Page semi-protected

Bal des débutantes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Le Bal des Débutantes
GenreClothing and fashion exhibitions
Frequencyannually
Location(s)Paris, France
Inaugurated1958
Organised byOphélie Renouard
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 debutante ball and fashion event held annually in November in Paris, bringing together between 20 and 25 debutantes aged 16 to 22 from many countries, together with their parents and a similar number of young men. It started as a social event and was first held in the Orangery of the Château de Versailles on 10 July 1958.[1]

History

The ball was started as a social event, and was first held in the Orangery of the Château de Versailles on 10 July 1958. There were fifty debutantes; all were American.[1] For the ball of 1959, permission to use the Orangery came from André Malraux; the event was financed by the fashion and perfume houses of Paris. A hundred and fifty young women took part.[2]

The ball was revived in 1992, organised by Ophélie Renouard as a fashion event by invitation.[3][4][5][6][7] From 1992 to 2012, it took place every year at the Hôtel de Crillon,[8][9] and thus was often called the "Crillon Ball". It is now sometimes referred to simply as "le Bal".[10]

In 2005, Forbes described the ball as one of the world's ten "hottest parties".[11]

Le Bal took place in 2013 and 2014 at Hôtel Raphael [12] and in 2015 was held in the Palais de Chaillot, which overlooks the Eiffel Tower.[13] Le Bal was held at The Peninsula Paris in 2016 and 2017,[14] and in 2018 and 2019 at the Shangri La Hotel in Paris.

From the beginning the event has raised money for charities.[15][16] Since 2009, it has supported Enfants d'Asie, an organization which provides education for girls in Southeast Asia.[17]

Since 2015, it has also supported Seleni, a non-profit organisation that finances research in healthcare for adolescent mothers.[4]

Character

The ball introduces the world of high fashion to its invited débutantes, who are usually the daughters of well-known families. It can also be seen as an opportunity for fashion houses to achieve brand exposure.[18][19]

The young women wear haute couture dresses by European designers[20] and overseas fashion houses. They all wear jewelry from the same jeweler.[21] Some couture houses have produced special ball gowns for the event. In 2003, Carolina Herrera made one for Diana Mellon, and in 2014 Danish designer Jesper Hovring made a dress for Viola Mikkelsen.[22] In 2018, the Indo-French fashion house Lecoanet Hemant made a gown for Princess Ananya Raje Scindia of Gwalior.[23] Jet Li's daughter Jane Li was dressed by Dior in 2019.[24]

In 2008, French actor Jean Rochefort's daughter Clémence made her debut wearing a Nina Ricci ball gown.[25] Anna Cleveland van Ravenstein, on the other hand, had been modeling for Chanel for years before "Uncle" Karl Lagerfeld helped her to pick out a vintage gown for le Bal.[18]

Deb Sokhna N'dour dressing for le Bal in 2008

The ball takes place on a Saturday, but preparations include meeting the débutantes, their families and their cavaliers in advance.[26]

On the eve of le Bal, a Friday, the débutantes come together for the first time. Makeup and hair styling sessions start at 9:00am: with By Terry for makeup[27] and with Alexandre de Paris for hair.[28] After this, the débutantes put on their dresses, long gloves, shoes,[29] and jewels, and there are individual and group photo sessions[30] which last for the rest of the day.[26] On Friday evening, the débutantes' fathers and cavaliers are offered a waltz class with two dance teachers.[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[26] by journalist and author Stéphane Bern.[31] Then the dinner is served.[32] After dinner, the débutantes who are the most followed by the media open le Bal, followed by all of the fathers with their daughters.[32][33]

Opening dance

Each year since 2005, there has been a débutante who opens the dancing with a waltz.[34]

  • 2005: Bianca Brandolini d'Adda with the master of ceremony, Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orléans[35]
  • 2006: Xiaodan Chen with Stéphane Bern[36][37]
  • 2007: Maria Abou Nader with Stéphane Bern[38]
  • 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[39]
  • 2009: Autumn Whitaker with Forest Whitaker, and Jasmine Li with Stéphane Bern[40]
  • 2011: Tallulah Willis with Bruce Willis[citation needed]
  • 2012: Sophia Rose Stallone in Elie Saab Haute Couture with Sylvester Stallone[41]
  • 2013: Kyra Kennedy in Dior Haute Couture with Robert Kennedy[42][43]
  • 2014: Princess Elizabeth of Bourbon-Parma in Alexis Mabille Haute Couture with Prince Charles-Emmanuel of Bourbon-Parma[21][44]
  • 2015: Iman Perez with Vincent Perez[45][46] and Countess Gloria de Limburg-Stirum with Count Thierry de Limburg-Stirum[46]
  • 2016: Countess Angélique de Limburg-Stirum and her father Thierry de Limburg-Stirum opened the ball,[47] followed by Yu Hang[48] and Elle Beatty.[citation needed]
  • 2017: Ava Philippe in Giambattista Valli haute couture danced with her escort, Maharaja Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur. The two danced to a song from the film La La Land.[49]
  • 2018: True Whitaker and her father Forest Whitaker opened le Bal, along with then Annabel Yao and her cavalier Jean de Croÿ-Solre and Gabrielle de Pourtalès and Stéphane Bern.[citation needed]
  • 2019: French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo's daughter Stella Belmondo opened le Bal with Stéphane Bern,[50] followed by Shanaya Kapoor[51] and Iglesias twins Victoria and Cristina.[citation needed]

