March 10

I love reading and listening to André Leon Talley, a brilliant writer for American Vogue. Here, from the April 2012 issue, in "Haute Away from Home," he writes of the Ritz Paris where he would spend Paris' Fashion Week:

A favorite memory is the year I spent Christmas there....The staff even prepared a roast hen with chestnut stuffing for my solo Christmas Eve dinner served en suite....When Oscar de la Renta was designing Balmain couture, he, his wife, Annette, and I would wait for the room-service trolley of grillet fillet and sautéed spinach for dinner....

This is the Ritz's official site, though I understand the beautiful hotel is or will be undergoing renovation: http://www.ritzparis.com/ . There are beautiful pictures at http://www.interiology-ny.com/hotel-design-the-ritz-paris .