Arts & Entertainment
The 64th International Debutante Ball: A Royal Night In Photos
See photos from the International Debutante Ball 2018 in NYC, as Daniela's Lens gives a royal look into the high society event of the year.
Have you ever wondered where the ultra-rich and royal find a husband? It used to be the International Debutante Ball in New York City. Today the event is a networking opportunity and family celebration for the high society, so they say, but I'm not convinced. After attending this years 64th Debutante Ball I'm pretty sure some of the ladies took away a new crush on the attending young men. Welcome to the world of the 'real' Gossip Girls.
Twenty-two accomplished young women made their debut at the ball and dinner dance at the Pierre Hotel on December 29th. This year’s debutantes represented Belgium, England, France, India, Liechtenstein, Scotland, and nine American states. The Honorary Chairman and sponsor of the event was Ms. Julia Irene Kauffman, and Co-Chairs were Ms. Anne Eisenhower and Mrs. David R. Hamilton.
In today's Daniela's Lens, I'll tell you all about the event from my photographer's point of view.
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1:32 p.m.
Uh oh, my dress is ripped. For someone who goes out to black tie events almost every night, I own a disturbingly small number of dresses. Exactly three, to be precise.
Why, you ask? Well, it's the same reason why I live in the crappier part of Jersey City with four roommates, and I have to make a budget plan whenever I need new batteries for my camera.
I spend the next hour sewing my dress back together before I make my way to the city to take another glimpse at the world of royals and billionaires.
3:11 p.m.
And although this all sounds very cinderellaeske, it doesn't always feel like it. On my way through Jersey City to the PATH train, I almost get into a brawl of drug dealers heavily fighting each other on the street. I hope they don't pull out guns. I run in my sneakers, high heels in one hand, holding my long dress up with the other, 40 pounds of camera equipment on my back, heavy wind ruining my blow dry and sweating the makeup off my face, up the hill around the next corner and make a long detour to get away from whatever these thugs are doing.
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5:01 p.m.
I arrive at the Pierre Hotel. Some ladies are already here. Aubrienne takes a last look at her white designer dress.
White is the color of the debutantes tonight. And don't you dare to wear white if you are a guest!
5:16 p.m.
To become a debutante, it's not enough to be rich. You have to go through a rigorous selection process. The candidate needs to be recommended by a previous debutante and be a "women of distinction" who is highly accomplished in athletics, community service, academics, philanthropy, and charity. And of course, she needs to be able to pay the presentation fee which is around $22.000 (writes the New York Post in 2016).
5:22 p.m.
Catherine admires Daniella's dress.
5:31 p.m.
We are all ready for the number one high society bash tonight. Even the photographers are dressed up in their best black tie. Only one of them is in jeans and pullover.
"Nobody told me about the dress code!" he says a little embarrassed. "I hope they don't kick me out!"
They won't.
5:32 p.m.
White dresses wherever you look!
5:34 p.m.
It's time to get ready for the group shot.
5:45 p.m.
"Two girls are missing!" says the organizer.
And someone says: "Yes, they are not here yet. They are coming from downtown!"
"How can you be late to an event you paid many thousands of dollars to attend?" one of the photographers whispers to me. I shrug.
"Why is downtown a problem?" I ask. But nobody answers.
5:46 p.m.
"Let me fix your train", I say to Jolie and lay out the satin perfectly for the photo. "Tu es jolie, Jolie!" I say and hope I don't sound weird.
5:51 p.m.
Ah, Scotland! These ladies live in a real castle! It's the 15th-century Megginch Castle in Perth and Kinross, in central Scotland.
6:02 p.m.
And here come the boys!
6:09 p.m.
Smile!
6:11 p.m.
They are all from Texas! Beautiful dresses! Beautiful ladies!
6:13 p.m.
It's time for the cocktail hour before the main event starts.
6:24 p.m.
I say hello to Victoria Gordon, who is a friend from California. She was a debutante together with her sister Natalie Gordon at the 60th International Debutante Ball.
A group of German-speaking guests joins us. And because I'm from Germany and my first language is German, I chat away.
Austrians and Liechtensteiners both speak German, and we have the same genetic background which is so very obvious, it's eerie. Similar hair color, skin color, bone structure and we are all very tall. But my long limbs are weirdly hanging around my body like the Slendermans compared to the grace of the princesses.
"You all look alike!" says Victoria.
