Written by Johan Wikström

As the second official day of Pitti Uomo 107 turns towards the evening I start to make my way to a very much anticipated evening event. It’s the Sartorial Club Black Tie Member Dinner hosted in Palazzo Firenze. An intimate gathering among club members to enjoy a fine dinner wearing their best black tie attire.

But before diving deeper into the evening experience, I’ll briefly introduce myself. My name is Johan Wikström, a sartorial enthusiast from Finland. I work in data & analytics consulting but on the side I create menswear content on Instagram on the page @sartorial_finn.

Johan Wikström (@sartorial_finn) at the Sartorial Club Black Tie Member dnner

Splendor at Palazzo Firenze

I’ve been a member in the Sartorial Club for 2 years now. I mainly joined the club for 2 reasons. The first reason was because I think it’s a fantastic way of meeting new likeminded people. The second reason was that the club organises some really neat events that are always so much fun to join.

I arrive at Palazzo Firenze, where the evenings event is set to take place. Palazzo Firenze is the perfect venue for a black tie dinner event. Previously known as Relais Santa Croce, Palazzo Firenze is a luxurious five-star hotel located in the heart of Florence. The hotel is housed in an 18th century palazzo featuring beautifully restored interiors, frescoed ceilings and antique furnishings. A truly extraordinary place with details such as grand entrance columns that were brought in from Rome, a monumental chandelier supported by an ancient wooden truss, built on a project by Leonardo da Vinci which hangs in a grand hall known as the Music Room.

The entrance to the Music Room at Palazzo Firenze

Pianist & Composer Andrea Bagnato performs live at the music room

As I arrived at the venue I was kindly guided towards the Music Room. As the giant doors opened, what unravelled was nothing short of a movie scene. Live piano music played by pianist & composer Andrea Bagnato filled the majestic 18th century hall decorated with paintings, panels and fresco ceiling. I was greeted by our host from the Sartorial Club, Dennise.

As the last of the guests arrived on site our host opened up the evening with a welcoming speech, telling us about the venue and the agenda of the evening.

Dennise greeting members as they arrive on site for the evenings event

Finding Calm Amidst the Pitti Storm

In contrast to many of the other events during Pitti Uomo week, the Sartorial Club black tie member dinner is a more intimate event and it lasts for the whole evening. During all the buzz of Pitti, I particularly enjoyed this event as it was less hectic and I didn’t have to run from one event to another. I think many would agree that after the second official day of Pitti (for many the third as there are already opening events on Mondays, such as the Sartorial Club Masquerade) you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed and a more intimate event including a seated dinner is just what your tired feet need to recover for the following days of Pitti yet to come.

The first part of the event was free interaction between guest in the music room while enjoying a curated selection of drinks and small snacks. There were many familiar faces attending but also a few new acquaintances present, and with the event being more intimate I had time to participate in engaging conversations with all of the guests.

Beyond the Surface: The Value of Shared Interests

I had so many interesting conversations with both old and new members. It is easy to get conversations flowing effortlessly when we all have a common passion that brings us together, tailoring.

One of the most interesting things to hear is how people have found their way into the sartorial world even though there are various different backgrounds among the members of the club. I met people who work in various different industries ranging from IT and healthcare to architecture and the military. Of course there are also many people who work in the fashion industry. I find one of the most valuable benefits of belonging to the club and attending the events they organise to be the opportunity to meet new likeminded people, build new friendships and expand my network. Especially since it’s more rare to meet such individuals in my normal everyday life.

Featured in Formal Friday

One of the highlights of my evening was to join Andy and Michèle (also known as @styleafter50 on Instagram) as a guest in their Formal Friday series. They’re a lovely couple and also founding members of the club. I always enjoy talking to them as they have a wealth of experience in the sartorial world and have been a source of inspiration for me on Instagram for a number of years.

Andy & Michèle looking fantastic as always

A Sommelier's Touch

Next on the agenda was moving to the dining hall and settling down to our tables to start the dinner.

A nice surprise element for the dinner was that we actually had a wine tasting led by the Florence city lead of the club, Monia Matteucci. Monia also happens to be a certified sommelier and wine is one of her passions that she shares with many of the other club members.

Monia Matteucci, Florence city lead for the Sartorial Club hosting a wine tasting during the dinner

The wine tasting was not the only surprise, what also was surprising was that rather than having chosen wines from the Tuscan region which most of us had probably been enjoying throughout the week in Florence, this tasting featured a white wine from Piedmont, located in northwest Italy, and a red wine from Sicily. Monia was kind enough to guide our tasting experience of these two wines featuring native grapes from their respective region. Also the dinner menu was created to highlight the selected wines, everything very carefully thought out.

NéAndré with a glass of Piedmontese Arneis, its hazelnut notes complementing the risotto beautifully.

Corinna enjoys a Nero d'Avola and Frappato blend, a delightful departure from Tuscan reds and a perfect match for the pork with lardo and Vin Santo.

Pitching for Finland: A Sartorial Sauna?

The second personal highlight of the evening for me was when our table got into a discussion on where the next Sartorial Club event should be organized. Each guest at the table got to pitch their own country and city to try and convince the others at the table that it would be the best location for a future Sartorial Club event.

I was in the fortunate position that we actually had another member from Finland sitting in my table, Janne Renwall. Together we did make quite a compelling case for Finland, one of the ideas that might have tilted the scale in our favour was the Sartorial Sauna. Unfortunately we didn’t reach a definite conclusion if the Sartorial Club would be organising a future event in Finland. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Ciao Firenze, Hello Bergamo

As the evening came closer to its end around midnight, I enjoyed an espresso together with the dessert. Rather than feeling exhausted by the end of the night, which often might be the case during Pitti, after running across a number of crowded events, I felt quite relaxed as I wandered into the Florentine night and admired the night lights of the city that has grown to become one of my favourite cities in the world.

In the next episode, the Club is embarking on the exploration field trip from Florence Bergamo with Thomas Mason. We will be learning the A to Z of shirting fabric and get a glimpse into Thomas Mason’s precious archive.

Until next time!

(3) An Invitation to a Night of Wonder