Anna Wintour and Leslie Sun Host a Tea for Margaret Zhang at the Ritz Paris

During haute couture week, the Ritz Paris—the city’s grand dame hotel that perches upon Palace Vendôme—is the majestic meeting place for the fashion world for everything from power lunches to post-show recaps (with nightcaps) at Bar Hemingway. Day and night, an eager crowd gathers outside the entrance, craning to catch a glimpse of their favorite designers, editors, or celebrities dressed to the nines while dashing off to the myriad of events.

So when Conde Nast global editorial director Anna Wintour and APAC editorial director Leslie Sun decided to throw a high tea for recently-appointed Vogue China editor-in-chief Margaret Zhang, there was no better setting than the Ritz’s L’Espadon restaurant for the occasion. Guests strolled through the classical building’s gilded halls—perhaps stopping to admire Emile Branch’s portrait of Marcel Proust in the famed Salon Proust on their way—before entering L’Espadon’s light-filled veranda. There, a notable industry crowd awaited. Giambattista Valli, fresh off his show the night before, caught up with Zhang, who paired cool olive trousers with her signature radiant blue hair. Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, and Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry milled among the crowd, as did Simon Porte Jacquemus, Prabal Gurung, and François-Henri Pinault.

White-jacked waiters dolled out espressos and Champagne, whereas silver towers were overflowing with Parisian pastries and sweets. (Chef François Perret’s signature fruit-filled madeleines were a particular favorite, with many coming back for seconds or thirds.) An afternoon at the Ritz, after all, is always a time for indulgence.