w w w . m a l ay s i atat l e r . c o mP P 6 7 3 2 / 0 6 / 2 013 ( 0 3 2 2 51)

f e b r u a r y 2 0 15 r M 1 5

February 2015

L I F E . E X T R A O R D I N A R Y

Love RoyaleTengku DaTin PaDuka SeTia ZaTaShah and DaTo’ SeTia aubry rahim menneSSon plus two other couples, on love without borders

DaviD beckham

on life after football

and coping with fame

164654-MT0215_Cover options_19-1.indd 3 1/19/15 4:02 PM

hong kong tatler . march 2014 32 hong kong tatler . march 2014

It’s a romantic night of youthful exuberance and haute couture in the City of Light. Melissa Twigg goes to Paris for an insider’s view of one of the world’s most glamorous events, the annual Bal des Débutantes

tepping utqueens for a night From left, back row: Princess Lavinia Boncompagni Ludovisi; Anna Cleveland van Ravenstein; Naomi Schroeder; Alexandra Louey; Elly Lam; Isabel Beatty; Ella Mountbatten; and Emily Madrigal. Front row: Margot Massenet and Princess Larissa Windisch-Graetz

Photography crazy rouge

Theclockstrikes

midnightand the Eiffel Tower’s light show begins, illuminating the interior of the Palais de Chaillot. A waltz starts to play and Prince Charles-Emmanuel de Bourbon-Parme, a direct descendant of Louis XIV, steps forward to take the hand of his daughter, Princess Elisabeth, to open the dancing for the night. Welcome to Le Bal des Débutantes, the most prestigious and Parisian of events, an evening where actual royalty flirts with Hollywood royalty, where new money and old money rub shoulders and where everyone is the proud owner of a famous surname, a listed company or an ancient palace—or all three.

Inspired by British debutante balls of the past, where young women from aristocratic families were presented to the queen at Buckingham Palace, the Bal, as it’s commonly known, is in fact a modern concept and the brainchild of Ophélie Renouard, an extremely determined French PR with a deft touch for networking and a not-so-little black book.

Renouard has masterminded the Bal since 1992 when she was given a one-year contract to organise events for the Hôtel de Crillon and hit on an idea that would capture the world’s imagination. “Well, it has all the right

ingredients for success,” says Renouard. “The girls are beautiful and look and feel like princesses for a night. And Paris is, well, Paris. Modern life is not so filled with glamour but at the Bal, glamour and romance are everything. I think that is why everybody loves it so much—it gives them an experience they cannot find elsewhere.”

Like the heroines of the Disney fantasies they grew up watching, these 24 well-born young women are transformed from typical teenagers into glossy, couture-clad goddesses for one night. The elaborate process begins the day before the Bal, on a cold Friday at the end of November. “Even though most of them come from privileged backgrounds, the Bal is usually their couture and media debut,” says Renouard. “They wear gowns and haute jewellery [by Bucherer] for the first time and it is a special moment for them.”

The Hôtel de Crillon has always been the venue for the event (in English it is usually

referred to as the Crillon Ball), but it was recently acquired by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts and is being renovated ahead of a grand reopening later this year. In the interim, the Bal is being held at the Palais de Chaillot in Trocadéro, and the debutantes stay at plush Hôtel Raphael near the Arc de Triomphe.

It’s in this old-world Parisian building where the young women, daughters of aristocrats, film stars, politicians and billionaires, meet for the first time. Walking into one of their richly decorated sitting rooms, I pick my way over a sea of discarded Louboutin shoes and am hit by a wall of sound. Teenage laughter mixes with mobile phone ring tones, the whine of hairdryers and excited chatter in a medley of languages.

There are three Asian debs this year: from Hong Kong, Elly Lam, the daughter of Peter Lam and Lynn Hsieh, and Alexandra Louey, daughter of William Louey and Marie-Christine Lee; and from the Philippines,

Emily Madrigal, daughter of Vincent and Ann Madrigal. “I am having so much fun,” says Lam. “I love doing photo shoots and I really feel like this is my moment to shine.” Louey agrees, saying, “I imagine this is what getting married feels like, getting to look beautiful and be the centre of attention all weekend.”

