The master of ceremonies, Stephane Bern, presents Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck and her cavalier, Károly-Konstantin von Habsburg.

A group of debutantes poses before the room is fully set up for the evening.

Skye Wong proves that jewels make for phenomenally beautiful pairings with the debutantes’ own exquisite qualities.

Olivia Ford Uzielli hugs her father, Alessandro.

Lara Connor keeps Hannah Husain hydrated at dinner.

The cavaliers have taken to wearing brooches in recent years.

Ildikó von Habsburg is all smiles in an Alexis Mabille dress.

Arielle Malard de Rothschild takes a break.

Lara Cosima and father Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck open Le Bal.

Belles of le Bal

Le Bal des Débutantes, in Paris, is a coming-out party to rival them all. The photographer who has documented it for 25-plus years takes stock of how a glamorous, unusual ritual has adapted to the times

Written and photographed by Jonathan Becker

After 25-odd years of photographing le Bal des Débutantes at the behest of AIR MAIL’s loyally committed co-editor Graydon Carter, I wonder if he should be so committed. Or whether, given my encouragement and complicity, we might both be candidates for an asylum attended by debutantes. Inasmuch as my enduring presence raises questions, I’ve become an unquestionable fixture at le Bal.

The uninitiated usually ask a more conspicuous question: Why does le Bal survive, let alone thrive and manage to outdo itself each year, in a Zeitgeist seemingly infertile to such tradition? I scratch my head while heading off to Paris every Thanksgiving for another round. The answer always surprises me upon arrival.