Princesses and Hollywood Royalty: See All the Debs of 2024’s Le Bal des Débutantes
There’s nothing quite like Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris. Positioned as a modern debutante ball that places emphasis on individuality and sartorial self-expression, just over 20 young women from all around the world participate—no stiff white dresses and demure gloves here! Instead, it’s all fantasy-inducing haute couture and glittering high jewelry inside the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris, taking place the weekend following Thanksgiving in Paris. And in recent years, the event has become a subject of fascination not just in the worlds of fashion and high society, but also on social media, where the debs post their transformational videos from teens in jeans to real-life walking fairy tales.
This year, Apple Martin (the daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin) and Lucia Ponti (granddaughter of Sophia Loren) were invited as honorary debutantes. (The event is a favorite of celebrity kids, with Lily Collins, Margaret Qualley, Ava Philippe, and Scout Willis previously making their debut.) Martin wore a stunning, silk plissé chiffon baby blue gown with a big black bow by Alessandro Michele for Valentino, which took 750 hours to create. She partnered with her cavalier Leo Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck.
Paying homage to her style icon grandmother, Ponti was dressed in an Armani strapless gown with striped details and lace overlay, paired with a juicy diamond and emerald choker necklace. Her cavalier of choice? Count Alberico di Carpegna Brivio. While Apollonie Halard, daughter of longtime Vogue contributor Miranda Brooks and Bastien Halard, wore a sweeping ivory Schiaparelli gown with a black train and a pearl necklace collar.
Before the big event, the debutantes posed for photos on the Shangri-La’s balconies, with the Eiffel Tower serving as a glowing backdrop. Others descended the staircase wearing their tiaras, supplied by V Muse. At Le Bal, the young women make their big fashion debut, many of them wearing haute couture for the first time in their lives. They go through months of fittings and endless hours searching for the right dress–it’s a combination of what the average person might experience for prom and their wedding day all rolled into one, with the societal debut being on par with the Met Gala. Just last year, Lara Cosima von Donnersmark (a TikTok favorite) said, “Le Bal is the Met Gala for teenagers.”
Sophie Kodjoe wore a sculptural, rich burgundy-hued Oscar de la Renta gown with a glowing gold collar necklace. She is the daughter of And Just Like That... star Nicole Ari Parker. “I wanted to honor the tradition of being a debutante,” she told Vogue by phone before the event. “I think its history is rooted in sending young women off to the world to be married, but in this case, it showcases how individual all of the women participating are and how diverse and creative everyone is. I think it s a great opportunity to meet new people from all over the world and I m just really honored to be a part of that.”
Other standout gowns from the event included Apollonie Halard’s (who goes by Poppy) blush pink and black Schiaparelli gown paired with long strings of shiny pearls. HRH Princess Eugenia de Borbon Vargas wore a gray strapless Caroline Herrera gown with gold metallic details and a diamond tiara. Ella Yam’s bold, merlot-colored Giambattista Valli couture ruffled gown stood out with its gorgeous, bold, vivid hue and long train. Meanwhile, Peyton Spaht wore a Dolce Gabbana Alta Moda dress with a huge, billowing skirt decorated with mythical scenes and rococo details. Rysa Panday wore a gilded lace embroidered Elie Saab gown, while Mina Muniz Tschape wore a white corseted gown with a cloud-like puff of a tulle skirt by Jean Paul Gaultier.
Le Bal, is, after all, a charity event and this year’s ball supported two causes: “ARCFA” or the“Association of Cardiology Research from Fetus to Adult”, which aims to improve the quality of care for children with heart defects at Necker-Enfants Malades, the first children’s hospital in the world, and the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in New York’s Hudson Valley. Laurent-Perrier kept the champagne flowing while Carita provided the beauty looks for the debs and The Taihu World Cultural Forum served as another sponsor.
The event kicked off with an opening dance, before the debutantes lined up for a waltz with their fathers, who were then passed onto their cavaliers for dancing with a live band. “I ve been dancing for 13 years, but I ve never waltzed, so I did have to look up how to waltz in my bedroom,” said Kodjoe with a laugh. Family and other guests sat at tables in golden chairs and took it all in, as the chandelier ceiling dripped with decadence.
The main event? The runway-like presentation of each debutante in their chosen dress, before more dancing, socializing and chic champagne glass clinks echoed throughout the night.
Photo: Le Bal / Borde / Moreau / Bestimage1/48Blythe Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Apple Martin and Moses Martin
Photo: Le Bal / Borde / Moreau / Bestimage2/48Apple Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow