Cover Jesha Abad, Jeffrey Hang, Pia Wurtzbach, Sze Lin Teo, Joseph Muñoz
Jesha Abad, Jeffrey Hang, Pia Wurtzbach, Sze Lin Teo, Joseph Muñoz
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Pia Wurtzbach’s rise as Bulgari’s first Friend of the House from the Philippines tells a story of constant evolution
Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren are style and cinema icons who famously embodied the Bulgari woman. They have always been the epitome of substance, grace and impact. Today, the Italian jewellery brand also realises these qualities in former Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach. She has been dubbed a Friend of the House, making her the first Filipina to hold this honour.
See also: Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s style evolution, from Bollywood’s fashion icon to Bulgari ambassador
To commemorate her official appointment, Wurtzbach shared the spotlight at Hapag MNL with Jeffrey Hang, Bulgari’s regional managing director in the South Asia Pacific. Together, they attested that the events all happened quite organically.
Wurtzbach shared that she has always enjoyed seminal Bulgari icons like the Serpenti. She even recalls walking into the brand’s boutique years ago and vowing she’d one day have her own collection. With her natural charm and innate curiosity, it was just a matter of time before this wish would come true. “I love to ask questions, so I learnt more about Bulgari’s history. I met people who work with the brand abroad, and they were generous enough to invite me to their events,” she shares with Tatler. “It’s been an amazing last few months, and this journey has taken me to many places. I feel like I’m growing as I go and learning so much about fashion and myself.”
Above Pia Wurtzbach stuns in the Bulgari Serpenti collection
Pia Wurtzbach stuns in the Bulgari Serpenti collection
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Getting to know the people behind Bulgari and seeing their love and passion for the brand was an eye-opening experience for Wurtzbach, who found their enthusiasm infectious. Before long, she was gravitating towards their pieces, whether she was gracing a red carpet or jetting off to someplace new. After being associated with the House for over a year, Bulgari’s prestigious headquarters in Rome invited the icon of beauty to formalise the relationship with them.
“We’re always mesmerised by how she looks in our jewels. Whatever piece you put on her looks like a million dollars,” says Hang. Yet, more than her incontestable star power, Wurtzbach’s multifaceted nature made her the quintessential candidate. Hang adds, “Beyond being a beauty queen, which is a part of her past now, she’s an activist, she’s involved with the UN AIDS organisation and more recently, she’s an author as well. These are what make her a Bulgari woman.”
Wurtzbach isn’t shy about admitting that she’s new to all this. She shares, “I’ve only really started attending Fashion Week last September, and I’m still learning and growing in my style”. But, like most things in her life, she considers it an invigorating challenge. “I always have so much fun when dressing up, and I will try anything,” she adds joyfully.
So, while the world may be familiar with an all-glammed-up Wurtzbach donning statement pieces like the Serpenti—her avowed first love and favourite—the multihyphenate has been enjoying her Bulgari staples on casual days. She’s primarily a fan of the watches and doesn’t mind whether they’re exclusively for women. “I like to layer, so I’ll wear a bracelet with the Seduttori or Serpenti watch, and sometimes I’ll switch it up with the Tubogas,” states Wurtzbach. The next thing on her wishlist is the Bvlgari Bvlgari, a men’s timepiece with a thick, rounded case that she specifically favours for its masculinity.
As she continues her journey with the Italian jeweller, Wurtzbach mirrors its perpetual evolution since the Serpenti was launched decades ago. Catering to every taste through its vast collections, Bulgari ensures there is a piece to tell everyone’s story.
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Trained as a student journalist, Mac’s knack for writing was a serendipitous discovery. Years later and she can’t imagine doing anything else. When she isn’t typing away on a story, she revels in being lost in a new city, revisiting a cosy film or sitcom, and idling away with her dogs.
