Bal des débutantes

Vanity Fair photo shoot with the 2011 Debs

Le Bal des Débutantes, also known simply as 'le Bal' (or, previously, the 'Crillon Ball'), is a fashion event held annually in November that brings together 20–25 girls aged 16 to 22 from about a dozen countries.

Since 1992 le Bal has been organised by Ophélie Renouard as an invitation-only couture event.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} The young women don gowns from haute couture and couture designers,^[6] as well as foreign fashion houses. They all wear jewelry from the same jeweler.^[7][8] The débutantes usually come from famous families, known for the contributions to arts, politics, business, and more, however many have also come from controversial families.^[9] The organiser of Le Bal claims that 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] 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 was held at its partner hotel The Peninsula Paris in 2016 and 2017.^[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]

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.^[26] Then the dinner is served.^[27] After dinner, the débutantes who are the most followed by the media open le Bal, followed by all of the fathers with their daughters.^[27][28]

The debutantes

The criteria for invitation are looks,^[18][48] brains, and famous parents.^[18][23] They often come from families known in entertainment, business, or politics. Many debutantes have also come from controversial families, such as the daughters of controversial politicians Silvio Berlusconi and Mikael Gorbachev^[49][50], or have been known for controversies themselves such as Petra Ecclestone (who received much media attention for her controversial high profile divorce)^[51][52] or Talicia Martins (debutante of 2012 who received much media attention in the United States after having committed many burglaries and for drug possession of heroine and cocaine).^[53]

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]

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.^[54]

The majority of the participants must undergo a bit of a transition in wearing haute couture dresses.^[27] Rory Ross of The Daily Telegraph described the débutantes' transformations as: "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.^[55][56]

The cavaliers

Each débutante is escorted by a cavalier. He may be by a young man of her own choosing, such as a brother, cousin, friend, or boyfriend. However, nearly half of the débutantes, particularly those travelling from abroad don't bring their own cavaliers; they rely instead on the organizers of le Bal to find a cavalier.^[57] 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.^[14]

Media coverage

The 2011 Debs photographed at le Bal.

Coverage often emphasizes the cachet of the event and its elegance.^[58] It has been claimed that "Le Bal has really maintained its exclusivity; all the top designers participate, and there have never been any sleazy photographs of the débutantes."^[59]

References

External links

• Official website