Before you step out, you probably do a mental roll call: phone, keys, cosmetics, credit card, and last but not least, wallet. In a way, a woman’s purse carries her whole world.
But Italian luxury house Bvlgari asks a bigger question with the launch of its first-ever minaudière collection since the brand’s inception in 1884: what if your bag carried more than just essentials? Imagine legacy, vanity, culture, identity, moulded into a minaudière that looks part high jewellery, as well as a luxury accessory.
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Designed by Mary Katrantzou, Bvlgari’s Creative Director of Leather Goods and Accessories, the ‘Icons Minaudière Collection’ reimagines five of Bvlgari’s most recognisable icons—Serpenti, Monete, Tubogas, Divas’ Dream, and Bvlgari Bvlgari into precious minaudières. Available at just 11 boutiques worldwide, each piece is an Objets d’Art standing at the intersection of high jewellery, craftsmanship, and cultural storytelling.
“Each minaudière was conceived not simply to hold objects, but to hold meaning, blending high craftsmanship with cultural storytelling. Carrying culture in your bag is both a metaphor and a reality, a way of cherishing the wisdom of women,” Katrantzou said in an official release, adding, “This collection celebrates the living heritage of Bvlgari’s Icons, symbols that have transcended design to become part of our cultural language.”
To make the message clearer, Bvlgari has cast five incredible women for its Icons Minaudière Collection campaign: Oscar-nominated actor Isabella Rossellini, supermodel Linda Evangelista, author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, actor Kim Ji-won, and architect Sumayya Vally front the campaign. Celebrated in their respective fields, each of them embodies a value woven into Bvlgari’s DNA—strength, transformation, wisdom, allure, and identity.
What is Bvlgari’s first Minaudière Collection?
For its first minaudière collection, Bvlgari has drawn on its 140 years of history, rooted in old-world craftsmanship with a modern edge. For instance, the Tubogas Minaudière comes in a sculptural egg shape, crafted in gold-finished brass with zirconia details on the head and tail and finished with a rounded chain, black nappa leather lining, and a press-button closure.
The Divas’ Dream Minaudière is a nod to Roman grandeur, with a fan-shaped silhouette inspired by the mosaics of the Baths of Caracalla. It stands out for its embellishment with coloured gemstones and zirconia pavé and is the most expensive piece in the lineup, priced at 18.40 Lakh.
The Serpenti Minaudière leans fully into Bvlgari’s most iconic house motif, and shaped like the serpent’s head with hand-applied enamel scales. The Monete Minaudière, with its octagonal silhouette in gold-finished aluminium and palladium antique-finished brass, features a re-imagined Roman coin studded with crystal silver-coloured zirconia stones. In the Bvlgari Bvlgari Minaudière, a wearable jewel with a cylindrical silhouette, Mother-of-pearl intarsia inserts are framed by the signature double-logo engraving, making it an opulent piece to carry at midnight soirees.
What Is a Minaudière?
The term minaudière is a French word that stands for a tiny, decorative evening bag designed to hold just the essentials, such as lipstick, cards, keys, phone etc. It’s often adorned with crystals, sequins, jewels, and beads, which makes it a wearable art accessory. The first minaudière in the world was created in 1933 by French luxury jewellery company Van Cleef & Arpels to hold everything from opera glasses and dance cards to cosmetics and cigarettes. Over time, Jazz Age glamour and Art Deco aesthetics influenced the metal-heavy, ultra glamorous, and high-shine look of the minaudière.
Today, global luxury houses like Judith Leiber and Chanel are known for bringing iconic minaudières like Chanel’s Robot Minaudière, Chanel Perfume Bottle Minaudière, Judith Leiber Swarovski Crystal Egg Minaudière Evening Bag and more. Tapping on the trending minaudières, Indian designers are also adding their own spin to the tiny bags, with Aisha Rao’s bringing velvet minaudières, Outhouse’s Koko Pochette and Sabyasachi’s iconic Taj minaudière. With Bvlgari dropping its first-ever minaudière collection, it’s clear that these mini bejewelled marvels are no fleeting trends but here to stay!
