STYLE Edit: Andy Warhol and ‘Miami Vice’ inspire Bulgari’s Wild Pop jewellery line
Luxury Italian brand’s quirky designs include ‘synthesiser’ and ‘microphone’ necklaces and a bracelet made to look like hot hair curlers
The 1980s revival always seems to skirt the hem of seasonal fashion, but Bulgari has brought the decade to centre stage with this year’s Wild Pop collection.
The Italian luxury brand has pushed the envelope with avant garde references to the Ronald Reagan era, full of material excess and experimentalism, including a bracelet in diamonds and emeralds inspired by the humble hot curler and an oversized ring shaped to look like an alien green UFO.
Above all, the Wild Pop collection represents the long love affair between Bulgari and pop artist Andy Warhol, who was reported to have visited the jeweller every time he was in Rome.
Lucia Silvestri, the brand’s creative director, says: “I wanted to do something about this fantastic dialogue between Bulgari and Andy Warhol.”
When you see the ‘Synthesiser jewels’ [necklace], you feel as if you could play them
The Sam the Cat necklace or Butterflies pieces from the collection allude to Warhol’s illustrations from the 1950s, but are given a dramatic modern edge.
Proceeds from the sale of items inspired by Warhol will be contributed to The Andy Warhol Foundation to support the visual arts.