Bal des débutantes

Vanity Fair photo shoot with the 2011 Debs

le Bal des Débutantes in Paris, also known simply as le Bal, is a fashion event held annually in November that brings together 20-25 girls aged 16 to 22 from about a dozen countries.

It was created by Ophélie Renouard on September 27, 1992.^[1][2][3][4] The young women don gowns from haute couture and couture designers,^[5] as well as foreign fashion houses. They all wear jewelry from the same jeweler.^[6][7][8] The débutantes usually come from famous families, known for the contributions to arts, politics, business, and more.^[9] Money is not a criterion for selection.^[9]

The event raises money for one or more charity organizations while celebrating the French way of life.^[10] Since 2009, le Bal has supported Enfants d'Asie, which provides education for girls in Southeast Asia.^[11] In 2015 it also supported Seleni, a non-profit that finances research in healthcare for adolescent mothers.^[2]

In 2005, Forbes cited it as one of the world's 10 hottest parties.^[12]

Fashion houses

In 1993 the International Herald Tribune stated that "the show itself was central casting's idea of Paris couture – all unswept Carita chignons, solid makeup and the girls plodding out in drop-dead gowns. Yet all seemed as thrilled as Cinderella that someone had waved a mascara wand to give them old-fashioned glamour."^[13]

For many of the débutantes, le Bal is their introduction to the world of high fashion.^[14] For example, in 2008, French actor Jean Rochefort's daughter Clémence, who wore Nina Ricci, said that it was her first time in haute couture.^[15] Anna Cleveland van Ravenstein, on the other hand, had been modeling for Chanel for years before "Uncle Karl [Lagerfeld]" helped her pick out a vintage gown for le Bal.^[14]

Some couture houses have produced special gowns for the event, for instance Carolina Herrera in 2003 for Diana Mellon, and, in 2014, Danish designer Jesper Hovring for Viola Mikkelsen.^[16]

The Event

Deb Sokhna N'dour dressing for le Bal in 2008

Planning and preparations include inviting the débutantes and their cavaliers and meetings with the debs and their families.^[17]

The Peninsula Paris has been announced as le Bal's partner for 2016.

From 1992 to 2012, le Bal was organized at the Hôtel de Crillon.^[18][19] The Hôtel Raphael was the hotel of le Bal in 2013 and 2014^[20] and the event was held in the Palais de Chaillot in 2015, overlooking the Eiffel Tower.^[21] Le Bal's partner hotel for 2016 is The Peninsula Paris.^[22]

Friday, or the eve of le Bal, is when the débutantes come together for the first time. The makeup and hair styling sessions start at 9:00am. Then the débutantes don their dresses, shoes,^[23] and jewels, and the individual and group photo sessions^[24] last for the rest of the day.^[17] On Friday evening, the débutantes’ fathers and cavaliers take part in a waltz class with two teachers.^[17]

The debutants have sessions with M.A.C. Cosmetics for makeup and Alexandre de Paris for hair.^[25][26]

Debs dance and talk at the 2009 Ball at the Hôtel de Crillon.

The débutantes are introduced in alphabetical order on the arms of their cavaliers^[17] by journalist and author Stéphane Bern.^[27] Then the dinner is served.^[28] After dinner, the débutantes who are the most followed by the media open le Bal, followed by all of the fathers with their daughters.^[28][29]

Opening dance

Each year since 2005, there has been a débutante who opens the dancing with a waltz, led by her father or the evening's MC:

