Florence Italy- Abducted by Fashion Designers!

 Sometimes your momma’s warning 

“never talk to strangers” is dead wrong…

In the list of pick-up lines I’ve fallen for, I now have a new one…”I like your hat”.  

That’s how it all began.  After having shopping at the market near the train station in Florence, my roommate Sally and I were strolling near the Duomo. It was a cold rainy day but the sun was beginning to peek out.  Our trip to Florence, Italy was another excursion during our art trip to Italy. We were dressed for the weather with a few layers of clothing under our jackets.  I also was wearing a new white hat which I recently purchased for the trip.  It’s a great hat.  The string holds it on in the wind, and the brim is perfect.  It’s cool, covers my hair and face, and has a dark under-brim to help decrease reflective light.  I love my hat!  Apparently someone else did too…

He was a finely dressed Italian guy in his 40s.  He was walking in the piazza in front of the Duomo with another gentleman about the same age.  Both of them were dressed as if they were out of a fashion magazine.  The day had been rainy, and yet one of them had on velvet shoes!  Both were in gorgeous jackets.  Giorgio asked me where I had purchased my hat in perfect English, and I told him that I had purchased it online at Amazon.com.  As the conversation continued, we found out their names were Filipo and Giorgio.

Sally is very outgoing and was chatting them up.  She asked what they did for a living, and we quickly found out that Filipo was a fashion designer.  Giorgio told us Filipo had recently made a coat for a recent first lady/presidential candidate to which Sally remarked, “Well, couldn’t you have done something about her hair? We all laughed when the response was,” Darling, I’m a designer, not a miracle worker!”  He then went on to tell us his coats were in various high-end retail stores in the USA.  He seemed very amused by Sally and her obvious “Wis-CAHN-sin” accent.  He had studied in the US and started teasing her about being from “Wis-CAHN-sin”.  Sally has a gift for laughing and It was really fun talking to them.

After being with them a while, I began to take in what they were wearing…it was incredible.  Filipo’s jacket was fine wool and black,  with a braided collar that was gorgeous.  They were really the definition of Italian style.  How fun!

As we walked, they told us about a wholesale jewelry outlet on the second floor across the street from their shop, and said to tell them “Filipo sent us”.  Sally was looking for jewelry, so we thanked them for the tip.  Then we came upon their shop, Por Santa Maria Leather, near the Ponte Vecchio (a major tourist destination on Via Santa Maria in Florence). They were definitely in the high rent district!  When they invited us into the shop, we just had to take a peek…

Their store was beautiful, filled with gorgeous high end leather jackets. All the clothing was beautiful…refined and very finely detailed.  There were nice couches and mirrors and Sally was prompting me to try on this and try that.  I was layered up against the cold and carrying a backpack and camera.  I was hesitant to undress and try anything on.  Then she pointed out a gorgeous jacket…black leather with a brown detailed belt and other nice details on it…I hesitated and said something about how beautiful it was.  Sally asked me what size I wore.   I answered,” I’m not sure what European size I wear.”  Filipo took over saying,” I’m the designer, it’s my job to know.” 

Filipo Bosa and I at his shop- Por Santa Maria near the Ponte Vecchio.
What is his hand doing????  I think he's playing with my hair!

About then, Giorgio showed up with some wine.  We all had a sip and Filipo pointed to my outfit saying,” Darling, why are you dressed like this?”  I said something like,” It’s COLD outside and we are trying to stay warm.”  But before I knew it, he had removed the hat off my head and threw it onto the couch across the room like a frisbee with such a dramatic flair that I couldn’t help but laugh.  Again the question,” Darling, why are you dressed like this? Are you going on Safari?” This was asked as he slowly and dramatically walked around me as he unwound the scarf around my neck with a sly look and a not-so-insignificant caress underneath my hair to the back of my neck.  I was thinking to myself,” I wonder if the secret service allowed this with "she who shall remain nameless"? ”  He carried my little scarf with even more dramatic flair to the couch across the room as if it were contaminated, and dropped it there next to my hat.  I was laughing and thinking, “Oh Lord, what next?”  Then he walked up to me and unzipped my jacket and moved behind me to remove it.  There was even a little dramatic body contact from behind as he slid the coat off my arms. It was about then that Sally quipped,” THAT'S IT! I'M DYING MY HAIR BLONDE!”  She and Giorgio were drinking wine and laughing at the obvious show which Filipo was staging.  I was the prop and he was the showman.  

He picked up the jacket we had admired and slipped a perfectly fitted-light-as-a feather-softest-most-incredible-thing-I’ve-ever-put-on-my-body leather jacket onto my shoulders.  As he put it on me, he came around to the front and tied the belted waist, walked across the room and grabbed a scarf and with a flick of the wrist tied it round my neck into a great looking bow.  He went on to explain that the coat was antelope and waterproof.  He demonstrated its waterproof properties by spraying it with water and letting us all watch the water bead up and roll off the coat.  Then he took another jacket just like it and turned it inside out, to reveal that the beautiful jacket I was wearing was actually reversible to a suede alternative on the inside!  I have never worn a more beautifully detailed coat! 

I looked at the price…No wonder it was beautiful!  It was beyond me and I told them so. He then got out his calculator and showed me a price saying, “for you darling,” The price came down...much better, but still a whole lot of money.  I offered to trade him a painting for the coat, but unfortunately he didn’t take me up on my offer.  We traded cards instead.  

As we left, they walked us in the direction of a restaurant they recommended and we parted saying our goodbyes.  As we walked toward lunch, both Sally and I found ourselves giggling and wondering what on earth had just happened?!  

Their lunch spot, Trattoria Corrozze, was fantastic and very reasonable.  I had the best salad of my trip and a nice glass of wine for 20 Euros. The restaurant is located along a street parallel to the river off the street which becomes the Ponte Vecchio.   I would definitely go back.  It was in the designer shopping district and very quaint.

As we left Florence that day, I was still laughing to myself and shook my head a little at everything that had transpired. Honestly, if I feel any regret over what happened, it’s that I didn't purchase that coat!  You can check out their beautiful shop, Por Santa Maria Leather on Via Santa Maria very near the Ponte Vecchio.  If you go, tell them Rebecca and "Sally from Wis-CAHN-sin" sent you! My advice, BUY THE COAT!  ;-)

If you enjoy travel and would like to think about combining a beautiful visit to Tuscany with optional cooking and watercolor painting lessons ( I make it easy and FUN), think about joining me in 2015 for my EAT, PAINT, COOK TOUR OF TUSCANY 2015.  Read more about it on my Friday Nov. 28, 2014 post on this blog, and by following these links:  
EAT, PAINT, COOK TOUR OF TUSCANY 2015- NOV 28 2014 BLOG POST 

Tour/Workshop Details and REGISTRATION

Rebecca Zdybel

Artist/ Art Instructor

Myrtle Beach, SC