Forty guests, four courses and a guest list shaped by curiosity. In Zurich, ILHEMENT brought its approach to resortwear to the dinner table.

A chef seated beside an Olympic runner makes for an interesting starting point. Add a journalist, a musician, a talent manager and a filmmaker, and the conversation soon finds its own direction. At ILHEMENT’s private dinner on Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse, that was the intention.

The evening began with a personalised postcard sent to each guest’s home. Featuring a work by Cy Twombly, the invitation was something to keep beyond the occasion.

The Swiss resortwear label welcomed 40 guests to the terrace of Bar45, where a local culinary trio prepared a light, four-course summer menu. Everyone came in pyjamas. On a street associated with dressing up, there was something appealing about settling in.

The guest list deserved as much thought as the table. People from music, art, sport, media and hospitality were invited for their individual perspectives and the connections that might emerge between them. Who would have something to say to the person sitting opposite? Who might introduce a different way of seeing things? Follower counts offered little help with either question.

For a young label, the temptation to fill a room according to audience size is understandable. Reach is easy to put into a report. The value of a good guest is harder to capture: someone who listens closely, brings others into a conversation or asks a question that takes the evening somewhere unexpected. Here, the organising principle was resonance.

It also made sense for ILHEMENT. Resortwear belongs to the hours when schedules loosen: a late breakfast, an afternoon in the lobby, dinner that runs beyond its allotted time. Bringing people together around a table gave that sensibility a setting. The clothes were being worn as intended, with enough ease to forget about them.

Flowers softened the terrace, while a vintage Porsche Carrera with a floral arrangement added a point of interest on arrival. The four courses gave the evening its rhythm; the guests supplied the rest.

Everyone left with a sleep mask. Whether they also left with a new collaborator, a future friend or simply something to think about is less easily recorded. Those are the outcomes worth following.