Summer in Italy is serious business. Reserving villas, yachts, and chefs—and occasionally guests—starts in earnest from January. (You never knew how much conversation could be devoted to the perils of jellyfish ruining the snorkeling in Sicily.) Needless to say, planning a vacation wardrobe can get overlooked. Smart Italian women use a shortcut by turning to bespoke dressmakers like Milan-based Marta Ferri. Fortunately, Ferri’s now turned her hand to bags: simple, pretty purses without any ostentation, that let bold, vintage prints do the talking.
On a recent afternoon, the soignée Italian designer, decked out in whites of her own creation and accessorized with charms from the distinguished Milanese jewelry house Villa, visits four of her friends to drop off her new totes. Her first stop is the home of actress and model Eva Riccobono, set to appear in the forthcoming film Niente Può Fermarci with Gérard Depardieu. Riccobono immediately takes a fancy to a pretty blue-and-white checkered bag framed in red calfskin, with appropriate proportions for the theatrical tomes she’s currently wheeling around on her bicycle. Ferri then scoots across town to visit her sister-in-law Matilde Borromeo. Ferri knows exactly which purse will suit her willowy relation, a keen show-jumper. Inside Borromeo’s quirky and extraordinarily outfitted dining room, Ferri’s playful horse-motif bag is the ideal bait for Borromeo to throw on the perfect pair of black leather ankle boots (found at equestrian shop Il Cavallo). The energetic mom-of-two fills in her sister-in-law about forthcoming plans—show-jumping trials (pleasure) and brainstorming meetings about the launch of a microbrewery in the city together with her husband, Antonius von Fürstenberg (business)—before heading to the family’s country residence in Costa Rossa, Pavia.
Then it’s off to see Cecilia Bringheli, a budding entrepreneur who founded the handsome footwear label C.B. Made in Italy that has a cultish following in Milan. Her charming, new (and secretive) store is home to rows of wonderful leather slippers guaranteed to find themselves in glamorous seaside locations this August. Ferri proceeds to try on several of the handmade flats, her eyes drawn to a pair with tapestry floral uppers. “Let’s do something together,” she says excitedly.
Ferri’s final stop is with Carlotta Saibene, creative director and textile designer for Canepa, in her lush garden in the city’s tony Via Gesù. Carlotta, in a natty striped jacket from new designer Saidiblu, suggests that several of Saibene’s handwoven cashmere scarves would suit Ferri’s daisy-print bag, which incidentally also matches the garden’s expansive daisy-strewn lawn. Landscape accessorizing—not a bad way to kick-start the summer.
For more information, visit martaferri.com
