近距離接觸"巴黎名門"少女成年舞會
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.
拉開巴黎流光溢彩的節日慶典及派對活動帷幕的大戲，莫過於影響力最大、也是最不尋常的名門少女成年舞會(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年的這屆少女成年舞會並沒有按常理進行。主辦方共邀請了20位來自世界各地的千金佳麗，她們身穿各大品牌的定製時尚女裙、乘坐黑色豪車抵達協和廣場(Place de la Concorde)，其親友團也如法炮製，都是衣冠楚楚（男士系黑色領帶，女士穿長禮服）地來到舞會現場。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.
今年的舞會在緊挨克利翁酒店(Hotel de Crillon)的法國汽車俱樂部(Auto-mobile Club de France)總會舉行，而克利翁酒店是舞會的傳統舉辦地。
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、亞洲某產業鉅子的幾位千金以及美國喜劇明星拉里•大衛(Larry David)的小女兒羅米•大衛(Romy David)等，所有的千金小姐均由舞會主辦者奧菲莉•雷努阿(Ophélie Renouard)精挑細選，她們都那麼光彩照人，男士也屬邀請之列。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.
不應錯過的大腕嘉賓包括《名利場》雜誌(Vanity Fair)攝影師喬納森•貝克爾(Jonathan Becker)，他身穿雙排扣大翻領定製西服，腳穿花押字天鵝絨面的便鞋，手裏夾着雪茄，得意之情溢於言表：他的寶貝兒子塞巴斯蒂安(Sebastian)榮幸成爲朱麗安娜•坎菲爾德(Juliana Canfield)的男伴。朱麗安娜身穿奧斯卡•德拉倫塔(Oscar de la Renta)高級定製女裙。“這是本人專在香港定做的，”他指的是自己穿的晚禮服，當天舞會的絕大多數受邀男賓如出一轍，只有一位嘉賓例外，他身穿亞歷山大•麥奎(Alexander McQueen)無尾禮服、打着慵懶風格的黑色豔麗領結，酷似奧斯卡•王爾德(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.”
當記者請鐘錶技師豪特維拉(Edouard d’Hauteville)評價自己所穿的定製晚禮服時，他這樣說道：“您說的是這件禮服嗎？它是多年前由一位名不見經傳的法國裁縫師製作的。”他的禮服十分得體妥帖，與身穿深藍色薇薇恩•韋斯特伍德(Vivienne Westwood)露肩裙的19歲女兒Zita站在一起，效果天衣無縫。“起初選中的是迪奧(Dior)，但不湊巧斷貨了，”豪特維拉說。“這種事得下手快才行。”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.
迪奧的那款裙子最後穿在了18歲的凱拉•肯尼迪(Kyra Kennedy)身上，凱拉由父親小羅伯特•肯尼迪(Robert Kennedy Jr)及父親女友、女明星切瑞•海恩斯(Cheryl Hines)陪同參加舞會。小羅伯特•肯尼迪渾身上下阿瑪尼(Armani)行頭，海恩斯則身穿金黃色杜嘉班納(Dolce & Gabbana)定製拖地女裙，手拿智能手機，當自己的電視劇搭檔主演拉里•大衛與他女兒翩翩起舞時，隨時準備爲他們攝影留念。初次亮相舞會的弗朗西斯卡(Francesca Packer Barham)的母親格雷特爾•帕克(Gretel Packer)則身穿澳洲設計師簡•希爾(Jane Hill)設計的黑色豔麗女裙，站在一旁駐足觀望。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.
舞會臨近結束時，身穿迪奧女裙的凱拉•肯尼迪脫去自己的高跟鞋，然後緩緩地躺到紅地毯上，動作優雅之極。拉夫•西蒙斯(Raf Simons)冰藍色長裙的捲曲褶皺如朵朵浮雲散落在她身旁四周。然後，全屋的女士就如一羣熱衷交際的灰姑娘(Cinderella)，開始小心翼翼地脫去自己的高跟鞋，奔放熱情一發而不可收。
