Bulgari has a new brand ambassador.
The Roman jewelry and watch house has named Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as the face of its accessories line. The British model and actress was in Italy this week to shoot her first digital campaign for the brand and attend a party celebrating Bulgari’s fall accessories collection during Milan Fashion Week.
Huntington-Whiteley, wearing a gold Serpenti Tubogas necklace and matching earrings, said her ties with Bulgari go way back.
“My mother worked in a jewelry shop for many years, so she always had this real authentic love for jewelry, and I remember her and I would look through old books of jewelry and books of jewelry that were going into auction,” she told WWD on Friday.
“Bulgari for her was always one of her favorite designers, because Liz Taylor was such an iconic part of the brand and she loved Liz Taylor. And so that’s how I have a connection with it from quite early on in my childhood, because that was our bonding time in many ways,” she added.
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Mireia Lopez Montoya, managing director of the accessories business unit at Bulgari, said it chose Huntington-Whiteley because of her versatility.
“Whether she is wearing a T-shirt and jeans, or on the red carpet, she always has a chic attitude that we like. She is somebody who can embody the essence of Bulgari with many attitudes,” said the executive, adding that the “Mad Max: Fury Road” star would appear in campaigns for items including handbags, eyewear and silk scarves running online and in-store.
Among the model’s treasured possessions is a Bulgari Bulgari Tubogas watch, but not everything she owns is as precious.
“I certainly didn’t grow up in an environment where we could afford those things, and so yes, I suppose, we would have the next best thing, which was costume jewelry or little pieces of sentimental jewelry, and I’d like to think I have a mix of that,” Huntington-Whiteley explained.
“I have special things that my grandmother left for me, which really are literally priceless. I don’t think they would really be worth much money, but they’re meaningful,” she said.
The former Victoria’s Secret Angel has been wearing a particularly meaningful — not to mention imposing — piece of jewelry lately: her Neil Lane diamond engagement ring from British actor Jason Statham.
“I don’t know if [diamonds are] a girl’s best friend, but I think that jewelry is something that all women, or most women, love to have a relationship with, and I think they just add a touch of glamour to any outfit,” she said.
Huntington-Whiteley confessed that these days, she doesn’t venture out looking less than camera-ready.
“I’m going to be photographed, whether I like it or not, and that certainly makes you aware of how you leave the house. And I try to see it as a positive thing, that it gives me the opportunity to put a smart outfit on everyday. I think there’s worse things than that, and then behind closed doors I can be relaxed and enjoy that time as well,” she said. “But yeah — the days of wearing sweatpants and a hoodie out to grab a coffee are kind of over.”