It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment when two iconic performers shared the stage at the Esquire x Ralph Lauren dinner during Men’s Fashion Week in Milan on Saturday night.

Around 11:00, after cocktails and dinner, Rufus Wainwright got up from the table and sang a handful of songs. Then he introduced a special guest: “a genius, talented, gorgeous man...the amazing John Legend.” With Legend on the piano, the duo belted out the standard “Mack the Knife,” with Wainwright singing the first verse in a very sturdy German. (They then switched to English.) Everyone in the audience had a smile on their face when it was over.

The intimate dinner was held at Palazzo Ralph Lauren (Ralph’s fabulous mansion in the heart of Italy's fashion capital), where earlier in the day the brand showed its spring ’25 Purple Label collection.