Rodeo Drive Walk of Style honors Bulgari
The Rodeo Drive Walk of Style honored LVMH-owned Italian jewelry brand Bulgari at a ceremony in Beverly Hills on Wednesday night, with actress Drew Barrymore presenting a Robert Graham-designed torso statuette to Nicola Bulgari and the city’s mayor reading an official proclamation declaring Dec. 5, 2012, “Bulgari Day.”
Bulgari, the 20th recipient of the award, will be commemorated with a permanent (but yet-to-be embedded) bronze sidewalk plaque bearing Nicola Bulgari’s signature and the quote: “Style is an everlasting impression and jewelry is a passion that is passed through generations.”
Nicola Bulgari, vice chairman of Bulgari Group and grandson of the 128-year-old jewelry house’s founder, Sotiro Bulgari, told the crowd he was “humbled to be included in the company of [previous recipients] like Ms. Vreeland and Princess Grace of Monaco.”
The ceremony was held in the former Bulgari store at the corner of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard (the brand recently relocated to a larger space just north at the corner of Rodeo Drive and Brighton Way), and drew a celebrity and fashion-focused crowd that included Barrymore, Kate Walsh (who introduced a tribute video that traced the Bulgari brand’s long relationship with Hollywood), Bella Heathcote, Lydia Hearst and celebrity stylists Brad Goreski and George Kotsiopoulos.
A joint effort between the city of Beverly Hills and the Rodeo Drive Committee, the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style program was launched nine years ago to honor achievements at the intersection of fashion and entertainment. Previous honorees include designers Giorgio Armani (who received the first award in 2003), Valentino (2009), retailer Fred Hayman (2011) and, most recently, the late Diana Vreeland, who was feted in a ceremony barely three months ago.
ALSO:
The big business of Hollywood red carpet bling
More Times coverage of the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style
L.A.’s retail bricks-and-mortar business is booming again
