“Sorry to interrupt, but I really want to have a go at writing.” We grew up using pens, dotting i’s, perfecting signatures, but today we spend most our days texting and typing. Handwriting is either an intentional relic or a rare extravagance. To produce a product which makes you want to write, as it did my conversation partner last Thursday at the Montblanc boutique, is something worth celebrating.
Few brands embody modern panache quite like Montblanc. To mark the opening of its new George Street flagship, Montblanc hosted a two-part evening imbued with all the quirk of Wes Anderson. Starting the night at the new Sydney Flagship (watch our walkthrough of the space here) – canapés and drinks were enjoyed under the Tree of Writing installation – a birch-tree constructed entirely out of paper, envelopes, and letters. Desks were set up all around the boutique, along with their leather goods and fragrances.
After some jazz-fuelled drinks and nibbles at the boutique, we were shuttled south to Redfern for the main event – an evening built around Montblanc’s “Let’s Write” campaign, written and directed by Anderson himself.
Montblanc as good as shipped an Anderson set: from the pillbox-wearing ticket inspectors to the cut crystal glassware, vintage departure boards, and cross-section train cart set against digital alpine scenery. We put our penmanship to the test in the postcard-writing room (sent free of charge). Sitting down to write and stamp a hand-written letter was a surprising reprieve. It’s the real proposition Montblanc makes: slow down and craft something meaningful, with the best tools in the game.
The food and drink was equally special, and by the time the DJ took over later in the evening, the whole thing had shifted from curated experience to genuinely good party. It was one of the better brand events Sydney’s seen in a while – and proof that the craft of writing isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Scroll on to check out some snaps of the night, or read more about the boutique below.
