On Avenue Montaigne, where the heart of Parisian haute couture and ready-to-wear beats most loudly, the Hôtel Plaza Athénée stands draped in red awnings and balconies spilling over with geraniums. For over a century, this legendary, 208-room hotel has been more than a luxury address; rather, it has played an essential role in the story of fashion itself. In particular, its history is stitched into the fabric of Christian Dior’s legacy, and continues even today to set the stage for Paris Fashion Week and beyond. 

Which is to say, even if you’ve never seen Hôtel Plaza Athénée in person, you’ve certainly seen it in your feed.

Courtesy of Plaza Athénée

When Christian Dior opened his couture house at 30 Avenue Montaigne in 1946, he looked across the street at the Plaza Athénée and found a muse. The hotel’s elegance, its poised staff, and the parade of fashionable Parisians passing through its gilded doors helped inspire what would become the “New Look” (rumor has it that, in particular, Dior saw the way a server was leaning against the bar, thus “snatching” their waist). Over time, his name and the Plaza Athénée became intertwined in the mythology of post-war Paris. He even named designs after it, a subtle homage to the space where art, commerce, and glamour seamlessly converged, and where his brand became a household name. Today, that relationship lives on through the Dior Spa, a cocoon of couture-inspired treatments that envelop guests in the same spirit of refinement the designer prized (truly, V tried the D-Tissue massage, although it was hard to pick between that and the “New Look” treatment for lymphatic drainage).

Courtesy of Plaza Athénée

But above all else, what makes the Plaza Athénée remarkable is how it continues to evolve with fashion’s ever-changing tides. During Paris Fashion Week, the hotel transforms into a sort of unofficial headquarters for designers, editors, and celebrities. Models sweep through the lobby with garment bags slung over their shoulders. Street-style photographers hover outside, hoping for glimpses of Hollywood stars or fashion’s power players slipping into sleek black cars or Escalades.

For those celebrities, it’s as much a sanctuary as it is a stage. Stars like Bella Hadid, Natalie Portman, and J Balvin have been spotted there between shows, cloistered in its plush suites or holding court at Le Relais Plaza, the hotel’s Art Deco brasserie beloved by insiders for its intimate, clubby feel. Jean Imbert’s Michelin-starred cuisine offers a taste of modern Paris, but it’s the atmosphere—elegant yet energetically modern—that draws in the fashion crowd. Here, a quiet breakfast meeting can turn into an impromptu photoshoot, and a late-night cocktail might bring together a designer, a supermodel, and a pop star in one corner booth.

Courtesy of Plaza Athénée

The cultural hub’s renovation in 2014 updated the rooms and public spaces without sanding down their historic soul. Most recently, the hotel unveiled newly refreshed interiors on its fifth and sixth floors—including the iconic Royal Suite—designed by Moinard Bétaille to infuse the hotel’s historic elegance with present-day flair. The famous Bar du Plaza, long a magnet for editors and influencers, remains one of the chicest spots in the city to talk shop or toast a successful show.

More than a century after its opening, the Plaza Athénée is still writing its fashion story. Christian Dior may have helped establish its place in Parisian lore (many, MANY stars stayed there even for Jonathan Anderson’s first show recently), but every season brings a new cast of characters: designers seeking inspiration, models poised on the brink of stardom, and celebrities looking to escape—or embrace—the spotlight. To walk into the hotel during Fashion Week is to feel this legacy humming all around you.

Here, history isn’t static; it’s dynamic, alive, and dressed impeccably. The Plaza Athénée doesn’t just host fashion these days—it fuels it.