Le Bal des Débutantes, also known simply as "le Bal" (or, previously, the "Crillon Ball"), is a

debutante ball A debutante, also spelled débutante ( ; from , ), or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and is presented to society at a formal "debut" ( , ; ) or possibly debutante ball. Original ...

and fashion event held annually in November in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. It brings 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 An orangery or orangerie is a room or dedicated building, historically where orange and other fruit trees are protected during the winter, as a large form of greenhouse or conservatory. In the modern day an orangery could refer to either ...

of the Château de Versailles on 10 July 1958.

History

The ball was started as a social event, and was first held in the

of the Château de Versailles on 10 July 1958. There were fifty debutantes; all were American. For the ball of 1959, permission to use the Orangery came from

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( ; ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (''Man's Fate'') (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed ...

; the event was financed by the fashion and perfume houses of Paris. A hundred and fifty young women took part. The event was not held in 1968 due to the

May 68 May 68 () was a period of widespread protests, strikes, and civil unrest in France that began in May 1968 and became one of the most significant social uprisings in modern European history. Initially sparked by student demonstrations agains ...

worker uprising in France, and was subsequently not held for several decades. The ball was revived in 1992, organised by Ophélie Renouard as a fashion event by invitation. From 1992 to 2012, it took place every year at the

Hôtel de Crillon Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel () is a historic luxury hotel in Paris which opened in 1909 in a building dating to 1758. Located at the foot of the Champs-Élysées, the Crillon, along with the Hôtel de la Marine, is one of two identical s ...

, and thus was often called the "Crillon Ball". It is now sometimes referred to simply as "le Bal". In 2005,

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

described the ball as one of the world's ten "hottest parties". ''Le Bal'' took place in 2013 and 2014 at Hôtel Raphael and in 2015 was held in the Palais de Chaillot, which overlooks the Eiffel Tower. Le Bal was held at The Peninsula Paris in 2016 and 2017, and in 2018 and 2019 at the Shangri La Hotel in Paris. From the beginning the event has raised money for charities. From 2009 to 2019, it supported Enfants d'Asie, an organization which provides education for girls in Southeast Asia. And from 2009 to 2019, it also supported Seleni, a non-profit organisation that finances research in healthcare for adolescent mothers. In 2022, it supported the ARCFA (Association pour la Recherche en Cardiologie du Fœtus à l'Adulte) of the Necker Children's Hospital and the World Central Kitchen.

Participants

The criteria for invitation as a débutante are an attractive appearance, intelligence, and famous parents. The débutantes often come from families known in French (and more broadly European) aristocracy, entertainment, business, or politics. As ''le Bal'' is also a couture event, the gowns are fashion show dresses and ''le Bals team endeavors to find the most suitable ones. 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. The 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". In interviews, the débutantes usually speak of the pleasure of wearing couture dresses, the charity aspect of the event, and the opportunity to meet girls from different countries. 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. The organizer, Renouard, has stated that choosing the cavaliers based on their ages, the language they speak, their heights, and possibly their backgrounds usually produces an optimal match for the débutantes. Le Bal tries their best to not have more than two French girls every year. Many débutantes are part of the European

aristocracy Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense Economy, economic, Politics, political, and soc ...

, including

princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

es and duchesses. Ophélie Renouard says she favors Italian girls for their sophisticated look. Many others are daughters of actors and industry tycoons, such as Ava Philippe, Jane Li, Annabel Yao, Stella Belmondo, True Whitaker, Ella Beatty, Viola Mikkelsen, Sophia-Rose Stallone, Scout LaRue, Ondine and Harper Peck, and Natasha Connery. Others are famous in their own right, such as ballerinas and young prodigies: 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 Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after in ...

virus. In 2022 Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu attended le Bal after winning two gold medals at the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...

Notable debutantes

Delphine Arnault Delphine Caroline Marie Arnault (; born 4 April 1975) is a French businesswoman who has been serving as the chairperson and chief executive officer of Dior, Christian Dior Couture since February 2023. Arnault is the daughter of Bernard Arnault. ...

, French businesswoman and daughter of

LVMH LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French multinational holding company and conglomerate that specializes in luxury goods and has its headquarters in Paris, France. The company was formed in 1987 through the ...

chairman

Bernard Arnault Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault (; born 5 March 1949) is a French businessman, investor, and art collector. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of LVMH, the world's largest luxury goods company. Arnault is one of the richest individuals in the ...

