The starting gun on the glittering calendar of festive galas and parties in Paris is arguably the biggest and most curious of them all: Le Bal des Débutantes.
拉开巴黎流光溢彩的节日庆典及派对活动帷幕的大戏，莫过于影响力最大、也是最不寻常的名门少女成年舞会(Le Bal des débutantes)。
An event whose raison d’être eludes logic in 2013, the ball involves 20 girls from all over the world arriving at Place de la Concorde in black cars, each wearing a dress fitted by a different couture house. Following suit, parents and relatives will step on to the red carpet in requisite black tie or long evening gowns.
2013年的这届少女成年舞会并没有按常理进行。主办方共邀请了20位来自世界各地的千金佳丽，她们身穿各大品牌的定制时尚女裙、乘坐黑色豪车抵达协和广场(Place de la Concorde)，其亲友团也如法炮制，都是衣冠楚楚（男士系黑色领带，女士穿长礼服）地来到舞会现场。
This year’s ball took place last weekend at the Auto-mobile Club de France, next to the Hôtel de Crillon, the ball’s traditional home, which is being refurbished.
今年的舞会在紧挨克利翁酒店(Hotel de Crillon)的法国汽车俱乐部(Auto-mobile Club de France)总会举行，而克利翁酒店是舞会的传统举办地。
Among the guests were a Kennedy, a Windsor, an Essex cabby’s daughter (possessing an IQ of 161), an Italian princess, daughters of Asian industry titans, and Romy David, youngest daughter of American comedian Larry David – all handpicked by organiser Ophélie Renouard, and all resplendent. Men included.
受邀的千金小姐中，包括肯尼迪家族、英王室(Windsor)、意大利公主、亚洲某产业巨子的几位千金以及美国喜剧明星拉里•大卫(Larry David)的小女儿罗米•大卫(Romy David)等，所有的千金小姐均由舞会主办者奥菲莉•雷努阿(Ophélie Renouard)精挑细选，她们都那么光彩照人，男士也属邀请之列。
Unmissable was Vanity Fair photographer Jonathan Becker, in a bespoke, wide-lapel, double-breasted suit with monogrammed, velvet slippers, celebratory cigar in hand: his son Sebastian was escorting Juliana Canfield, who was presented in couture by Oscar de la Renta. “This was specially made for me in Hong Kong,” said Becker of his tux, an answer echoed by most of the men at the ball – except for one guest, who was sporting a dinner jacket and flamboyant, floppy, black necktie reminiscent of Oscar Wilde, by Alexander McQueen.
不应错过的大腕嘉宾包括《名利场》杂志(Vanity Fair)摄影师乔纳森•贝克尔(Jonathan Becker)，他身穿双排扣大翻领定制西服，脚穿花押字天鹅绒面的便鞋，手里夹着雪茄，得意之情溢于言表：他的宝贝儿子塞巴斯蒂安(Sebastian)荣幸成为朱丽安娜•坎菲尔德(Juliana Canfield)的男伴。朱丽安娜身穿奥斯卡•德拉伦塔(Oscar de la Renta)高级定制女裙。“这是本人专在香港定做的，”他指的是自己穿的晚礼服，当天舞会的绝大多数受邀男宾如出一辙，只有一位嘉宾例外，他身穿亚历山大•麦奎(Alexander McQueen)无尾礼服、打着慵懒风格的黑色艳丽领结，酷似奥斯卡•王尔德(Oscar Wilde)。
When the watchmaker Edouard d’Hauteville was asked about his perfectly cut tuxedo, he said: “This? This is just by a small French tailor from many years ago.” It worked well, matched with the navy off-the-shoulder Vivienne Westwood gown worn by his 19-year-old daughter Zita. “At first we wanted Dior but it had gone,” d’Hauteville said. “You have to be quick.”
当记者请钟表技师豪特维拉(Edouard d’Hauteville)评价自己所穿的定制晚礼服时，他这样说道：“您说的是这件礼服吗？它是多年前由一位名不见经传的法国裁缝师制作的。”他的礼服十分得体妥帖，与身穿深蓝色薇薇恩•韦斯特伍德(Vivienne Westwood)露肩裙的19岁女儿Zita站在一起，效果天衣无缝。“起初选中的是迪奥(Dior)，但不凑巧断货了，”豪特维拉说。“这种事得下手快才行。”
The Dior, it turned out, had gone to 18-year-old Kyra Kennedy, who came with her father, Robert Kennedy Jr (in Armani) and actress Cheryl Hines, whose golden, fitted Dolce & Gabbana dress would only allow her to shuffle on the edge of the dance-floor, smartphone in hand, poised to capture her television co-star Larry David waltzing with his daughter. Gretel Packer, mother of deb Francesca Packer Barham, looked on in a voluptuous dark dress by Australian designer Jane Hill.
迪奥的那款裙子最后穿在了18岁的凯拉•肯尼迪(Kyra Kennedy)身上，凯拉由父亲小罗伯特•肯尼迪(Robert Kennedy Jr)及父亲女友、女明星切瑞•海恩斯(Cheryl Hines)陪同参加舞会。小罗伯特•肯尼迪浑身上下阿玛尼(Armani)行头，海恩斯则身穿金黄色杜嘉班纳(Dolce & Gabbana)定制拖地女裙，手拿智能手机，当自己的电视剧搭档主演拉里•大卫与他女儿翩翩起舞时，随时准备为他们摄影留念。初次亮相舞会的弗朗西斯卡(Francesca Packer Barham)的母亲格雷特尔•帕克(Gretel Packer)则身穿澳洲设计师简•希尔(Jane Hill)设计的黑色艳丽女裙，站在一旁驻足观望。
Towards the end of the evening, the Dior-clad Kyra Kennedy kicked off her heels and sank gracefully on to the carpeted floor, the crispy folds of her ice-blue gown, designed by Raf Simons, splayed in a voluminous cloud around her. Then, like a flock of social Cinderellas, women all over the room began to discreetly slip off their towering footwear. No one could curb their enthusiasm.
舞会临近结束时，身穿迪奥女裙的凯拉•肯尼迪脱去自己的高跟鞋，然后缓缓地躺到红地毯上，动作优雅之极。拉夫•西蒙斯(Raf Simons)冰蓝色长裙的卷曲褶皱如朵朵浮云散落在她身旁四周。然后，全屋的女士就如一群热衷交际的灰姑娘(Cinderella)，开始小心翼翼地脱去自己的高跟鞋，奔放热情一发而不可收。