• 2005: Bianca Brandolini d'Adda with the master of ceremony, Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orléans^[30][31][32]
• 2006: Xiaodan Chen with Stéphane Bern^[33][34][35]
• 2007: Maria Abou Nader with Stéphane Bern^[36]
• 2008: Bruce Willis and Alain Delon launched le Bal together, leading Scout Larue Willis in Lacroix Haute Couture and Anouchka Delon in Elie Saab Haute Couture, with the waltz from Luchino Visconti's film Il Gattopardo^[37]
• 2009: Autumn Whitaker with Forest Whitaker, and Jasmine Li with Stéphane Bern^[38]
• 2011: Tallulah Willis with Bruce Willis^[39]
• 2012: Sophia Rose Stallone in Elie Saab Haute Couture with Sylvester Stallone^[40][41]
• 2013: Kyra Kennedy in Dior Haute Couture with Robert Kennedy^[42][43]
• 2014: HRH Princess Elizabeth de Bourbon Parme in Alexis Mabille Haute Couture with HRH Prince Charles-Emmanuel de Bourbon Parme^[8][44]
• 2015 Iman Perez with Vincent Perez^[45][46] and Countess Gloria de Limburg Stirum with Count Thierry de Limburg Stirum^[46][47]

This opening dance is followed by a waltz with all of the fathers and débutantes. The fathers then cede their daughters to the cavaliers, and the waltz is replaced with contemporary music with a live band. The debs then return their dresses and their jewels. The débutantes and their cavaliers finish the evening out clubbing.^[48]

The debutantes

The criteria for invitation are looks,^[18][49] brains, and famous parents.^[18][23] Also taken into consideration is the personality of each one, and whether she would make an exceptional débutante about whom a story can be told.^[23] Parismatch states that "spoiled" children are not accepted.^[23]

As le Bal is also a couture event, the gowns are fashion show dresses and le Bal's team endeavors to find the most suitable ones.^[18]

Some debutantes belong to royal and aristocratic families; some are the daughters of artists, writers, business people and politicians. Others are invited for what they have already accomplished, such as in blogging^[50] or high-level sports. In 2013 Lauren Marbe, a 17-year-old British student and a member of Mensa, was selected by le Bal due to her IQ of 161,^[51] and the 2015 débutantes included Olivia Hallisey, the grand prize winner of the Google Science Fair, who at 17 designed a low-cost portable test for Ebola.^[52]

From 2000 to 2003, le Bal welcomed a winner from a contest held by the French magazine Jalouse each year. Each one was chosen based on a submitted application.^[53]

The majority of the participants must undergo a bit of a transition in wearing haute couture dresses.^[28] Rory Ross of the Daily Telegraph described the débutantes’ transformations like this: “Trading fashionably frayed jeans, trainers and fruit-scented lip gloss for heels, tiaras and haute couture gowns worth up to £30,000 each, they undergo a semi-Cinderella transformation (‘semi’ because most of these girls already have a head-and-shoulders start on Cinderella).”^[18]

In interviews, the débutantes usually speak of the pleasure of wearing couture dresses, the charity aspect of the event,^[11] and the opportunity to meet girls from different countries.^[54][55]

The cavaliers

Each débutante is escorted by a cavalier. This can be by a young man of her own choosing, such as a brother, cousin, friend, or boyfriend. However, nearly half of the débutantes don’t bring their own cavaliers, particularly those travelling from abroad; these rely on the organizers of le Bal to find a cavalier.^[56] The organizer, Renouard, told Malaysia Tatler, " When a deb wants us to find her a cavalier, we look at the ages, the language they speak, their heights and possibly their backgrounds and usually it works. We certainly do not plan romance, but the beauty of it is that it often happens unexpectedly. One German debutante married her cavalier and they now have a young daughter who I will certainly invite to the ball as soon as she turns 16."^[14]

In 2003, Tomas Terry y Gonzales de Gregorio almost remained incognito, but was eventually noticed by the Spanish press.^[57]

Media coverage

The 2011 Debs photographed at le Bal.

Coverage often emphasizes the cachet of the event and its elegance.^[58] The writer and historian Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni said, "Le Bal has really maintained its exclusivity; all the top designers participate, and there have never been any sleazy photographs of the débutantes."^[59]

Charlotte Methven stated "Ophélie Renouard is an extremely determined French PR woman with a deft touch for networking and a bulging contacts book, who has masterminded le Bal since 1991, when she invented it as a fresh alternative to the dated débutante concept. And while she may have a highly developed radar for desirable people, she is self-confident enough not to be overawed and will not bend her standards to anyone’s will."^[24]

See also

• International Debutante Ball

References

External links

• Official website