Without an iota of vulgarity
Bvlgari is to Italy what Cartier is to France, a bastion of taste, excellent craftsmanship in jewelry, and an icon of luxury. Celebrating its 125th anniversary, the Via Condotti, Rome flagship store, has served as a mecca for the aristocracy, culture and the cinema — it’s where the Dolce Vita and Hollywood intersect. As with most luxury lifestyle brands, Bvlgari has evolved over its 125 years. And beyond the jewelry which first brought it prominence, there are now extension lines of watches, leather bags and accessories, fragrances and skincare, eyewear, ties and scarves, silver gift items, and even hotels and resorts.
Among the current crop of Ladies’ fragrances, we’ll find Jasmin Noir: top notes of Lotus Flower, Green Sap and Gardenia Petals, with a full heart of Jasmine Sambac, and base notes of Tonka Bean, Satiny Almond and White Musk. This is one full-bodied, mature and sensuous fragrance. Gift sets are part of any luxury brands’ promotional strategies, and Bvlgari does something special with theirs. The Omnia Green Jade (think of an early Spring morning) set includes a cosmetic pouch; while the fragrance boasts of top notes of Spring Water and Green Mandarin, a floral heart of White Peony, Nasturtium, Pear Tree Flowers and Jasmine Petals, and bottom notes of White Wood, Musk and fresh Pistachio.
As for Men’s fragrances, Bvlgari has its Aqva and Aqva Marine, evoking the power and beauty of the sea. The Aqva boxed set comes with a nifty Sports Sack and Shower Gel. Tapping the oxygen-exuding aquatic plant Posidonia, Aqva has head notes of Petit Grain and Mandarin, Posidonia and Santolina for its heart, and Mineral Amber and Clary Sage for its base. The new variant Aqva Marine utilizes Neroli and Graperfruit as top notes, Posidonia and Sap at its center, and Rosemary Flower and White Cedarwood for bottom notes. In the case of the Marine boxed set, there’s a toiletries case. All the accessories have a specially engraved Bvlgari latch.
When it comes to fragrances, Bvlgari has come to represent innovation, the best and richest of scent notes, and careful attention to details like bottle design. It may be easy to forget now, but whenever one mentions a Green Tea fragrance, my point of reference will always be the Bvlgari Green Tea Eau d’toilette, and the matching Shampoo and Shower Gel. No matter which product line, the name ensures us of quality, refinement and impeccable taste.
Historical, hysterical and comical
Iain Pears’ brilliant Stone’s Fall provides the “historical” in today’s review, while Denis Johnson’s Nobody Move gives us an “hysterical” take on the world of grifters and down on their luck personages. The DC comics world of Batman and Superman come alive in novel form thanks to Kevin J. Anderson’s Enemies & Allies.
Stone’s Fall by Iain Pears (available at National Bookstore): When it comes to historical fiction, Iain Pears (An Instance of the Fingerpost) is one of the finest writers artfully blending the two elements. His new novel, Stone’s Fall, has to be one of the more anticipated books of the year, and it’s great to report that it’s everything we’ve come to love about Pears’ work. John Stone (aka Lord Ravenscliff) falls to his death, out the window of his London home in 1909, and the book takes us backwards in time (1890 Paris and 1867 Venice) to help us understand just why! Our guide and narrator shifts with each section of the book and it’s to Pears credit that he makes this very human story and jigsaw of relationships/friendships also a story about high stakes international finance, espionage and the beginnings of the arms race between world powers. Much more than its parts, this is one great novel, well worth the read!
Nobody Move by Denis Johnson (available at National Bookstore): Johnson’s last novel was The Tree of Smoke, a novel about covert operations during the Vietnam War; and of special interest to us here in the Philippines, was how it opened in Subic. Smoke won awards so it was a bit of surprise to discover that this latest is such a departure. Nobody Move is his shaggy-dog novel, set along the backroads of California, inhabited by grifters, low-life and petty hoods. Both an homage and a variation on the classic American crime novel, the book’s anti-hero is Jimmy Luntz, a gambler heavily in debt to loan sharks. He meets Anita, a pawn in a high stakes swindle that involves her husband and a corrupt old judge. Gambol is the hired heavy of Juarez, the man who Jimmy owes money to, and he casts an ominous shadow on the proceedings. A book about desperation, and dreaming of that ticket out.
Enemies & Allies by Kevin J. Anderson (available at National Bookstore): This is the novel for those who still miss the comic books of their lost youth, and for those who wonder if the characters from those comics can survive the novel form. Anderson co-authored the Dune prequels, and in this novel, he turns Batman and Superman into ill-at-ease allies, fighting Lex Luthor and a KGB general. The setting is the dawn of the Cold War in the 1950’s and with both Metropolis and Gotham figuring in the story, Anderson slyly turns our two superheroes into genuine protagonists in a novel. What makes it work in novel form is that more depth and nuance is bestowed on our two heroes, and the internal monologue of the two gets a fair amount of attention. UFO’s and Area 51 in Nevada are also given their time in the novel’s spotlight, and it was hard to put this down, as it brought back that element of Fun to reading!
