassador for its Accessories collections; click here to see more from the event.
Below we take a closer look at the new handbags revealed for the FW17 season.
Anchoring the collection are two main codes – the iconic SERPENTI, characterised by its hypnotic hallmark, a gleaming gold-plated enamel serpent’s head or scales, and the new DIVA’S DREAM styles – in all their sophisticated and on-trend glory.
A SEDUCTIVE NEW DIVA
Capturing the magnetism, charisma and timeless beauty of the true diva, Bulgari continues to pay homage to a house specialty – the DIVA’S DREAM jewels – with ever-evolving renditions infused with inventiveness and sensual appeal. Inspired by the mosaics of ancient Rome and a testament of Bulgari’s heritage, the sinuous fan shape of the jewels is re-imagined as an exclusive clasp that adds a distinctive element to the bags for confident, inspiring and glamorous women.
Practical and elegant, the new DIVA’S DREAM shoulder bag is totally on trend, adorned with the signature fan-shaped foldable closure in tonal enamel to match the colour of the bag. The ultimate everyday bag, its chain-and-leather strap adds a personalised classic-meets-bold touch.
Quintessentially Bulgari in terms of workmanship, the structured black QUILTED DIVA in soft nappa leather reveals its tougher side. Boasting three layers of prized leather and dotted with multi-faceted palladium metal studs, it conveys an ultra-modern and urban attitude. Available in two sizes and three colours: black, linen agate and jazzy tourmaline.
Similarly, the MOTTLED PYTHON DIVA is lush and exotic, each bag treated differently and hand-polished using an agate stone to exalt the natural livery of the skins and its unique chiaroscuro effects. In black and silver or antique bronze and white agate, forest emerald and gold, jazzy tourmaline and black, the mottled python version is the result of the highest form of craftsmanship that sets off a rich glossy finish, enhanced by a liquid metal foil that is meticulously hand applied. Perfect for any occasion, from sun-up to nightfall.
SERPENTI FOREVER – A HYPNOTIC FORM OF ELEGANCE
Inspired by its rich Roman past, Bulgari created the first SERPENTI in the 1940’s, its bejewelled head, evocative of the scales of a snakehead, becoming an unmistakable emblem of inventiveness. A seductive symbol of wisdom and vitality that dates back to ancient Greek and Roman mythology, over the decades Bulgari has revisited this hallmark in countless variations. In 2016, in fact, the SERPENTI FOREVER was enriched with a new family of designs, including an entirely new geometry for its sculpted snakehead, inspired by Bulgari’s iconic High Jewellery pieces.
This modern, hypnotic and geometrical interpretation also serves as the clasp of the new STAR STUDS motif, where a lively mix of elements such as embroidered and laser-cuts semicircles, rhombuses and triangles, plus star-shaped studs, is exalted by the contrasting colour and metallic accents of the leather body. SERPENTI STAR STUDS is available in black, white agate and jazzy tourmaline.
From couture to ready-to-wear, fashion’s love affair with polka dots harkens back to the Twenties when Golden Screen divas first embraced this pattern with irreverent confidence and unabashed femininity. In that vein, the ELAPHE POLKA DOT bag bursts with graphic and artsy prowess, striking a techno chord in two flamboyant colour combinations – jazzy tourmaline and ruby wine or Vulcan opal with royal sapphire.
The saucy glossed BRUSHED METALLIC CALF leather in forest emerald and Vulcan opal is the result of a labour-intensive process that includes 16 colorations in order to obtain the perfect final sheen and the “nuvolato” effect, a play on light and dark nuances that adds depth and liveliness.
Truly innovative and totally trend-friendly, QUILTED STARDUST is the result of a first-ever technique developed by Bulgari for which the quilted effect is obtained with micro studs, masterfully applied with a miniature invisible screw in the back. With striking rigor and edge, they trace a graphic pattern across the supple leather of this unique shoulder bag available in two shapes, in linen agate and hawk’s eye grey.
As evening descends and the lights go up, the SMOKY GALUCHAT shows off its sultry sparkle. The degradé grey shades are obtained with hand-painted dexterity, elevated by a “diamond effect” and by a silver glitter sprinkled on the surface of the precious leather.
On a similar chromatic note, the SILVER PYTHON shines in all its shimmering and exotic splendour thanks to a liquid silver foil that is manually spread onto the skin, setting off an intense and sumptuous elegance, from the red carpet to the concrete.
THE SERPENTI VIPER
This is the latest addition to the snake family, inspired by the compact build of vipers and the triangle-shaped head that characterizes the different varieties. The signature snap closure is the perfect combination between enamel scales and two malachite stones on the sides.
The new SMOOTH CALF LEATHER in black and linen agate, linen agate or Vulcan opal, often in contrasting combinations, is cobbled from premium smooth and luxurious leather with a beautiful natural shine.
Further elevating the glam factor, the SCAGLIE GEMS version is enriched with scale-shaped decorations in black enamel, framed in pink gold metal, artfully nestled to evoke the “back cut” scales pattern of precious python skins. The black enamel stands out against the hawk’s eye, ruby wine, royal sapphire and linen agate leather.
For a pop of disco dash, the PSYCHEDELIC PYTHON brims with irreverence, liveliness and personality. Entirely hand-painted by skilled artisans according to a complex and delicate process, up to six different hues create powerful blurry effects in zircon bay and linen agate, ultimately teeming with a one-of-a-kind attitude.
STRIPES LIMITED EDITION
For decades, stripes and geometric flourishes have played a key role at Bulgari, defining a modern and eye-catching aesthetic that transcends time. From the jewellery to the watches to the accessories, in the hands of Bulgari’s master craftsmen and awash in signature pops of colours, symmetries and lines continue to trace new forms of elegance. A vibrant mix further underscored for Fall in the STRIPES SERPENTI VIPER and the SERPENTI PONY STARDUST bags.
Large bands in four different colours and assembled in patchwork style highlight the STRIPES SERPENTI VIPER that take their cue from tribal Maori tattoos. Black leather stripes that cut across the panels in jazzy tourmaline and ruby red or royal sapphire matched to emerald green, further define the contrasts and complexity of the bag, creating a bold visual language.
In the same way, black leather stripes off set the vivid chromatic combos of the SERPENTI PONY STARDUST in calf leather. Here the “pony hair” is dyed, laser-cut and assembled like a patchwork resulting in a lively, lustrous and geometrical exercise.
Click here for a look at the Fall/Winter ’17 Textile and Eyewear collections
