Hermes knows a thing or two about luxury, not to mention how to put on a good party. To celebrate the opening of the company's new Elizabeth Street, Sydney flagship store a series of events were thrown (after all, the store is bigger than its predecessor, but not quite big enough to house the brand's legion of fans).

Guests at Tuesday night's cocktail party, which included Maggie Tabberer, Carla Zampatti, Nick Tobias and the ubiquitous Tom Waterhouse, were treated to Moet & Chandon, quail eggs, foie gras and lobster sandwiches. Talk at the event, however, centred around the exclusive dinner the night before at the Sydney Equestrian Centre. Specifically, the talk was about the waiters. The 80 dinner guests were seated at one long table, which was laid with an array of Hermes' tableware. They were attended to by a team of 40 waiters. That's right - one between two. Now that's luxury.