Mohnish SinghBy: Mohnish Singh
Saturday night saw a galaxy of teenage debutantes descending Shangri-La Paris to be a part of the Le Bal des Débutantes, an annual occasion organised by Ophélie Renouard to celebrate honourable young women from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the US while raising money for charity.
Aged between 17-21 years old, 21 debutantes hailing from influential families were invited to the sizzling event. But the two debutantes who turned several heads with their style included Advaitesha Birla, the youngest member of India’s oldest business families whose roots trace back to the 19th century, and Pakistan’s Hannah Husain, the great, great-granddaughter of Sir Fazle Husain, Barrister from Cambridge, Education Minister and founder of the Unionist party in India.
Advaitesha Birla, 19, rocked a Sabyasachi dress at the event. The strappy gown was dripping in ruby embellishments. She completed her look with jewellery by V MUSE.
Hannah Husain, on the other hand, looked dreamy in a flower-adorned strapless gown by Elie Saab.
Other debutantes at the event included Princess Lissie Sellassie, Honor d’Andlau-Hombourg, Lara Connor, Countess Lara-Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck, Eden Leprevost Blin-Lepreton, Victoria Mestre-Cisneros, Archduchess of Austria, Royal Princess of Hungary, Elizabeth Webster, Jasmine Yen, Roxie Zhao, Talitha Stern, Angelina Jordan, Marchesa Barbara Berlingieri, and Ella H. McCaw, among others.
The focus this year was shared between two charities; the cardiology research unit ARCFA of Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, which improves the quality of care for children with heart defects all over the world, and the Washington-based World Central Kitchen which provides meals to the most vulnerable in the wake of global crisis.
In recent years, Le Bal has also partnered with humanitarian groups like the Seleni Institute, which works to provide resources to improve perinatal mental health; Enfants d’Asie, which promotes women’s education in Southeast Asia; and the World Central Kitchen, which provides meals to communities in crisis.
