Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance officially have a debutante on their hands.
On Saturday, Nov. 29, their 19-year-old daughter, Bronwyn Vance, was among just 20 young women selected for this year’s ultra-exclusive Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris, per Vogue.
The Harvard sophomore made her entrance in an opulent ivory tulle Stéphane Rolland ballgown embellished with gold floral appliqué. Her twin brother, Slater, served as her “cavalier” or escort for the evening, while Vance proudly joined her for the signature father-daughter dance. Bassett was also in attendance.
Le Bal — equal parts society tradition, couture showcase, and charitable gala — gathers daughters of global notables for a weekend of haute couture fittings, rehearsals, and events culminating in the formal presentation. This year’s festivities began as families arrived in Paris during Thanksgiving week for dance practice, couture walk-throughs, and private appointments to select rare jewels from V Muse to wear on the big night.
Among Bronwyn’s fellow debutantes were Carolina Lansing, the granddaughter of fashion icon Carolina Herrera; Jillian Chan, whose parents are filmmaker Peter Chan and actress Sandra Ng; Ella Wadia, descended from Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah; Sarah Bae, daughter of novelist Janice Lee and billionaire investor Joseph Bae; as well as Princess Eulalia Orléans Bourbon and Princess Isabelle d’Orléans. The young women stepped out in couture from houses like Schiaparelli, Elie Saab, and Oscar de la Renta, and all but one — who was permitted to wear her family’s heirlooms, including a tiara — wore jewels from V Muse.
Bronwyn joins a long line of celebrity scions who’ve graced the Parisian ball over the years — a list that includes Sophie Kodjoe, who debuted at last year’s ball, Lori Harvey’s headline-making 2017 debut, along with “Emily in Paris’” own Lily Collins, Margaret Qualley, Apple Martin, Ava Philippe, and Scout Willis.
