There’s a moment at Turin's Teatro Regio when I have to pinch myself. It’s revealed that we’re about to have dinner on the stage of the 285-year-old theatre. Originally built in the 18th century and restored in the 1970s by architect Carlo Mollino, the space is a masterpiece of Italian modernism and operatic heritage – and, for me, something of a coup for scoring such an elusive seat.
I am here with Zegna and Mytheresa, celebrating the Italian house’s latest campaign with actor Mads Mikkelsen, shot in this very theatre. The evening is hosted by Michael Kliger, chief executive of Mytheresa, and Alessandro Sartori, artistic director of Zegna.
As I sit above the orchestra pit, gazing out at a phantom audience, conversation flows easily between guests – actors, directors, style icons, from Dhafer L’Abidine and Daniel Bruhl to Abdulla Al Kaabi and Auro Montanari.
Then, a hush falls. The curtain rises a few metres from our table and suddenly we’re immersed in live performances of arias from La Boheme and La Traviata – a tribute to the theatre’s legacy as the stage for Puccini’s 1896 premiere under Arturo Toscanini.
Mytheresa has always taken a counter-intuitive position in the world of e-commerce. Rather than stock everything, it curates. In an age of mega-warehouses and AI recommendations, this feels almost radical. The platform works closely with the world’s top brands on exclusive capsule collections available only through Mytheresa.
The evening in Turin also marked the launch of one such collaboration: Zegna x Mytheresa Men: The Exclusive Runway Styles. The guest list was a blend of Mytheresa clients, Zegna friends and press – seated together at one long table. The idea is to dissolve hierarchy and create the kind of effortless, cross-world conversation that only happens in a fantastical setting.
“I always imagine they come back and meet friends who maybe had dinner at the Ritz,” says Kliger. “And their friends ask: ‘So what did you do this weekend?’ And they can say: ‘You know what I did? I had dinner in the opera, in Turin, on the stage – the whole thing just for us.”
He continues: “How can we give our clients memories to share again? It needs to be special. It doesn’t need to be super-expensive – that’s not the point. Was there something in the air? That’s what matters.”
And on the night, there was certainly something in the air. As the editor of a lifestyle magazine, I get to see more than my fair share of wonderful things around the world. But even then, a night like this feels special.
After the dinner is over, L'Abidine and myself decide to ditch the transport arranged for us and walk through the city. The air is crisp and it feels like a scene out of a movie walking along the streets with this matinee idol in our tuxedos.
The following morning, we explore the city behind the wheels of restored classic Fiat 500s, another product of Turin, driving from Castello del Valentino to the Ristorante Del Cambio – one of Italy’s oldest and most celebrated dining institutions.
At the outset, each car’s owner stands proudly beside their vehicle, dressed in colour-co-ordinated Zegna knitwear. I make a beeline for the red Abarth. It’s an unforgettable way to see the city – and the smile never leaves my face, despite the rain and rock-hard suspension.
“We serve a very elite crowd,” Kliger says as we recap the previous night’s events. “Last night was an amazing example – dinner in a privatised opera house, singers three metres away. I always tell my team: We’re successful if our clients go back with two or three stories to tell.'”
It is, quite literally, an experience money can’t buy. You can’t simply decide to dine on the stage of the Teatro Regio. In a time when so much of our consumption is driven by algorithms, it’s reassuring to know that somewhere, someone is still crafting experiences designed to be remembered. I’ve certainly come back home with a couple of stories to tell.
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