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The International Debutante Ball to benefit The Soldiers,
Sailors, Coast Guards’, Marines’ and Airmen’s Clubs as well as
other International Debutante Foundation charities was held at
the Waldorf Astoria on the 29th of December.
One of the Vanderbilts started it all by noting that in the
Jet Set Age, it’s a small world. Reminiscing about her own
debut, Consuelo Vanderbilt, future wife of the Duke of
Marlborough, recalled it took two weeks for her to get to
England for her debut, then another seven or eight days of
exhausting travel to Paris for another ball in her honor.
“Girls don’t realize what a wonderful opportunity they have
today to fly around the globe to attend each other’s parties.”
That remark sparked Beatrice Dinsmore Joyce, a New York
socialite with a dramatic flair for parties and pageantry, to
cr eate the first International Debutante Ball.
The International Debutante Ball provides a social context
where young women and men from all over the world meet one
another, have a wonderfuland romantic time, and form lasting
friendships. Over the past three decades, heiresses to ancient
European titles, daughters of Diplomats, Ambassadors,
Governors, Presidents and distinguished Americans from all
over the country have been brought together by the Ball and
the various parties associated with it.
Altogether some two thousand young women representing
seventy-two countries and forty-four states have ben presented
at the Ball over the past four decades. And how do young women
today look at the tradition of being a debutante? :They want
to take advantage of every oppor tunity that comes their way,”
says Margaret Stewart Hedberg, who inherited ownership of the
Ball after her aunt, Beatrice Joyce died in 1983. “Young
well-educated women of today want to experience all life has
to offer, from career, to family, to the opportunity of
meeting wonderful young people from all over the world. For
more information please call 212 861 5911. |