- The debutantes dressed in Armani and Dior danced the night away on Saturday
As the sun set on Saturday evening, 19 glamorous socialites dusted off their tiaras and slipped into designer frocks as they made their first official entrance into society at Le Bal – an exclusive event for well-to-do families, boasting Hollywood nepo babies, a Spanish royal and even a distant cousin of both Princess Diana and Winston Churchill among the attendees.
But although the final result is some of the world’s most striking sartorial high society displays, it takes much preparation behind the scenes.
Each family flew to the French capital days before the glitzy occasion so that each debutante could practice their dancing and pick out diamond jewellery from V Muse.
Hours before the event started, they mingled and bonded over getting their hair and makeup done – with behind-the-scenes videos also documenting the less formal side of this weekend’s festivities.
‘I am so excited for the ball tomorrow night! I can’t wait to get ready with the girls and then put on the dresses and dance with everyone,’ Eulalia de Orleans-Borbón – who was dressed in a white fluffy robe, told French publication Madame Figaro, ahead of the event.
The 19-year-old is the daughter of businessman Álvaro de Orleans-Borbón and the goddaughter of King Juan Carlos, her father’s distant cousin. She was escorted by a British royal, Albert Windsor, the Duke and Duchess of Kent’s grandson, while wearing a champagne frock designed by Tony Ward.
Although the history of such balls was to help wealthy, aristocratic women find a husband, it now appears to be the complete opposite, with sisterhood prevailing over all.
After they formally met a couple of days ago, it appears the group of young ladies have now become best of friends. And it wasn’t long until they were filming Instagram videos on Eulalia’s account, capturing the weekend’s festivities.
The dazzling debutantes, who are all aged 22 and under, were seen dressed to the nines in the likes of Armani, Dior and Schiaparelli as they sang along to Adele’s Skyfall, and Rihanna’s Breakin’ Dishes. Eulalia captioned the video: ‘My girls’.
Twirling around in their haute couture gowns, the 19 young ladies seemed to be having a ball of a time surrounded by their internationally renowned families, who were watching on whilst clinking their glasses of Laurent-Perrier.
‘I’m so excited to spend time with the other debs – we’ve made such good friends already and to take pictures and enjoy the night,’ 20-year-old Ruby Kemper, the MGM heiress and daughter of investor Ross Kemper, also told ELLE.
She made her debut wearing a pale pink dress by Chrome Hearts, which had her name stitched into the label.
Also featured in the social media video was Gabrielle Janssens de Balkany. She turned heads in her dreamy Luisa Beccaria gown as she was lifted and spun around by her brother, Tomasso, after their presence was announced.
The 21-year-old, who is the daughter of businessman Olivier Janssens and Elisabeth de Balkany, has an impressive lineage, counting Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy, as well as King Umberto II and Maria José of Italy, as her grandparents.
She was filmed sporting a diamond and sapphire Belle Epoque Tiara and is thought to have worn Maria José’s same sapphire necklace, according to Tatler.
And Gabrielle made sure she showed off the showstopping family heirloom, pouting in a picture alongside fellow debutante, Princess Isabelle de Orleans, the great-granddaughter of Henri d’Orleans and the youngest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Chartres.
Opting for minimal jewellery, Isabelle decided to let her Princess d’Orléans Tiara do all the talking.
Crafted by Garrard in around 1905, the piece contains more than 1,000 diamonds and was originally owned by Princess Louise of Orléans – the great-grandmother of King Felipe VI of Spain, according to the society bible.
She paired her ballerina-esque look with a delicate light pink gown designed by Antonio Grimaldi, slicking her brunette tresses in a bun, as she smiled for the mirror picture.
At 10pm, the show began, and every young woman was announced to the room full of deep-pocketed business tycoons, powerful editors and high-flying aristocrats – with a sea of proud parents taking pictures and videos of the once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Some opted for more classic entrances, with Eulalia holding the arm of Albert Windsor, 18, as they posed for the many flashing cameras.
However, a few enjoyed a more modern approach. Bronwyn Vance, daughter of Hollywood star Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance, decided to perform a handshake with her brother, whom she calls her ‘best friend’.
Choosing an angelic Stephane Rolland haute couture gown, she was accompanied by her twin, Slater Vance.
Speaking ahead of the event to Madame Figaro, she said: ‘My cavalier is my brother, he’s my twin brother, and he’s my best friend.
‘It’s just an easy choice to choose him, so I didn’t have to worry about nervously meeting a new guy here and walking down and dancing with him, so I’m very excited for that.’
After dancing the night away in stiletto heels to pop hits from Dua Lipa and the Spice Girls and practicing their waltzes, it’s only natural that the socialites took a breather.
Jillian Chan, who belongs to East Asian film royalty as the daughter of acclaimed Chinese-Thai director Peter Chan, snapped her fellow debutantes Alice Wang, the daughter Chuanfu Wang, founder of BYD, and Carolina Lansing, the granddaughter of Carolina Herrera, sitting on the floor in their puffy gowns while scrolling on their phones.
While getting hair and makeup done, Carolina admitted that she has never done ‘anything so important’ before.
She added: ‘I think the opportunity to meet so many different types of girls and to be a part of something so special.’
The granddaughter of fashion royalty looked ultra-chic in a monochrome polka-dot strapless gown created by Wes Gordon, creative director of the Carolina Herrera label.
