www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/nyregion/31debs.html
com Glamour Still Rules, but With Fewer Debutantes Batrice de Ga for The New York Times Alexandra Chunn waited her turn to be introduced. Forty-seven women debuted at the ball on Monday night, 11 fewer than in 2006.
LISA W FODERARO Published: December 30, 2008 You had to look hard amid the four-foot floral sculptures and the Vera Wang originals to see signs of the economy's collapse at the International Debutante Ball at the Waldorf-Astoria on Monday night.
More Photos There was the daughter of the Duchesse de Magenta, Plagie de Mac Mahon, a willowy 18-year-old with chestnut hair who is a great-great-granddaughter of a 19th-century French president. And there were the two sisters from Hong Kong, daughters of a heart surgeon and a jewelry designer, who stayed not two nights but two weeks at the Waldorf, passing the days on the lookout for designer dresses.
Lester Lanin Orchestra, a fixture at the ball almost since its inception in 1954. And shortly before midnight, the young debutantes, each flanked by a civilian and military escort, ascended the stage for a deep curtsy. But the experienced hands, including mothers like the duchesse who made their own debuts in society in this very ballroom, could see the subtle difference in the layout of the hall. And there were fewer debutantes, 47 this year rather than the 58 at the last biennial ball in 2006, and far fewer guests -- 662 instead of 976. The director of the ball, Margaret Hedberg, brushed off the $14,000 cost of a table -- "Watches cost more," she said -- although she acknowledged that perhaps the deepening recession accounted for the smaller crowd. "People are not going overboard," said Mrs Hedberg, who came out in 1963 and is the niece of the ball's founder, Beatrice Dinsmore Joyce. "They're not taking three or four tables and inviting everybody's friends' friends. Some parents recognized the disconnect between the opulence inside the hotel's gilded doors and the mood beyond them;
Marines', Coast Guard and Airmen's Club , a hotel in Manhattan for military members and their families. "Everybody said you shouldn't do it because of the economy," Mrs Armstrong Himelrick said. But I felt it was important for my daughter, and things might get worse. Steeped in tradition, the ball is one of the most exclusive debutante galas in New York and around the country, and this year it included young women from 11 states and from England, France, Germany, Greece and Hong Kong. The biggest contingent was from Texas, 11 women who had perfected their signature curtsy, the "Texas dip," which drew gusts of applause from the crowd.
The ball, which began at 7 pm and stretched past 2 am on Tuesday, was by no means the only chance for the women to meet and greet one another or the many young men orbiting them. On Sunday, there was a mother-daughter brunch at a catering spot off Fifth Avenue.
And a final reception at the University Club on Tuesday allowed the debutantes to "get all together and exchange e-mails," Mrs Hedberg said. "And then there are a lot of things going on that I don't know about." These days, the gala seems less about unveiling marriageable young women than it once did, and more about having a swell party for a rarefied segment of society.
Tufts of Forest Hills, Queens, whose daughter, Abigail, a freshman at Dickinson College, was among the guests of honor. Ms Tufts, a consultant for nonprofit organizations, said she took pleasure in watching her daughter, a volleyball player and rower, dance in a dress from Bergdorf Goodman with delicate white bows on the skirt. "I'm used to seeing her in sweats and spandex," Ms Tufts said. Ms Tufts noted that the event raised money for charity, adding, "The planning was done a year ago, so you don't renege on your support." Mrs Hedberg was keenly aware that the ball might seem out of step with the times, but she too pointed out that most of the women learned that they were chosen as debutantes long before the financial crisis hit. "They made their plans and sent their checks," she said. "And I really can't cancel it in September or October because I signed so many contracts in February with the orchestra and florist and hotel. And if all those little edible gold leaves adorning the chocolate boxes that contained plump raspberries for dessert seemed a little excessive, Mrs Hedberg found a sunny side in the spillover effects. "There are a lot of people who make those dresses and are happy that these gals bought them," she said. "There are a lot of waiters working tonight, so it's doing something for the economy. Looking back on past recessions, she said, "We got through '87 and '93, and life does have a way of going on. "I don't mean it in a flippant way, but romance and having fun and looking pretty -- I hope that doesn't go away."
|
http://csua.com/feed/