Bal des débutantes

le Bal des Débutantes in Paris, also known simply as le Bal, is a fashion event held annually in November that brings together 20-25 girls aged 16 to 22 from about a dozen countries.

It was created by Ophélie Renouard on September 27, 1992. The young women don gowns from haute couture and couture designers, as well as foreign fashion houses. They all wear jewelry from the same jeweler. The débutantes usually come from famous families, known for the contributions to arts, politics, business, and more. Money is not a criterion for selection.

The event raises money for one or more charity organizations while celebrating the French way of life. Since 2009, le Bal has supported , which provides education for girls in Southeast Asia. In 2015 it also supported Seleni, a non-profit that finances research in healthcare for adolescent mothers.

In 2005, Forbes cited it as one of the world's 10 hottest parties.

In 1993 the International Herald Tribune stated that "the show itself was central casting's idea of Paris couture – all unswept Carita chignons, solid makeup and the girls plodding out in drop-dead gowns. Yet all seemed as thrilled as Cinderella that someone had waved a mascara wand to give them old-fashioned glamour."

For many of the débutantes, le Bal is their introduction to the world of high fashion. For example, in 2008, French actor Jean Rochefort's daughter Clémence, who wore Nina Ricci, said that it was her first time in haute couture. Anna Cleveland van Ravenstein, on the other hand, had been modeling for Chanel for years before "Uncle Karl [Lagerfeld]" helped her pick out a vintage gown for le Bal.

Some couture houses have produced special gowns for the event, for instance Carolina Herrera in 2003 for Diana Mellon, and, in 2014, Danish designer Jesper Hovring for Viola Mikkelsen.

Planning and preparations include inviting the débutantes and their cavaliers and meetings with the debs and their families.

From 1992 to 2012, le Bal was organized at the Hôtel de Crillon. The Hôtel Raphael was the hotel of le Bal in 2013 and 2014 and the event was held in the Palais de Chaillot in 2015, overlooking the Eiffel Tower. Le Bal's partner hotel for 2016 is The Peninsula Paris.

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Wikipedia