Lam, inspired by her sister’s wedding dress choice, is wearing Dior Haute Couture, Louey is resplendent in a purple Georges Chakra gown, and Madrigal wears a full-skirted pink dress by J Mendel. “It was so exciting getting to talk to J Mendel and work out exactly what suited me,” says Madrigal. “This dress is like something out of a fairy tale.”

But for many of these young women, interacting with celebrated designers is no rarity. Princess Larissa of Windisch-Graetz lives in an ancient palace off the Piazza Navona in Rome with her parents, Archduchess Sophie of Austria and Prince Mariano Hugo of Windisch-Graetz, and looks

in their prime Clockwise from bottom left: Naomi Schroeder; Elly Lam and Alexandra Louey; Ginevra Fontes Williams and Victor Belmondo; Isabel Beatty, Viola Jacobsen Mikkelsen and Ella Mountbatten; Tommaso Crimi, Lodovico Gritti, Sixte de l’Espée, Emilion de Roquefeuil and Octave le Gouvello

life’s a ball Clockwise from top left: Inside the Palais de Chaillot; Princess Alexia von Auersperg-Breunner and her father, Prince Karl von Auersperg-Breunner; Tommaso Crimi and Princess Larissa of Windisch-Graetz; Rose Fisher and Count Pierrot du Saillant

fancy footwork Margot Massenet in the Christian Louboutin room

like a princess from a storybook, with long blonde curls, huge blue eyes and perfect milky-white skin. “Oh, Valentino helped me pick out my dress,” she says casually. “He is an old friend of my mother’s and when he heard I was coming to the ball, he chose a gown for me from the latest collection.“

Anna Cleveland van Ravenstein, the daughter of model Pat Cleveland and photographer Paul van Ravenstein, is also remarkably relaxed about her relationship with one of fashion’s giants. “I’ve just moved to Paris to live with my boyfriend, and Uncle Karl thought it would be a good idea for me to come to the ball to make my name in French society,” she says. “Uncle Karl… Lagerfeld?” I venture. “Who else?” she replies with a bemused expression. “Uncle Karl has been so good to me. I’ve known him since I was two months old and I started modelling

“When a deb wants us to find her a cavalier, we look at the ages, the language they speak, their heights and possibly their backgrounds and usually it works,” says Renouard. “We certainly do not plan romance, but the beauty of it is that it often happens unexpectedly. One German debutante married her cavalier and they now have a young daughter who I will certainly invite to the ball as soon as she turns 16. It really is a very romantic night.”

As I arrive at the Palais de Chaillot the following evening, I can see why the Bal is a breeding ground for young love. The dining room and dancefloor are dominated by the view of the Eiffel Tower just outside the bay windows, and huge vases of white roses scent the room. As princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses, film stars and CEOs mingle in the cavernous hallway, I slip downstairs to see

“I imagine this is what getting married feels like, getting to look beautiful and be the centre of attention all weekend”

for Chanel when I was 13. He picked this vintage Chanel dress for me.”

Sophie Coleridge, the daughter of Condé Nast president Nicholas Coleridge, had a Kate Middleton moment when she picked out her Alexander McQueen dress. “I met Sarah Burton [creative director of Alexander McQueen] and we chatted about how she had to sneak into the palace for wedding dress fittings in the run-up to the royal wedding,” she says. “Thankfully my dress wasn’t so top secret, but I am thrilled with it—I’m not really a princess gown kind of girl.”

Friday is also the day when most of the debutantes meet their dashing young cavaliers for the first time. They are allowed to invite friends, boyfriends and brothers to act as their cavaliers but more often than not they ask Renouard to pick a date for them—usually princes or barons from old European families.

the debutantes and their dates before their moment in the spotlight.

“I’m a bit nervous, but mainly really excited. And luckily my cavalier is super nice,” says Lam, who has been paired with Viscount Emilion de Roquefeuil. “I met him at the waltz rehearsal. It was definitely

awkward to meet someone and then have to hold their hand for two hours, but he was super charming and kept saying ‘look into my eyes’ because I was a bit shy. Everyone has been swooning over him and saying how much he looks like Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl.”

