On Sunday, June 23, guests will descend upon the Place Vendôme, the location of the Ritz Paris, for Vogue World: Paris. The rest of us will be able to watch the event at 9 p.m. CET (3 p.m. EST), with the pre-show starting at 8:30 p.m. CET (2:30 p.m. EST) on Vogue.com. While we can’t yet reveal what this year’s Vogue World Paris has up its couture-crafted sleeve, we can reminisce on the rich history of its location.
A place of historical and fashionable significance, the Place Vendôme was commissioned by Louis XIV and reclaimed by Napoleon I, who keeps watch at the top of the Colonne Vendôme. This is the very square over which Gabrielle Chanel’s Ritz Paris apartment looked and where Elsa Schiaparelli set up shop in 1935. It is hallowed fashion ground, and Vogue World: Paris marks its first-ever runway show.
That said, the Place Vendôme and the Ritz Paris, specifically, have been the locations of choice for many a moment. There’s model Audrey Marnay photographed by Arthur Elgort for Vogue’s March 1999 issue in the famed Suite. Another Elgort contribution from Vogue’s October 2009 issue features a swan-like Karlie Kloss in Christian Dior. Much farther back in our archive, we have a whimsical scene captured by illustrious illustrator Carl Oscar August Ericsson from our July 1931 issue, which captures the lively scene in a Ritz dining room. And who could forget the multi-page homage from Tim Walker, starring Kate Moss? In our April 2012 issue, before the Ritz Paris shut its doors for an extensive renovation, Walker and Moss gave one of its most memorable fashion stories yet. That is until Annie Leibovitz photographed an expecting Rihanna in one of the hotel suites for Vogue—one image from this spread even sees Riri perched on a balcony with a view of the Colonne Vendôme in the background. Putting on the Ritz never looked so good.
Below, a look back at the Ritz Paris as featured in Vogue:
An expecting Rihanna wears an Alaïa bodysuit, glove, and shoes. Chopard earrings.
Rihanna wears a Marc Jacobs coat. Savage X Fenty briefs. Manolo Blahnik shoes. Chopard earrings and Briony Raymond ring.
Were Rihanna and A$AP Rocky planning to start a family? “Certainly not planning against it.” Chopard stud earring. Boucheron necklace.
Rihanna wears a Rick Owens jacket and skirt. Briony Raymond ring. Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture By Glenn Martens dress. Alaïa shoes.
