Le Bal des Débutantes, also known as "le Bal" (or, previously, the "Crillon Ball"), is a debutante ball and fashion event held annually in November in Paris.[1] It brings together between 20 and 25 debutantes aged 16 to 22 from many countries.
It is based on the original social event which was first held in the Orangery of the Château de Versailles on 10 July 1958 but then canceled in 1968.[2]
History
The original ball 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.[2] 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.[3] The event was not held in 1968 due to the May 68 worker uprising in France, and was subsequently canceled.[4]
The ball was revived in 1992 by Ophélie Renouard as a fashion event when she worked at the Hôtel de Crillon.[5][6][7][8][9] From 1992 to 2012, it took place every year at the Hôtel de Crillon,[10][11] and thus was often called the "Crillon Ball". As the location is not set now it is referred to simply as "le Bal".[12]
The event also serves as a fundraiser, from 2009 to 2019, it supported Enfants d'Asie, an organization which provides education for girls in Southeast Asia[13] and Seleni, a non-profit organisation that finances research in healthcare for adolescent mothers.[6] In 2022, it supported the ARCFA (Association pour la Recherche en Cardiologie du Fœtus à l'Adulte) of the Necker–Enfants Malades Hospital and the World Central Kitchen.[14]
Participants
The débutantes often come from families known in European aristocracy, entertainment, business, or politics and are selected by Renouard.[15][10] 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.[16] Other débutantes are famous in their own right: a few years ago, Lauren Marbe, the daughter of a cab driver in the UK whose IQ exceeded Einstein’s, and in 2015, Olivia Hallisey, an American high schooler who won the first prize of the Google Science Fair for inventing a test for the Ebola virus debuted.[17] In 2022 Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu attended le Bal[18] after winning two gold medals at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[19]
Each débutante is escorted by a cavalier. The cavalier may be by a young man of the débutante's 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.[20] The organizer, Renouard, has stated that they chose the cavaliers based on their ages, the language they speak, their heights, and possibly their backgrounds to produce an optimal match for the débutantes.[21]
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.[21][22]
The young women wear haute couture dresses by European designers[23] and overseas fashion houses. They all wear jewelry from the same jeweler.[24] 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.[25] In 2018, the Indo-French fashion house Lecoanet Hemant made a gown for Princess Ananya Raje Scindia of Gwalior.[26] Jet Li's daughter Jane Li was dressed by Dior in 2019.[27]
The ball takes place on a Saturday, but preparations include meeting the débutantes, their families and their cavaliers in advance.[30]
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[31] and with Alexandre de Paris for hair.[32] After this, the débutantes put on their dresses, long gloves, shoes,[33] and jewels, and there are individual and group photo sessions[34] which last for the rest of the day.[30] On Friday evening, the débutantes' fathers and cavaliers are offered a waltz class with two dance teachers.[30]
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[30] by journalist and author Stéphane Bern.[35] Then the dinner is served.[36] After dinner, the débutantes who are the most followed by the media open le Bal, followed by all of the fathers with their daughters.[36][37]
Opening dance
Each year since 2005, there has been a débutante who opens the dancing with a waltz.[38]
2016: Countess Angélique de Limburg-Stirum and her father Thierry de Limburg-Stirum opened the ball,[49] followed by Yu Hang[50] and Elle Beatty.[citation needed]
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,[52] followed by Shanaya Kapoor[53] and Iglesias twins Victoria and Cristina.[citation needed]
2022: The French Royal Princess Hélène of Orléans opened le Bal with her father the Duke of Chartres, followed by Wenhao Cai and her father the Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang and Leah Behn, the daughter of the Royal Princess Martha Louise of Norway, and Stéphane Bern.[54]
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.[55]
↑Methven, Charlotte (9 November 2008). "The Woman Who Reshaped High Society". You: 51, 53.
↑Dutour, Edouard (2 December 2011). "J'y étais ... au Bal des débutantes". Elle (in French): 42.
12Bureau, Eric (30 November 2008). "Le Bal des Débutantes les fait tous rêver". Aujourd'hui en France (in French).{{cite journal}}: |last= has generic name (help)
↑Lauriot Prévost, Marie-Etudes (3 December 2008). "Un casting de rêve". Point de Vue: 36.
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