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.[52]

The debutantes

The criteria for invitation are an attractive appearance,[8][53] intelligence, and famous parents.[8][29] They often come from families known in entertainment, business, or politics.[54]

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.[8]

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.[55]

Majority of the participants must familiarize themselves with wearing haute couture dresses, trading common teen fashion items for "heels, tiaras and haute couture gowns worth up to £30,000 each".[32][8]

In interviews, the débutantes usually speak of the pleasure of wearing couture dresses, the charity aspect of the event,[17] and the opportunity to meet girls from different countries.[56][57]

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.[58] As claimed by the organizer, Renouard, choosing the cavalier on their ages, the language they speak, their heights and possibly their backgrounds usually produces an optimal match for the débutantes.[18]

Media coverage

The 2011 Debs photographed at le Bal

Coverage often emphasizes the cachet of the event and its elegance.[59] 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."[60]

References

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Sophie Guerrier (28 November 2014). Dans les coulisses du premier Bal des débutantes (in French). Le Figaro. Accessed July 2018.
  2. ^ Thomas Lenoir (9 July 1959, updated 26 November 2011). Le bal des débutantes... de 1959 (in French). L'Express. Accessed July 2021.
  3. ^ "Social Diary 1/4/06 – Social Safari in Paris, France". www.newyorksocialdiary.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Le Bal des Débutantes 2015 perpétue la tradition". www.journaldesfemmes.com. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Le Premier Défilé des Débutantes". Point de Vue. September 1992. p. 26.
  6. ^ Twigg, Melissa (February 2015). "Behind the Scenes: Having a Ball". Hong Kong Tatler.
  7. ^ Nikkah, Roya. "New elite come out". Telegraph. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Ross, Rory (26 November 2004). "Fairy Godmother to the New Debs". The Daily Telegraph.
  9. ^ Du Eugénie Adda et Karen Rouach (1 December 2014). "L'officiel de la mode". En coulisse du Bal des Débutantes.
  10. ^ Reporter, SCMP. "Sabrina Meng Wanzhou and Annabel Yao: Huawei founder's two daughters". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  11. ^ "World's Hottest Parties". Forbes. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  12. ^ "Bal des débutantes – Le premier pas". Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  13. ^ Carbone, Suzanne (14 November 2015). "Invitation-only debutante ball in Paris summons 25 ladies to have le Bal". The Age. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  14. ^ "Presentation". Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  15. ^ Colacello, Bob. "Le Bal 2018: Inside the 25th Edition of Bal des Débutantes". Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  16. ^ "Bal des débutantes – Kyra Kennedy. Une américaine à Paris". Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Popple, Shauna Jay (February 2010). "The Ball Issue: Making her Debut". Philippine Tatler: 131.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Exclusive: An insider's view to the annual Bal des Débutantes in Paris". Malaysia Tatler. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  19. ^ Menkes, Suzy (23 November 1993). "International Herald Tribune". Haute Couture and the Upper Crust. pp. 1–9.
  20. ^ Zan, Jean-Claude (1992). "Paris Match". Les Plus Belles Débutantes du Monde.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b "Le Bal des débutantes, haute société et haute couture". Madame Figaro (in French). Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  22. ^ "En coulisses du Bal des débutantes – L'officiel de la mode". Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  23. ^ Dey, Sohini (23 November 2018). "A waltz for a night". Mint. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  24. ^ "Was it for me? Jet Li's daughter Jane Li on debutantes' ball". South China Morning Post. 15 December 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  25. ^ Lutaud, Léna (26 November 2011). "Le Figaro". Le Grand Retour du Bal des Débutantes.
  26. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Johnson, Rachel (8 January 2012). "Swishly Ballroom". The Sunday Times.