Isabel Beatty, the willowy, dark-haired daughter of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, is also rather taken by her cavalier, Brandolino Gritti. “We’ve only just met but he’s lovely and we’re good friends already,” she says. “He’s Italian and it’s so nice to get to know someone a bit different. I feel a million

Elly Lam, Alexandra Louey and Emily Madrigal pose with a car made by Renault, an official sponsor of the Bal

Ha

ir a

nd

ma

ke-u

p b

y m

aC

an

d a

lex

an

dr

e d

e pa

ris

; sH

oes

b

y C

Hr

isti

an

lo

ub

ou

tin

; Jew

elle

ry b

y b

uC

Her

er

miles away from LA and all my friends. Someone back home just texted me asking if I wanted to grab a smoothie, and I was like, ‘Erm, I can’t, I’m in a haute couture gown by Elie Saab at a ball in Paris.’”

Victor Belmondo, grandson of French film star Jean-Paul Belmondo and the cavalier for Brazilian beauty Ginevra Fontes Williams, is pouring champagne for the debs and chatting to his blonde date, who looks dazzling in a scarlet gown by Chinese designer Guo Pei. “She is super beautiful tonight. I feel like a very lucky man,” he says. Alexandra Louey, meanwhile, is giggling in the corner with her cavalier, Octave le Gouvello du Timat. “He reminds me of Robert Pattinson,” she whispers to me as we make our way upstairs for dinner.

Once everyone is seated, one by one the lovely young women are introduced to the guests by French TV personality Stéphane Bern. They look radiant as they glide through the room on their cavaliers’ arms. One of the more admired dresses is by Jean Paul Gaultier and belongs to Rose Fisher, granddaughter of Gap founder Don Fisher. “I love Gaultier,” she says. “He has taught me to embrace the beauty in androgyny, menswear and grunge.”

gaze on their daughters with love and pride at the young women they have become, there are a few misty eyes in the room. “Dancing with my dad was my favourite of the evening,” says Madrigal. “He’s my best friend and I love him so much.” As the first dance ends, the cavaliers step in and the young men and women twirl around the room, showing off their newfound waltzing skill.

The mood changes with the opening chords of Happy by Pharrell Williams. Viola Jacobsen Mikkelsen, daughter of Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, whoops with delight and grabs the arm of Ella Mountbatten, a great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Diane de Chabot-Tramecourt, daughter of a French count, twirls around the pair in her breathtaking Ralph Lauren gown. Annette Bening and Pat Cleveland shimmy onto the dancefloor with their daughters and a circle of admiring men forms around them. William

Another strikingly modern yet utterly feminine dress belongs to Margot Massenet, whose mother is a nose for Lancôme and Chloé. She wears a two-piece shirt and skirt by Schiaparelli Haute Couture that stands out in a sea of ball gowns. But perhaps the most breathtaking dress is that of German polo player and heiress Naomi Schroeder, who is in a netted number by Stéphane Rolland Haute Couture that draws gasps from the crowd. “As soon as I saw this dress online I fell completely in love with it,” she says.

Once the presentation is over, the debs sit down and we all enjoy a lavish five-course meal prepared by the Crillon’s head chef, Christophe Hache. Profits from the night are donated to Enfants d’Asie, a charity that helps girls from impoverished families in Southeast Asia receive an education, and Bern gives a touching speech while we eat on the impressive work the organisation is doing.

As the last plate is cleared, everyone moves towards the dancefloor and the fathers and daughters line up, all looking rather nervous about the waltz ahead. Prince Charles-Emmanuel and his daughter open the dance, followed by the other pairs. As the fathers

say yes to the dress Anna Cleveland van Ravenstein

Louey and Marie-Christine Lee dance with Lynn Hsieh and Victor Wu, and soon the floor is packed.

At 2am, the music stops and the older guests make their way to the line of cars waiting outside in the frosty Parisian night. But the party is far from over for the debutantes and their cavaliers, who stop off at the Raphael to change and then head to L’Arc Paris, an exclusive nightclub overlooking the Arc de Triomphe. Shots are downed, lips are locked, selfies are taken as the next generation of the international jetset makes the most of being young, rich and beautiful.

“I feel like a flower in bloom,” says Cleveland van Ravenstein, who is by now wrapped around her handsome French boyfriend. “I think all the girls are in bloom. It’s such a special age as we’re all on the cusp of everything. I wish I could take this feeling and bottle it forever.”

party people Clockwise from top left: Barney Harris and Sophie Coleridge; the debutantes and their cavaliers dance the waltz; Annette Bening and Ophélie Renouard; Diane de Chabot-Tramecourt; the band plays with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop

For more photos of the bal, visit hongkongtatler.com/feb15