* Leah Isadora Behn (born 2005), daughter of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and

Ari Behn Ari Mikael Behn (; , or ; 30 September 1972 – 25 December 2019) was a Norwegian author, playwright, and visual artist, best known for his marriage to Princess Märtha Louise of Norway from 2002 to 2017. He held no title or special status, an ...

* Barbara Berlusconi (born 1984), Italian business executive and daughter of Italian Prime Minister

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...

* Princess Eugénie of Bourbon (born 2007), daughter of Prince Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou * Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (born 2003), heiress-apparent of the

House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon that ruled Southern Italy and Sicily for more than a century in the 18th and 19th centuries. It descends from the Capetian dynasty in legitimate male line through Phili ...

, daughter of

Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro (born 24 February 1963) is one of two claimants to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Early life Prince Carlo was born in Saint-Raphaël, Var, France, the only son of Prin ...

* Donna Bianca Brandolini d'Adda (born 1987), Italian socialite, model, social media influencer, and daughter of Princess Georgina de Faucigny-Lucinge et Coligny * Céline Buckens (born 1996), Belgian-British actress * Lauren Bush (born 1984), American fashion executive, granddaughter of 41st U.S. President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

, niece of 43rd U.S. President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

* Lily Collins (born 1989), British-American actress and daughter of

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...

Anouchka Delon Anouchka Delon (born 25 November 1990) is a French-Dutch actress. Early life Delon is the daughter of Alain Delon and . She has a younger brother, Alain-Fabien Delon, and one older paternal half-brother, Anthony Delon, from his marriage to a ...

(born 1990), French-Dutch actress and daughter of

Alain Delon Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; 8 November 1935 – 18 August 2024) was a French actor, film producer, screenwriter, singer, and businessman. Acknowledged as a cultural and cinematic leading man of the 20th century, Delon emerged as one of ...

* Caroline Ghosn (born 1987), American businesswoman and daughter of

Carlos Ghosn Carlos Ghosn (; ; ; , born 9 March 1954) is a businessman and former automotive executive. He was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Michelin, Michelin North America, chairman and CEO of Renault, chairman of AvtoVAZ, chairman and CEO of Nissan ...

* Eileen Gu (born 2003), Chinese Olympic skier * Olivia Hallisey, American scientist * Lori Harvey (born 1997), model and adopted daughter of

Steve Harvey Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr. Also aired August 16, 2015. (born January 17, 1957) is an American comedian, television host, actor, writer, and producer. He hosts ''The Steve Harvey Morning Show'', ''Family Feud'', ''Celebrity Family Feud'', '' ...

* Dree Hemingway (born 1987), American actress, model, and great-granddaughter of

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

* Countess Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck (born 2003), German-American socialite, social media influencer, and daughter of Count Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck * Angelina Jordan (born 2006), Norwegian singer * Billie Lourd (born 1992), American actress and daughter of

Carrie Fisher Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The F ...

* Lady Tatiana Mountbatten (born 1990), British equestrian and daughter of

George Mountbatten, 4th Marquess of Milford Haven George Ivar Louis Mountbatten, 4th Marquess of Milford Haven (born 6 June 1961), styled Earl of Medina before 1970, is a Hereditary peer, British hereditary peer and businessman. Biography Family Born on 6 June 1961, Lord Milford Haven is the el ...

* Kyra Kennedy (born 1995), member of the

Kennedy family The Kennedy family () is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from County Wexford, Ireland, Patrick Joseph "P ...

, granddaughter of

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

and

U.S. Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the ...

Robert F. Kennedy, grandniece of U.S. President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

* Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy (born 1988), member of the

, granddaughter of

and

Robert F. Kennedy, grandniece of U.S. President

* Atasha Muhlach (born 2001), Filipina actress and singer, daughter of actors Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzales. *

India Oxenberg India Riven Oxenberg (born June 7, 1991) is an American actress and documentary film producer. A granddaughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, she is a relative of the Karađorđević dynasty, House of Karađorđević, the former royal fami ...

(born 1991), American actress, documentary film producer, and granddaughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia * Iman Perez (born 1999), French model, actress, and daughter of Vincent Perez * Margaret Qualley (born 1994), American actress and daughter of Andie MacDowell * Rainey Qualley (born 1989), American actress, singer, and daughter of Andie MacDowell * Princess Mélusine Ruspoli (born 1994), Italian socialite, model, and daughter of Alessandro Ruspoli, 9th Prince of Cerveteri * Lady Kitty Spencer (born 1990), British model, daughter of

Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, (born 20 May 1964), styled Viscount Althorp between 1975 and 1992, is a British peerage of the United Kingdom, peer, author, journalist, and broadcaster. He is the younger brother of Diana, Prin ...

