April 1, 2026 |
From her organic farm in upstate New York, Isabella Rossellini is musing on her icon status. “When I was a little girl, I never said, ‘When I grow up, I’m going to be an icon.’ It’s not something that you aim at. It’s something that others attribute to you,” says the Oscar-nominated actress and model. But perhaps because of her luminous screen presence, timeless beauty and undeniable talent, the label has stuck and seems particularly appropriate for her latest role, as one of Bvlgari’s new Icons, with a limited-edition Monete evening bag created in her honour. Rossellini is joined at Bvlgari by a group of highly accomplished women, brought together by Mary Katrantzou, the brand’s creative director of leather goods and accessories. They include supermodel Linda Evangelista, architect Sumayya Vally, author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and actor Kim Ji-Won. Each legendary woman has a dedicated minaudière inspired by one of the Roman jeweller’s signatures. “Bvlgari is not about logo bags. You know, our symbols are our logos,” says Katrantzou at a preview in Rome, where the Serpenti, Tubogas, Monete, Divas’ Dream and Bvlgari Bvlgari Icon bags were revealed.
These are not ordinary minaudières. Only 30 of each handmade design will be made available worldwide. “I wanted to create a bridge between our jewellery and our leather goods,” says Katrantzou, who used the same techniques as the house’s jewellers to craft the bags. All of the house’s signatures are there: from enamelling inspired by Bvlgari jewellery from the ’40s, the use of semi-precious stones on the Divas’ Dream and the Tubogas strap, sensuously wrapped around an egg-shaped bag, to the Monete coin enlarged to bag size and the Bvlgari Bvlgari bag with its mother-of- pearl intarsia. “It was looking at techniques that we’ve never tried, at least on bags, but come from our world of jewellery,” says the designer.
Katrantzou also added a twist when she decided to create bags that were too small to fit a phone inside – a striking statement in today’s ultra-connected culture. “I think it’s nice to celebrate the piece for its beauty, craft and collectible nature. It was liberating to make a statement that you don’t need to fit your phone. Sometimes you can wear a bag decoratively, as an extension of your aesthetic, of who you are and what you appreciate,” she says.
from left: Serpenti minaudière bag in gold metal with dark emerald green crystals and green, turquoise, white and black enamel by BVLGARI and Diva minaudière bag in gold metal with zirconia, amethyst, tiger’s eye, mother-of-pearl and malachite by BVLGARI
Not that the bags are empty – each one contains a special miniature book written by one of the famous women. The inspiration for that came from Ngozi Adichie. “I read a quote of hers: ‘Culture doesn’t make people. People make culture,’” says Katrantzou. “The idea of carrying culture in your bag, that doesn’t fit your phone, made sense.” She was delighted when Ngozi Adichie agreed to be part of her Bvlgari Icon community. For her miniature book, the author wrote about the power of women as keepers and conveyers of stories. Evangelista expressed her thoughts on the power of tradition, sharing a recipe passed down through generations of her Italian family. Vally meditated on the idea of home and Kim explored inner peace and self-acceptance.
Rossellini relished the writing brief and told the tale of how she pivoted when her career slowed down in her mid-forties, “because generally models and actresses are very young,” she says. But instead of feeling sad, she channelled her energy into something new. “I went back to university and got a master’s degree in ethology, which is the science of animal behaviour and conservation. And then I started to make films about animals. I opened my farm and then all the world came back,” she says of her life, which revolves around her love of animals and her resurgent film career. “I designed a life that is interesting, rather than just being successful at something,” she reflects.
For all the women, the Bvlgari Icons project was surprisingly personal. They all came together at the preview event in Rome, where Rossellini sat next to Evangelista, whom she knew from her modelling days. “We talked about the experience of being marginalised and [then] being brought back,” she shared.
from left: Monete minaudière bag in gold metal with metal coin, zirconia, red crystal and red enamel by BVLGARI and Bvlgari Bvlgari minaudière bag in gold metal with mother-of-pearl by BVLGARI
The city holds a special place in her heart. “Rome always feels like home to me,” says Rossellini. She was born and grew up in the city and studied at its Accademia Costume & Moda before heading to New York. The actor fondly remembers visiting the Bvlgari store near Piazza di Spagna with her movie star mother, Ingrid Bergman. “Mama loved it, and my father [the director Roberto Rossellini] gave her a Bvlgari ring when they had their first child [son Renato, born in 1950].” She inherited several Bvlgari pieces from her mother, including a pair of pearl and diamond drop earrings that Bergman wore when she won her third Oscar (for Murder on the Orient Express in 1975). In a satisfying full-circle moment, Rossellini wore them to the 2025 Oscars ceremony, where she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for papal drama Conclave. So, when Katrantzou called and asked her to come to Rome to be part of the new Bvlgari Icons collection, how could she refuse?
“You know, Mary has created something that goes beyond just being a bag. I think it’s not a bag, in fact. It’s a symbol – several symbols – that represent the values that she wanted to give to her collection,” says Rossellini.
For Katrantzou, the Icons project will roll on. Her aim, over several years, is to build a community of extraordinary, inspiring Bvlgari women around bags that bring more to the party. “You go to a dinner, you go to a gala, and so many women are wearing the same bags,” she reflects. “I think a Bvlgari client wants to stand out, wants to wear something unique and wants to feel that their piece is more of a conversation starter, something they will collect for generations to come.” Icons only.
Taken from 10 Magazine Issue 76 – CREATIVITY, CHANGE, FREEDOM – out NOW. Order your copy here.
BVLGARI: ICONS ONLY
Photographer DANIEL STIER
Fashion Editor SOPHIA NEOPHITOU
Text CLAUDIA CROFT
Fashion assistant GEORGIA EDWARDS
Production ZAC APOSTOLOU
