<\/p>\n
Originally a simple haute couture show<\/strong>, the event has become an ultra-selective social gathering<\/strong>, modernizing the aristocratic tradition inherited from the Ancien R\u00e9gime. Over the years, the<\/strong> \u201c Bal des Debs\u201d has expanded beyond particle names to<\/strong> include the world’s new business and show business fortunes<\/strong>, reflecting major international economic changes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 2024 vintage is no exception to the rule, with some twenty girls aged between 16 and 21, from some fifteen countries, ambassadors of elegance, grandeur and a certain art of living<\/strong>. An ideal opportunity for the major luxury brands, from Dior to Valentino and Carolina Herrera, to dress the offspring of the world’s greats.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 1992 and 1993<\/strong>, “Le Bal” had not yet taken shape, consisting of a fashion show by France’s top haute couture designers<\/strong>: Oscar de la Renta was the only international designer to take part. In 1994, the event took the form of the bal dansant<\/strong> we know today. Among the 29 debutantes at this first edition were Delphine Arnault, only daughter of businessman Bernard Arnault, in Christian Lacroix, and her friend S\u00e9gol\u00e8ne Fr\u00e8re, daughter of Belgian businessman Albert Fr\u00e8re, in Dior. St\u00e9phanie de Wangen became the first American debutante.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Oph\u00e9lie Renouard relaunched \u201cLe Bal des Debutantes\u201d<\/strong>, the institution was but a shadow of its former self, having come to a halt with the \u201cevents\u201d of May 1968.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n From the outset, this press relations professional, who had worked for some of the biggest names in fashion, had no desire to take up this aristocratic tradition, which had originated in England<\/strong>, in the strict sense of the word.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the 18th century, young, well-born girls, just out of convent<\/strong>, were presented to the Queen in the year of their sixteenth spring. This moment, in the middle of autumn – in a glamorous setting, as in the Bridgerton costume series – marked their induction into high society<\/strong> and the start of “The Season<\/strong> \u201d, the ball season when these young ladies were part of all the festivities. The aim was to marry into the right party or strengthen family alliances. In Perfidious Albion, the tradition came to an end in 1953.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n France<\/strong>, on the other hand, took this royal tradition, revisited with Napoleon III’s F\u00eate Imp\u00e9riale, and developed it further in the early 1950s<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n From the outset, Oph\u00e9lie Renouard set her sights on an event showcasing haute couture creations<\/strong>, in stark contrast to the traditional bals des debutantes (debutante balls or coming out parties)<\/strong> that were particularly common across the Atlantic<\/strong>. These favor tiaras, immaculate long dresses and matching opera gloves, while the young male escort wears a military helmet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\nA Bridgerton dream resurrected<\/h2>\n
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