  27. ^ "PHOTOS - Exclusif - Illustrations - Débutantes à l'hôtel Shangri-La Hotel, Paris - Le Bal 2018, vingt-sixième édition - Paris, le 24 novembre 2018 © Le Bal / Borde-Jacov". purepeople.com (in French). Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  28. ^ "So you wanna look like a debutante? M.A.C takes us behind the scenes at the Crillon Ball in Paris". FASHION Magazine. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  29. ^ Jump up to: a b "Bal des débutantes – 25 jeunes filles du monde qui font rêver". Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  30. ^ Methven, Charlotte (9 November 2008). "The Woman Who Reshaped High Society". You: 51, 53.
  31. ^ Dutour, Edouard (2 December 2011). "J'y étais ... au Bal des débutantes". Elle (in French): 42.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b c Bureau, Eric (30 November 2008). "Le Bal des Débutantes les fait tous rêver". Aujourd'hui en France (in French).
  33. ^ Lauriot Prévost, Marie-Etudes (3 December 2008). "Un casting de rêve". Point de Vue: 36.
  34. ^ Colacello, Bob. "Inside Paris's 25th Annual le Bal des Débutantes". Vanities. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  35. ^ "Paillettes et jeunes filles en fleur au bal des débutantes". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  36. ^ "Lady in Red: 'Princess' Chen Xiaodan casts a mysterious spell|WCT". Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  37. ^ News, Bloomberg. "Heirs of Mao's Comrades Rise as New Capitalist Nobility". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  38. ^ "Stéphane Bern ouvre le bal – Les débutantes entrent dans la danse sur Journal des Femmes People". www.journaldesfemmes.com. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  39. ^ "Anouchka Delon – La biographie de Anouchka Delon avec Gala.fr". Gala.fr. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  40. ^ "EXCLU : Regardez le magnifique et féérique Bal des débutantes... avec un débutant "fils de" !". www.purepeople.com. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  41. ^ "Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris – Vogue.it". www.vogue.it. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  42. ^ "RFK Jr.'s Daughter Kyra Kennedy Makes Formal Debut at Debutante Ball". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  43. ^ "Kyra Kennedy, great niece of John F Kennedy, opens Paris debutantes ball". NewsComAu. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  44. ^ "Bienvenue au Bal des Débutantes". Le Journal des Femmes. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  45. ^ "Le bal des Débutantes : Iman, la sublime fille de Vincent Perez fait sensation". www.puretrend.com. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  46. ^ Jump up to: a b "La photo souvenir des vingt participantes du Bal des débutantes de Paris". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  47. ^ "PHOTOS - La comtesse Angélique de Limburg-Stirum (robe Georges Hobeika) et son père le comte Thierry de Limburg-Stirum - Le Bal - Vingt-quatrième édition du Bal à l'hôte". www.purepeople.com (in French). Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  48. ^ "PHOTOS - Invités et familles - Yu Hang (robe Alexander McQueen) et Luís Figo - Vingt-quatrième édition du Bal à l'hôtel Peninsula à Paris, le 26 novembre 2016. Les début". www.purepeople.com (in French). Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  49. ^ [1]
  50. ^ Figaro, Madame (1 December 2019). "En vidéo, Stella Belmondo et Stéphane Bern ouvrent le Bal des débutantes sur le "Beau Danube bleu"". Madame Figaro. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  51. ^ "Shanaya Kapoor's Cinderella moment at the exclusive debutante ball in Paris, Le Bal". Vogue India. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  52. ^ Galy-Ramounot, Marion (25 November 2012). "Figaro Madame". Bal des Débutantes : J'y étais.
  53. ^ de Amézaga, Abraham (24 November 2007). "El baile del año". El Mundo (in Spanish). Yo Dona section.
  54. ^ Jiang, Sijia. "Arrest of Huawei 'heiress' throws rare spotlight on family". Reuters. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  55. ^ "Jalouse – n°52 de 2002 – page 1 – Cendrillon sans les larmes un deux trois participez au bal des". patrimoine.editionsjalou.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  56. ^ "Vogue Flash Moment: Having a Ball". Vogue. February 2008.
  57. ^ Morosi, Marie-Christine. "Froufrou au Bal des débutantes". Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  58. ^ "Beatty, Belmondo, Mountbatten : la relève tourbillonne au bal des débutantes – People – MYTF1News". MYTF1NEWS. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  59. ^ Cardoso, Cíntia (7 December 2008). "Folha de S.Paulo". Cinderela em Paris.
  60. ^ Fraser-Cavassoni, Natasha (February 2010). "Philippine Tatler". The Ball Issue: Having a Ball.

External links

Retrieved from ""