Montblanc creative director Marco Tomasetta recently received a note for his birthday. It wasn’t sent on WhatsApp or via Instagram DM—the handwritten card was delivered in the mail. He locked it in a vault for safekeeping.
“A letter is the most precious thing,” Tomasetta tells ELLE through a translator. “I would love to have a new generation understand how important the personal intimacy of writing and drawing is. Through this, I learned to know myself. I like to tell young adults not to [focus on] the lives of others on Instagram. Don’t be obsessed with other people’s lives. Be obsessed with knowing yourself.”
Rupert Friend, Maude Apatow, and Jason Schwartzman attend the 100th anniversary of the Meisterstück.
Montblanc celebrated the power of writing at the Paramour Estate in Los Angeles last night—specifically, the 100-year anniversary of the Meisterstück, a luxe pen that has become associated with world-class penmanship and James Bond, whose writing weapon of choice is the Montblanc Classique.
Bianca Balti and Marco Tomasetta.
The location made perfect sense for the brand, literally and metaphorically. “Los Angeles is the city of dreams. You can think about doing impossible things that become possible,” Tomasetta explains. “Los Angeles’ light allowed movies in the 1920s to be lightened up. We wanted to convey a message of light. I want the light of Meisterstück to be visible for the next 100 years.”
Friends of Montblanc were there to commemorate the special occasion and corresponding global campaign for the Meisterstück, conceived by none other than Wes Anderson. The director’s signature pops of color and cinematic style were evident throughout the party, and a short film directed by and starring Anderson, Rupert Friend, and Jason Schwartzman debuted as well. “I chose Wes Anderson because when we were in the [Meisterstück] archives, I noticed there were colors that felt very 1950s. They were reminiscent of him and his universe,” Tomasetta says. “He is the perfect director to explain how color is important to Montblanc.”
Emma Roberts attends Meisterstück 100
Callum Turner attends Meisterstück 100
EGOT-winning singer John Legend graced the stage with a performance of some of his biggest hits, including “Ordinary People” and “All of Me.” Other attendees included Maude Apatow (who is a face of the campaign), Callum Turner, Maya Erskine, Kiernan Shipka, Adrien Brody, Simu Liu, Emma Roberts, and more.
“A pen is so important,” Tomasetta concludes. “With this object, you can do anything you want. You can write anything. You can be a director. You can be a writer. You can be a musician, creative, or architect. That is what I hope all the guests got tonight.”
John Legend performs onstage.