Later, the label’s leopard-print coats and strong-shouldered suits call to mind an Italianate Alexis Carrington. ‘She had very good taste, but in a sober way – which was fitting for that era,’ says Leonardo of her wardrobe in the 1970s and ’80s. No doubt the couple’s relationship with those Hollywood leading ladies rubbed off? ‘Many, many famous people would travel to Florence when they were filming in Europe and find their way to my father’s workshops,’ says Leonardo. ‘My mother had a great relationship with the actresses too, and many became close, coming for lunch or dinner. Audrey Hepburn was a very, very good friend of my mother and all the family. She was a wonderful lady, very generous with her time, and we all call her our collective godmother,’ says Giovanna.

Glamorous Italian women taking control of family-run fashion houses have been in the spotlight recently, but there are no Patrizia Gucci-style scandals here; Wanda’s approach was organic and gradual. ‘She was a hard boss,’ laughs Leonardo, insisting there were no free passes for family members. ‘My mother was a complex person; very generous at times, but very controlled. Sentimental, but steady. Kind, but stern. That was part of her power.’ The family still own the majority of the business, with the latest reports totalling revenues of €916 million. The Vara ballet flat, created in 1978, is still the best seller; more than a million pairs have been sold since its debut.

Pioneering female leadership, at a time when mamma’s job was to have the puttanesca on the table, she forged her own path. ‘She wanted to push the family to succeed in different areas. She was hard, she was demanding, she was determined. She could be strict, but with good manners – she realised you obtain so much more that way. She had to adapt to a new life and a new way of working, but one thing that never changed, throughout everything, was her love for my father.’