As fashion has embraced a pared-down, how does a label unabashedly partial to bold figurative imagery adjust? Francesca Ruffini’s attitude is one of smart flexibility, trying to navigate today’s change of mood without losing her distinctive style. “I’ve always tried to make my voice rise above the noise of trends,” she said.
This season she reduced her prints down to just four options, and also worked to lighten up her color chart. The lush foliages and tropical flora motifs she usually favors were traded for a subtler take on patterns inspired by archival fabrics, mainly from the 18th century, that she sources in Como, her birthplace and a famous hub for the best silk mills in the world. Rummaging through scraps of brocades, jacquard velvets, cloqué silks, and handwoven lampas—some of them so precious they’re kept in strongboxes in the mills’ vaults—she came up with a variety of textured patterns she transferred in blown-up variations on the languid fabrications she likes.
Ruffini has an extensive library of rare books on the history of costume, on which she based her research. “No one dares these days to reference the opulence of aristocratic court dressing of the past, because the weight of history can easily turn things dusty and passé,” she said. Shooting the lookbook against a backdrop of stucco ceilings and ornate furniture in a Milanese palazzo was a way of making “the restrained exuberance of the collection look modern.”
Her generous lounge-inspired silhouettes were given slightly more shapely lines, without detracting from comfort—an important point for Ruffini, who tries everything on herself before starting production. To give the collection a broader appeal, patterns were sparser, sometimes emerging from a dark background or in contrasting ivory/brown renditions. Some solid colors were also introduced, as in a masculine soft-tailored suit with a matching sweeping coat in a plush, deep brown velvet jacquard. Steering clear from brights and saturated tones, Ruffini reverted to hues of azure and dusty pink to infuse a calming, feminine, and young vibe to the offer—a graceful alternative to the prevailing minimalistic choices in today’s stores.