"Yeah, I can spot people from around that region in New York from half a mile away," I say. "When I lived in Germany, I was so used to the people; I thought we all look very different. Only when I started living in a lot more mixed place like New York, I discovered we are all clones over there."
6:31 p.m.
It's time for the next part of the event.
6:45 p.m.
The ladies are taking their places in the 'receiving line' also called the 'assembly line'. That's code for the debutantes standing in a line waiting to greet the guests. Each one's representative flag is positioned behind them. The flag is either the one of their home country, state or coat of arms if they are royal.
6:55 p.m.
And here are the British ladies!
7:04 p.m.
Another German speaking debutante!
7:05 p.m.
Hello Florida!
7:06 p.m.
All the debutantes are carrying a bouquet of pink roses.
7:11 p.m.
Very beautiful, Miss Apple!
7:45 p.m.
It's dinner time! I'm still running around, taking photos from all angles. Then everybody starts eating.
But for the photographers, this is the hardest part of the evening. Watching other people eat. No matter how much food you had before the event, it's going to be mouthwatering and painful. Especially because they serve the most exquisite dinners, money can buy at these type of events.
I will never get used to it.
Sometimes, when I can't take the smell of deliciousness anymore, I escape to the restroom and put peppermint oil under my nose.
7:48 p.m.
Tonight, I'm in for a surprise.
I stand in the back at the bar together with another photographer when the organizer comes along.
"I'll have a seat for you in a minute, and you guys can have dinner!" she says to us. I look at the other photographer. We both smile all over our faces. This is the best thing that can possibly happen. Jackpot.
And the banquet manager chimes in: "Do you want some shots while you are waiting? You should do some shots!"
We both politely say thank you but no. Instead, he brings us two glasses of white wine filled all the way to the top. There is half a bottle in each of our glasses.
7:52 p.m.
And then we get to eat. The chef serves the most tender cut of beef, a blood-colored, thick slice of premium filet mignon with mashed potato and string beans. It's so good; I have tears in my eyes while eating. And I'm not exaggerating. A perfectly prepared meal is my number one choice over almost anything. I'm so very thankful.
8:21 p.m.
Hi family Gordon!
8:31 p.m.
What a gorgeous dress and a gorgeous lady!
9:03 p.m.
Next up is the main gist of the night: The introduction of the debutantes. Each debutante walks down the aisle escorted by a young man of distinction and accompanied by a song representing her countries national anthem or a song associated with her state or city.
9:04 p.m.
She then walks up the stairs onto the stage and makes a curtsy or bows down, and this is her moment to be formally presented to the social scene — each debutante chooses her unique obeisances.
10:00 p.m.
All the girls go on the dancefloor. It's time to dance with your dads!
10:06 p.m.
Of course, these young women know how to do a traditional ballroom dance.
10:12 p.m.
Let's celebrate!
10:17 p.m.
Everybody is loosening up now.
10:23 p.m.
This is the Archduke Michael of Austria dancing with the Princess Aurelia of Liechtenstein. They look amazingly beautiful, don't you think so?
"Where is Liechtenstein?" asks one of the photographers.
"It's between Austria and Switzerland. It's tiny." I say.
Liechtenstein is the size of Brooklyn but with a population of only 38k (Brooklyn has about 2.6 million people) and a lot of medieval castles. It's the sixth least populated country in the world; even Monaco has more inhabitants.
10:41 p.m.
Axelle is the best dancer tonight!
11:09 p.m.
Ella found some handsome escorts!
11:13 p.m.
So romantic!
1:00 a.m.
Yes, the party is still going strong. But I need a break. I sit down in the back and kick away my high heels. Uh oh, my feet are going to be destroyed tomorrow morning. Let's have a drink.
1:30 a.m.
"Do you want to dance? I've seen you working all night, I think you should have some fun!" a man approaches me and asks me for a dance. It's another ballroom dance, and I really don't know what I'm doing but trick myself into thinking I'm good enough to fake it. He spins me around the dance floor, and I suddenly feel like Cinderella!
Daniela Kirsch is an entertainment photographer and founder of NameFace— an event photo agency based in New York City. Through her creative expertise and unique visual style, Kirsch not only knows more than a thing or two about photographing A-list events, but is forever changing the way we interact with the entertainment industry. In June 2018, Kirsch teamed up with Patch to launch the photo series Daniela's Lens, offering weekly features from local events to red carpet magic.
Check out more coverage from Daniela's Lens here:
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