The Bal des Débutantes, typically shortened to simply as "le Bal," is an annual debutante faction and fashion event held in Paris in November which brings together between 20 and 25 debutantes aged 16 to 22.
The next edition of Le Bal des Débutantes will be held on 25th November 2023.
Swati Bhat
Image: Le Bal official
The ball originated as a social event on July 10, 1958, in the Orangery of the Château de Versailles. There were fifty debutantes in total, all of whom were Americans. André Malraux bestowed permission to use the Orangery for the 1959 ball, which was funded by Parisian fashion and perfume businesses. A total of 150 young women participated. Due to the May 1968 worker rebellion in France, the event was canceled in 1968 and was not staged again for several decades.
The ball was reintroduced in 1992 as a fashion event by invitation by Ophélie Renouard. From 1992 through 2012, it was held every year at the Hôtel de Crillon, As a result, the "Crillon Ball" became popular. It is currently referred to as "le Bal".
Le Bal is also a couture event; the gowns are fashion show outfits, and the team at le Bal works hard to pick the best ones.
The Bal des Débutantes, typically shortened to simply as "le Bal," is an annual debutante faction and fashion event held in Paris in November which brings together between 20 and 25 debutantes aged 16 to 22.
From 2000 through 2003, le Bal welcomed a winner from the French magazine Jalouse's annual contest. Each one was chosen based on an application.
Know who can participate in le Bal Débutan and the idiosyncrasies of this fundraising event
The invitation as a débutante is based on an attractive look, intelligence, and renowned parents. The debutantes are frequently from well-known families in entertainment, the business world, or politics.
During their Press Meet, the debutantes typically discuss the joy of wearing couture gowns, the charity part of the event, and the opportunity to meet girls from various nations.
The majority of the contestants must practice wearing exquisite couture gowns by exchanging prevalent teen fashion items for 'heels, tiaras and haute couture gowns worth up to £30,000 each'.
A cavalier follows each debutante. He could be a young man chosen by her, such as a sibling, cousin, acquaintance, or partner. However, approximately half of the debutantes, particularly those from abroad, do not bring their own cavaliers and instead rely on the Bal organisers to find a cavalier. Renouard, the organiser, has noted that selecting the cavaliers based on their ages, languages spoken, heights, and potential backgrounds usually results in an optimal match for the debutantes.
The event introduces its invited debutantes, who are usually the daughters of well-known families, to the world of high fashion. It can also be perceived as an opportunity for fashion houses to improve recognition for their brands.
The young women are dressed in exquisite couture gowns by European and international fashion brands. They are all wearing jewelry by the same jeweler. Some fashion houses crafted special ball gowns for the day.
The Opening dance
Every year since 2005, a debutante has opened the dancing with a waltz.
This is followed by a waltz featuring all of the fathers and debutantes. The fathers then relinquish their daughters to the cavaliers, and the waltz is replaced by contemporary music performed live by a live band. The debs then return their gowns and diamonds. The evening concludes with the debutantes and their cavaliers clubbing.
The year-wise list of royals who opened the dance at le Bal:
2005: Bianca Brandolini d'Adda with the master of ceremony, Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orléans
2006: Xiaodan Chen with Stéphane Bern
2007: Maria Abou Nader with Stéphane Bern
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
2009: Autumn Whitaker with Forest Whitaker, and Jasmine Li with Stéphane Bern
2011: Tallulah Willis with Bruce Willis
2012: Sophia Rose Stallone in Elie Saab Haute Couture with Sylvester Stallone
2014: Princess Elizabeth of Bourbon-Parma in Alexis Mabille Haute Couture with Prince Charles-Emmanuel of Bourbon-Parma
2015: Iman Perez with Vincent Perezand Countess Gloria de Limburg-Stirum with Count Thierry de Limburg-Stirum
2016: Countess Angélique de Limburg-Stirum and her father Thierry de Limburg-Stirum opened the ball, followed by Yu Hang and Elle Beatty.
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.
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.
2019: French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo's daughter Stella Belmondo opened le Bal with Stéphane Bern, followed by Shanaya Kapoor and Iglesias twins Victoria and Cristina.
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