Francesca Ruffini is an avid reader and a period movie lover; before every collection, she binges on old films for inspiration. The languid silk twill pajamas and exquisite printed-velvet wrap coats would have looked gorgeous on Michelle Pfeiffer as the scandalous Countess Ellen Olenska in Scorsese’s movie The Age of Innocence. A sumptuous burgundy burnt-velvet long cape, decorated with raised-embroidered floral bouquets, exuded a flair of romance, as if designed with that doomed heroine in mind. Many other pieces in Ruffini’s opulent, sensuous Fall outing, rich in velvets, wool jacquards, and silk brocades, presented as usual in her lavishly dark Milanese apartment, would have felt right at home in one of Henry James or Edith Wharton’s novels.
Ruffini indulged her penchant for sophisticated drama throughout a collection dense in exotic prints and patterns, sensual in the smooth consistency of high-style textures, expressive in the painterly flair for warm, vivid colors. Shapes were elongated and fluid. While the signature pajama suits were still prominent in the offering, Ruffini added shirtdresses in various lengths to be worn over palazzo pants and a series of elegant, protective wrap coats, which looked pretty sensational in their printed flamboyance. Yet the result felt balanced and cultivated. The wide variety of prints, colors, and textures acted as a soothing treat for the senses.
