JEWELS OF THE EAST
Bulgari’s latest bejewelled trio of fragrances, Le Gemme Reali, seamlessly bonds the worlds of high jewellery and fine fragrances. Elyza Khamil discovers the three scents in Dubai with master perfumer Alberto Morillas.
It had to be at least 14 years since my last visit to the Middle Eastern metropolis of Dubai, and it certainly looked nothing like it did when I last visited. Having boomed into a lavish and flashy city filled with glittery architecture and audacious style, the city of riches is a fusion of Bedouin heritage and opulent flair. It’s no wonder the traditional-meets-futuristic emirate was chosen as the city to launch Bulgari’s latest release of luxurious perfumes, as both Dubai and the Roman maison honour their respective past with modern elegance. I found myself in the glamourous landscape of the Yacht Club at Bulgari Resort Dubai, where I was greeted by the scorching yet beautiful Arabian sun and a divine brunch set-up fit for an empress. And who better to have as a muse for Bulgari’s latest release of eaux de parfums than the Byzantine Empress Theodora, a Bulgari woman of her time who reigned in all her glory at the side of husband Justinian I, the 17th Roman emperor?
ROYAL SCENTS
A fusion of different scents swept through the ether of the garden party—the rich aroma of freshly brewed Arabian coffee and baked croissants, the bracing, salty sea air beneath the desert sun. However, it was the combination of the different Le Gemme Reali fragrances that stopped me in my tracks, as if Empress Theodora herself was present. It is with Le Gemme Reali, that Bulgari pays tribute to the woman whose aura and personality equalled the magnificence of her reign and the freedom in which she did so. I was among scents of richness as I approached the luxuriously colourful display of Bulgari’s Le Gemme family, each fragrance housed in a black glass amphora. But the Le Gemme Reali trilogy, topped with corresponding precious gem cabochons, stood out. A nod to the jeweller’s Roman heritage, each lid is adorned with a gold eight-pointed star, mimicking the 12-pointed one at the Italian capital’s Piazza del Campidoglio. Initially, I found the bottles almost too beautiful and elegant to touch, but what I discovered ahead of my interview with Alberto Morillas, the brilliant nose of Le Gemme Reali, revealed complexities beyond the initial spritz.
WHERE THE WIND BLOWS
Legendary perfumer Morillas is famed for the creation of some of the most iconic scents in the world. And however you may have began your journey into the world of fragrance, Morillas is likely to be the man behind the scents you have worn and loved.
Morillas’s conception of his very first Bulgari fragrance goes back to 18 years ago when he produced the Bulgari Blv Pour Homme. Since then, the master perfumer has had 20 fragrances for the Italian brand under his nose including Goldea, Omnia, Man in Black, and now, the Le Gemme Reali, in which he envisioned the “fragrances as jewels, set as stones,” he mused. “I constructed this trilogy around the sapphire, emerald, and ruby, inspired by the way Bulgari cuts and polishes them.”
Le Gemme Reali encompasses three rich eaux de parfums and Morillas took the history of these “royal gems” that were Empress Theodora’s favourite jewels to create the perfect scent that symbolises each stone: sapphire blue for Nylaia, emerald green for Veridia, ruby red for Rubinia.
Morillas also wanted to evoke strong emotions and to express the energy of each colour: “The intensity of the sapphire is very royal, emerald is for the the energy of life and represents the naturality of the world, and finally, the ruby is for the energy of the heart and the most passionate,” said the perfume creator, as he brought his hands to his chest. “I blended the ingredients to echo the work of the maison’s master goldsmiths who flawlessly set the stones in gold. They seem to float.” Indeed, you can smell the regality of the Nylaia, the fresh warmth of the Veridia, and the intense passion of the Rubinia.
When asked what makes a successful perfume, Morillas stressed that, ironically, you can’t have a confused perfume with too many ingredients in it, and that simplicity is key.
EARTH, WATER & FIRE
The new trilogy encompasses the very contrast between the scent’s simplicity and the complexity of melding the strong hues of the exceptional stones. With Nylaia, Morillas brings a “deeply serene yet tactile warmth to the floral emotion of the iris, with benzoin tears combined with ambergris and white musk accords, a complexity that echoes the facets of sapphire with its subtle blue.”
The full, deep green of the emerald, on the other hand, has an esoteric power that Morillas interpreted with a vegetal incense. “A precious talisman, it reproduces the emerald’s facets around this incense, from its brilliant green through the vibrant notes of galbanum and angelica to its dense green with the magnetic notes of patchouli and vanilla.”
For Rubinia, he envisioned “glowing sandalwood, immersed in an amber bath as if to calm, in vain, the ardour it provokes. The incandescent glow of Sicilian mandarin exalts the senses with sparkling freshness, its enveloping heat multiplied tenfold by notes of copaïba wood, and tonka bean elevates the fragrance’s addictiveness to its height.”
At this point, I caught Morillas gazing into the distance where a luxurious 390 footer was docked by the glistening aqua blue water. That’s when he professed: “The ocean is one of my favourite scents in the world; when you close your eyes and smell the odour of the sea, you are free.”
It was in this moment that I realised the true passion that lives within Morillas. His love for luxury and the naturality of life, reflective in the rich history of the “Gems of Nature” that inspired the marvellous Bulgari Le Gemme Reali, led him to discover his calling in the world of fragrances. Perhaps, it is this legendary perfumer that sat before me, in a navy blue suit and red socks, that is the true muse of Bulgari’s regal trio. The Bulgari Le Gemme Reali collection is available at Bulgari, G23, Ground Floor, Suria KLCC. Tel: 03-2382 0450; and Parkson, Pavilion KL. www.bulgari.com