Celebrating 90 years of Canali

11 Oct

It was a special day at Maravista Farm, as owner Mitchell Ogilvie and his team, hosted fifty of their most valued friends, for a celebratory lunch in the honour of Mr Canali and Canali’s 90th Birthday. I absolutely love the brand’s emerging positioning and branding statement “celebrating 90 years of inner beauty, crafting a new era”. So distinctively beautiful in its approach to men’s tailoring.

Canali was born in 1934 by two Canali brothers and has since been taken over by the next generation of the Canali family who have developed this business into one of the world’s most prestigious menswear labels. Probably one of my favourite moments of the day, was halfway through lunch, when all the Canali jackets were lined up over the chairs and the guests in the Canali branded hats. Absolutely iconic moment! And I got to witness true comradery. It was very obvious that both of these iconic brands, Canali and Mitchell Ogilvie value their relationships immensely. And it was an inspiring moment for me listening to their speeches and hearing of their time spent building businesses and teams together. I was very pleased to meet Paulo and Vincenzo and hear their stories and many more from the guests of Mitchell Ogilvie.

Guests arrived by bus and helicopter from Noosa and Brisbane and the day began with drinks and canapes up the top of the farm. With views out across to the ocean, guests got in some bonding time Paulo, whilst eating a menu of shucked oysters, fried zucchini flowers and anchovy toast and sipping on Aperol Spritz.

Following a group photo, guests moved down to the lake, where one long table was placed down the macadamia vines. With a base palette of pale timber, white and shades of green, the styling was elegant and sophisticated. I loved the little white linen napkin jackets we did in honour of Canali (thanking our Casey for the time spent there!) and our famous green bar flanked at the end of the table where The Bartenders served a selection of hand-picked wines to match the incredible menu. Special guests Paulo and Vincenzo sat at the heads of the table. The day couldn’t have been more perfect, not least with the weather being a little warmer and drier than was expected by rainfall the previous day. Most certainly this group bought the sunshine with them.

The menu was created bespoke by Ryan Fitzpatrick of The Ohana Group with a distinctive Italian twist but in honour of our local seafood and produce.

Entree was an alternative drop of: Kingfish Crudo with Orange, Fennel & Spring Herbs + Shaved Culatta with Melon & Stracciatella

Shared Mains included: Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder with Sofrito, Garlic & Thyme + Market Fish with Parsley, Chilli and Lemon Butter Sauce + Borrowdale Porchetta with Sage, Pine Nuts, Vincotto, Jus + Caprese Salad + Green Bean Salad + Soft Parmesan Polenta (simply delicious!)

Dessert: Tiramisu + Limoncello

During lunch there were a few speeches made…and the crescendo was of course the traditional sabrage of the champagne bottle…one of Brett Clark’s favourite party tricks and it was a fine way finish off a great day at Maravista Farm. Guests left the property just after 4pm back to Brisbane where they were dropped at the new Mitchell Ogilvie James Street store. If you haven’t been there yet…please go. It is a fabulously designed store right in the heart of the James Street shopping precinct in Brisbane, featuring a more smart-casual menswear offer than the flagship store in the city.

I’m very grateful to our photographer, Luke Middlemiss, who spent the afternoon capturing this moment, and so well too. I love all the drone footage, and Luke also provided some video content to the Mitchell Ogilvie team which you can view by jumping onto their instagram page.

Thank you to our incredible suppliers who made this day so special, and thank you also to Aung, who is just the most divine human to work with, and to both Mitchell & Brent Ogilvie for creating the magic that is Maravista Farm. I cannot wait to see what happens for the 100th celebration, but no doubt it will be all about the people…and of course the iconic Canali tailoring. Here’s a toast to incredible partnerships!

Planning, Styling & Stationery: Lovebird Weddings; Venue: Maravista Farm; Catering: The Ohana Group; Bar, Plates & Glassware: The Bartenders; Cutlery: Table for Louis; Photography: Luke Middlemiss; Florals: Stem Design; Guitarist: Cameron De La Varga; Buses: Elite Executive Transfers and Kangaroo Buses; Loos: Portable Powder Rooms; Golf Carts: Allcoast Golf Cars; Catering Marquee: Noosa Party Hire