Sunday Reads: Bulgari’s CEO Talks About Everyday Luxury

Trace the legacy of Bulgari back to the cobblestone streets of Rome on Via Condotti to uncover the history of the once-family-owned business that is now a powerhouse of all things luxury. The famed Italian jeweler — known for its Hollywood devotees like Elizabeth Taylor, who was smitten enough with the Maison to mark pivotal occasions with a Bulgari bobble, as her 2011 Christie’s auction can attest — are not content to rest on past laurels. Case in point the Bulgari Bulgari collection of jewelry, watches and handbags, which has been revived and retooled in time of its 40th anniversary. This array riffs on Nicola Bulgari’s coin-collector interests and encapsulates the essence of the Bulgari name. Designed in 1975, their moniker is echoed and encircled on the face of a watch or piece of jewelry. The anniversary grouping is a spiffed-up version of its former self, and it’s available for purchase in December.

While visiting the flagship boutique on New York’s toniest corner, ascend the glass stairway to the third floor to see jaw-dropping, one-of-a-kind archival pieces they call the Masterpiece Collection. A lavish display of the brand’s jewelry prowess — curated to mark the occasion.

The boutique party was a smashing success and marked the celebrated date. An international Champagne toting crowd sashayed though the shop while eating sweets and gawking at the golden fondant layer cake. There were some customers that even made an evening purchase. Bulgari’s CEO, Jean-Christophe Babin, jetted in from their headquarters in Rome for the soirée just in time to talk to Haute Living about the happening.

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