She paired her breathtaking ensemble with a black choker and a large bow, which she tied around the frock, paying homage to her grandmother as it was inspired by one of her ‘classic designs’.
Carolina told HELLO! magazine: ‘This dress is a nod to my grandma’s first collection; the black-and-white and polka-dots are reminiscent of it, and are also a classic Carolina Herrera look.
‘Plus we’ve woven a little yellow bow on to the inside hem to pay homage to the first Good Girl perfume.’
The 21-year-old is the daughter of Patricia Cristina Lansing and is currently studying communications at a university in the US, according to the publication.
Reagan Sacks was also in attendance and wore a ballet-slipper pink Schiaparelli complete with matching opera gloves and the Petit Diamond Tiara from 1901 – which she picked from V Muse’s collection.
The 17-year-old is the daughter of David Sacks, who was the COO and product leader of PayPal and her mother founded the wellness brand Saint Haven.
This year, Lady Araminta Spencer-Churchill, the daughter of the 12th Duke of Marlborough and his second wife, Edla Griffiths, the Duchess of Marlborough, had all eyes on her as she stepped out donning a spectacular 2007 Armani Privé gown.
The distant cousin of both Princess Diana and Winston Churchill told Tatler: ‘I was instantly drawn to how quietly powerful it was. The dress has a kind of effortless authority; it makes an impression.
‘For an evening as storied as Le Bal, I wanted something timeless rather than loud, and this design struck that balance beautifully.’ She went to Armani’s HQ for two fittings before her debut at the event.
In addition to royal ties by way of her great-aunt Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill, who was a maid-of-honour at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953, the debutante has already made a name for herself.
The 18-year-old is an accomplished equestrian, with her love and dedication to the sport seeing her represent Great Britain in various tournaments all over the world.
No stranger to grit, she currently balances Olympic ambitions with studying at Oxford Brookes University.
Ruby Kemper also has an impressive heritage and is the granddaughter of Kirk Kerkorian, the former owner of MGM Studios, now owned by Amazon.
She was escorted by Gabriel Gledhill, a handsome British skier and model who was previously on the cover of Tatler.
Eager to make her mark on society, Ruby donned a stunning, delicate pink dress by the Hollywood brand, Chrome Hearts.
Ella Wadia, whose great-great-grandfather, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founded Pakistan, donned a gorgeous gold gown by Lebanese designer Elie Saab.
And Eliza Lindroth, whose ancestor is Swedish inventor Martin Wiberg, who is credited with creating the first compact machine capable of printing logarithmic tables, decided to wear a sweeping white sequin gown by Rick Owens.
She was joined by Antonius Meijer, a scion of the French family that owns the Château Giscours vineyard.
Elsewhere, Sarah Bae, the daughter of billionaire Joseph Bae, who is the co-CEO of global investment firm KKR and former ELLE editor Janice Lee, made history yesterday as Le Bal’s first Korean American debutante.
The 17-year-old chose to wear a frock by Oscar de la Renta for the big event, but told Tatler she was worried about her heels not being high enough, as she is 5’4.
‘But I am also not that good at walking in high heels!’ she added.
Singer and pianist Isabelle von Perfall was not the only von Perfall attending Le Bal this year.
In fact, all three of the von Perfall siblings – the children of Baron Alexander von Perfall, who is descended from Bavarian nobility – were at the highly anticipated event, and Isabelle was joined by her brother Felix while their other brother, Nicholas escorted Araminta Spencer-Churchill.
Isabelle wore a black embroidered gown by Filipino designer Monique Lhuillier – whose bridal designs have been worn by the rich and famous, including Britney Spears, Reese Witherspoon and Carrie Underwood.
Jillian Chan stepped out at Le Bal in a gown by Lebanese designer Georges Hobeika, with Greek bachelor Nikolas Manos by her side.
Alice Wang’s designer of choice was the exceptionally talented Vera Wang, as she entered wearing a strapless ruby red gown on the arm of Baron Heinrich von Frankenstein.
Meanwhile, Princess Isabelle de Orleans was escorted by her relative, Constantin d’Orleans, who also acted as Peyton Spaht’s cavalier last year.
Almudena Dailly de Orleans, the 21-year-old goddaughter of the former Spanish King Juan Carlos, brought a distinctly Parisian flair to Le Bal in a Christian Dior gown, whereas Eugénie of Hohenzollern, the daughter of Prince Albert and Princess Natalia of Hohenzollern, sported Belgian designer Édouard Vermeulen.
She was accompanied by Count Ascanio di Carpegna Brivio. Her date is a dashing young Italian count who last year attended the same event alongside Oona Finch, granddaughter of the Australian actor Peter Finch.
Josephine Haas, daughter of Sébastiaen Haas, a lawyer specialising in film law, and Claire-Sophie, the marketing and communications director for Rexel, a major French firm, chose Chinese designer Guo Pei.
She stepped in her mesmerising look alongside the dashing Italian Count Brando Leonardo Borletti Dell’Acqua.
Greek heiress Eirini Zarifi, born to parents Anna-Krystyna, whose family made a name through a shipping business, sported British designer Deborah Milner, the former head of the Alexander McQueen couture studio.
On her arm for this year’s Le Bal was Gabriel de Kergorlay of France, who was seen attending last year’s event alongside Apollonie Halard.
Alexandra Moxey, whose father was a former executive at Virgin Records and is the founder of independent publishing company Ultra International Music Publishing, also joined the other debutantes in celebrating their first steps in the spotlight.
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