, niece of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

* Lady Amelia Windsor (born 1995), British model and member of the

British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

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. The young women wear

haute couture (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design. The term ''haute couture'' generally refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the ...

dresses by European designers and overseas fashion houses. They all wear jewelry from the same jeweler. Some couture houses have produced special ball gowns for the event. In 2003,

Carolina Herrera Carolina Herrera (born María Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño, 8 January 1939) is a Venezuelan Americans, Venezuelan American fashion designer. Known for her personal style, she founded her namesake brand in 1980. Herrera has designed for va ...

made one for Diana Mellon, and in 2014 Danish designer Jesper Hovring made a dress for Viola Mikkelsen. In 2018, the Indo-French fashion house Lecoanet Hemant made a gown for Princess Ananya Raje Scindia of Gwalior. Jet Li's daughter Jane Li was dressed by Dior in 2019. In 2008, French actor Jean Rochefort's daughter Clémence made her debut wearing a Nina Ricci ball gown. Anna Cleveland van Ravenstein, on the other hand, had been modeling for Chanel for years before "Uncle"

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld also called Kaiser Karl (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director. Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion hous ...

helped her to pick out a vintage gown for le Bal. Sokhna Ndour and Anouchka Delon got dressed for le Bal 2008

The ball takes place on a Saturday, but preparations include meeting the débutantes, their families and their cavaliers in advance. 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 and with Alexandre de Paris for hair. After this, the débutantes put on their dresses, long gloves, shoes, and jewels, and there are individual and group photo sessions which last for the rest of the day. On Friday evening, the débutantes' fathers and cavaliers are offered a waltz class with two dance teachers. Le Bal des debutantes 2009 Paris debs dancing

Le Bal des debutantes 2009 Paris debs dancing

The débutantes are introduced in alphabetical order on the arms of their cavaliers by journalist and author Stéphane Bern. Then the dinner is served. After dinner, the débutantes who are the most followed by the media open ''le Bal'', followed by all of the fathers with their daughters.

Opening dance

Each year since 2005, there has been a débutante who opens the dancing with a waltz. * 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 Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining ...

and

launched ''le Bal'' together, leading Scout Larue Willis in Lacroix Haute Couture and

Elie Saab Elie Saab () (born 4 July 1964) is a Lebanon-based fashion designer. He started his business in the early 1980s and specialized in bridal couture (high-end fabrics, lace, gemstones, Swarovski Crystal, Swarovski crystals, pearls, detailed embr ...

Haute Couture, with the waltz from

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, theatre and opera director, and screenwriter. He was one of the fathers of Italian neorealism, cinematic neorealism, but later ...

's film Il Gattopardo * 2009: Autumn Whitaker with

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and activist. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Best Actor Award at the ...

, and Jasmine Li with Stéphane Bern * 2011: Tallulah Willis with Bruce Willis * 2012: Sophia Rose Stallone in

Haute Couture with

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...

* 2014: Princess Elizabeth of Bourbon-Parma in Alexis Mabille Haute Couture with Prince Charles-Emmanuel of Bourbon-Parma * 2015: Iman Perez with Vincent Perez and 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 Giambattista Valli is an Italian fashion designer. He is from Rome, Italy. His collections, both ready to wear and Haute couture, are presented semi-annually during Paris Fashion Week. Early life Born and raised in Rome, Giambattista Valli com ...

haute couture danced with her escort, Maharaja

Padmanabh Singh Padmanabh Singh (born 2 July 1998) is an Indian Polo player and head of the Kachhwaha clan, the former royal family of the Jaipur State. Personal life Padmanabh Singh was born in New Delhi on 2 July 1998 to Diya Kumari, an Indian politician, ...

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

. The two danced to a song from the film ''

La La Land ''La La Land'' is a 2016 American musical romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. It stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress who meet and fall in love while pursuing ...

''. *2018: True Whitaker and her father

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 Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward, frequently portraying police officer ...

'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. * 2023: Countess Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck with her father, Count Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck 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.

Media coverage

Le bal des debutantes paris 2011 group picture

Coverage often emphasizes the cachet of the event and its elegance. 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."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bal Des Debutantes Fashion events in France Annual events in France Recurring events established in 1992 1992 establishments in France Events in Paris Debutante balls Balls in France Fashion of Paris