Traveling is one of Francesca Ruffini Stoppani’s enduring passions. As pandemic restrictions have eased, she has enjoyed visiting friends in Florence and Paris, and reconnected with her pleasure in touring places with a rich heritage. “I like to learn,” she said. “Being a cultural tourist is like reading a good book.”
While usually fond of researching in archives and libraries to source patterns and motifs for her prints, this time she opted for a more direct and personal inspiration. The sumptuous interiors of a friend’s place in Florence provided photographs of a lavish brocade, which Ruffini Stoppani transformed digitally into a blurred tie-dye abstraction; the mythological and pastoral scenes from an antique Gobelin tapestry seen in a palazzo were translated into a modern rendition, and printed onto her favorite luxurious silks. On the same note, the gold reflections of the light on ancient monuments, as well as centuries-old, lived-in textiles and carpets belonging to historic houses still inhabited by their owners inspired elaborate jacquards, and motifs transposed on quilted wool.
Expanding FRS’s range, Ruffini Stoppani introduced more wintery pieces, focusing on a new offer of impactful coats. Oversized and exaggerated in their volumes, enveloping and belted, they looked regal in quilted velvet or padded jacquard. “They’re actually extremely light, soft and versatile, they can be worn on many different occasions,” she said. “They can be packed into a small suitcase, becoming almost inconspicuous, and ready to travel the world.”
