Stars Come Out to Play at Bulgari’s Popcorn Blockbuster
NEWS: Italian jewellery house Bulgari takes over Galleries Lafayette Haussmann in Paris from 4 to 30 July 2017, dressing the windows of Europe’s largest department store in an explosive theme inspired by the Italian cinema of the 1960s that contributed to Bulgari’s glory at the time.
The 14 windows on the Boulevard Haussmann side are dressed in light and take top billing. Plunging the public into the world of cinema, they toy with shapes, colours and the rules with mischief and refinement. You can spot the two-tone stripes of popcorn boxes, make out the rectangular shape of a ticket stub, and be dazzled by the brilliant neon lights. Serpenti bags sit among the audience, jewellery pieces and watches lie in popcorn machines, and Diva and Serpenti bags perform a show while Rose Goldea bottles await the interval at the box office. But make no mistake: the limited editions are the real stars of these poetic, enchanted window displays.
Inside, a pop-up store has been installed at the Mogador entrance in the form of a colourful, enchanting and picturesque carousel. To plunge visitors into this extraordinary world, a reproduction of the door from the Via Condotti boutique in Rome and the 8-point star on the ground show the way to the Italian capital. This is an innovative, surprising event yet one that was an obvious step for these two fashion houses that both love to rise to bold challenges.
This unique and audacious event was inaugurated by Jean-Christophe Babin, Bulgari Group CEO, in the presence of Nicolas Houzé (CEO of Galeries Lafayette Haussmann), Philippe Houzé (Executive Chairman of Galeries Lafayette Group) and Guillaume Houzé (Image and Communication Director of Galeries Lafayette), as well as BVLGARI ambassadors Alicia Vikander and Jon Kortajarena.
Playing the leading role of this sparkling preview, the Pop Corn parades from one showcase to the other, covered with golden ceramic and more offbeat than ever. In a set built around lights, shapes and colours, Bulgari's iconic collections – such as Serpenti and Diva’s Dream – share the bill with limited editions combining jewellery, watchmaking and leather goods, all in one universe. A dazzling cast for these showcases that serve as trailers for the Pop (Up) Corn installed inside the department store.
Close to the stars, the celebration continued on the Galeries Lafayette’s rooftop, known as the most beautiful view of Paris. Popcorn distributors, ice creams, champagne and Italian delights: for one night, the Via Condotti had moved to the heart of Paris. Guests enjoyed the last rays of sunlight to the sound of DJ Breakbot, in company of Lottie Moss, Caroline Vreeland, Leila Yavari, Helena Bordon, Eleonora Carisi, Kitty Spencer, Elizabeth Sulcer, Princess Lilly of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Aimee Song, Camila Coutinho and Ellen von Unwerth. In the early hours of the night, the curtain was brought down and guests left the party, all charmed by the Roman jeweller’s new audacity.
At its very own cinema, Bulgari lifts the curtain on the backstage area where the delicate, sparkling and bold limited editions are presented.
The Diva’s Dream collection is reinterpreted with a pendant in pink gold, diamonds and pink opal. This is the first red carpet for this precious stone, which has never before been used for this model. Its fan shape evokes the makeup Elizabeth Taylor wore for the filming of Cleopatra at Cinecittà. The Serpenti watch, an icon of Bulgari watchmaking, is constantly reinvented and yet it always retains its elegance. For this unique edition, its dial adopts the pink mother-of-pearl typically reserved for jewellery. This highly original model is in pink gold with a double-wrap strap in sunset rose leather and a winding crown in genuine rubellite. Like a message sealing a love story, the words Paris Limited Edition are engraved on the back.
The eye-catching snake also inspires the Serpenteyes line, a shining gem in the eyewear world. Enamel scales adorn the reptile which slithers sensually along the hexagonal frame. The pink gold mirror lenses are combined with a pink, blue and fuchsia mosaic shaping a sinuous snake with blue enamel cabochon eyes or a hypnotic snake with black enamel cabochon eyes and glittering details. The light blue tinted lenses match the white, pink , chalcedony and aquamarine scales; a blue sapphire enamelled cabochon head adds a spicy note to the delicate hues of the snake. Eyewear that is as charming as its wearer.
To mark this event, four new Serpenti bags have been designed with panache and innovation. The medium-sized Serpenti comes in a choice of agate white and sunset rose, both with a double handle and topstitching on the flap and body. These unique models present a new clasp in the iconic snake’s head shape, yet adorned with an original combination of onyx, white enamel and sparkly pink.
Two other creations, in small size, complete the line with its tangy accents. The topstitching, borrowed from the Serpenti collection, is slanted to create a brand-new band construction. While both carry the same onyx, white enamel and sparkly pink clasp, they differ in terms of colour and finish. The two-tone white and sunset rose model is adorned with an ice cream cone charm, while the multicoloured model presents an ice lolly in the same colour combination as the bag itself. These frosty charms reference the similarly designed brooches produced by Bulgari in the 1980s.
