February 2015 L I F E . E X T R a O R D I N a R Y Tengku
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LIFE. EXTRAORDINARY February 2015 DaviD beckham on life after football and coping with fame Love Royale Tengku DaTin PaDuka SeTia ZaTaShah and DaTo’ SeTia FEBRUARY 2015 RM15 aubry rahim menneSSon plus two other couples, www.malaysiatatler.com on love without borders PP6732/06/2013(032251) 164654-MT0215_Cover options_19-1.indd 3 1/19/15 4:02 PM QUEENS FOR A NIGHT From left, back row: It’s a romantic night of youthful Princess Lavinia exuberance and haute couture in the Boncompagni Ludovisi; Anna City of Light. Melissa Twigg goes Cleveland van to Paris for an insider’s view of one Ravenstein; Naomi Schroeder; of the world’s most glamorous events, Alexandra Louey; the annual Bal des Débutantes Elly Lam; Isabel Beatty; Ella Photography CRAZY ROUGE Mountbatten; and Emily Madrigal. Front row: Margot Massenet and Princess Larissa tepping ut Windisch-Graetz 2 hong kong tatler . march 2014 hong kong tatler . march 2014 3 The clock strikes midnight and the Eiffel Tower’s light show begins, ingredients for IN THEIR PRIME Clockwise from bottom left: Naomi Schroeder; Elly Lam and Alexandra Louey; Ginevra illuminating the interior of the Palais de success,” says Fontes Williams and Victor Belmondo; Isabel Beatty, Viola Jacobsen Mikkelsen and Ella Mountbatten; Chaillot. A waltz starts to play and Prince Renouard. “The Tommaso Crimi, Lodovico Gritti, Sixte de l’Espée, Emilion de Roquefeuil and Octave le Gouvello Charles-Emmanuel de Bourbon-Parme, a girls are beautiful direct descendant of Louis XIV, steps forward and look and feel to take the hand of his daughter, Princess like princesses for a referred to as the Crillon Ball), but it was Emily Madrigal, daughter of Vincent and Ann Elisabeth, to open the dancing for the night. night. And Paris is, recently acquired by Rosewood Hotels & Madrigal. “I am having so much fun,” says Welcome to Le Bal des Débutantes, the most well, Paris. Modern Resorts and is being renovated ahead of a Lam. “I love doing photo shoots and I really prestigious and Parisian of events, an evening life is not so filled grand reopening later this year. In the interim, feel like this is my moment to shine.” Louey where actual royalty flirts with Hollywood with glamour but at the Bal, glamour and the Bal is being held at the Palais de Chaillot agrees, saying, “I imagine this is what getting royalty, where new money and old money rub romance are everything. I think that is why in Trocadéro, and the debutantes stay at plush married feels like, getting to look beautiful shoulders and where everyone is the proud everybody loves it so much—it gives them an Hôtel Raphael near the Arc de Triomphe. and be the centre of attention all weekend.” owner of a famous surname, a listed company experience they cannot find elsewhere.” It’s in this old-world Parisian building Lam, inspired by her sister’s wedding dress or an ancient palace—or all three. Like the heroines of the Disney fantasies where the young women, daughters of choice, is wearing Dior Haute Couture, Louey Inspired by British debutante balls of the they grew up watching, these 24 well-born aristocrats, film stars, politicians and is resplendent in a purple Georges Chakra past, where young women from aristocratic young women are transformed from typical billionaires, meet for the first time. Walking gown, and Madrigal wears a full-skirted pink families were presented to the queen at teenagers into glossy, couture-clad goddesses into one of their richly decorated sitting dress by J Mendel. “It was so exciting getting Buckingham Palace, the Bal, as it’s commonly for one night. The elaborate process begins rooms, I pick my way over a sea of discarded to talk to J Mendel and work out exactly what known, is in fact a modern concept and the the day before the Bal, on a cold Friday at Louboutin shoes and am hit by a wall of suited me,” says Madrigal. “This dress is like brainchild of Ophélie Renouard, an extremely the end of November. “Even though most of sound. Teenage laughter mixes with mobile something out of a fairy tale.” determined French PR with a deft touch for them come from privileged backgrounds, the phone ring tones, the whine of hairdryers and But for many of these young women, networking and a not-so-little black book. Bal is usually their couture and media debut,” excited chatter in a medley of languages. interacting with celebrated designers is Renouard has masterminded the Bal since says Renouard. “They wear gowns and haute There are three Asian debs this year: from no rarity. Princess Larissa of Windisch- 1992 when she was given a one-year contract jewellery [by Bucherer] for the first time and Hong Kong, Elly Lam, the daughter of Peter Graetz lives in an ancient palace off the to organise events for the Hôtel de Crillon it is a special moment for them.” Lam and Lynn Hsieh, and Alexandra Louey, Piazza Navona in Rome with her parents, and hit on an idea that would capture the The Hôtel de Crillon has always been the daughter of William Louey and Marie- Archduchess Sophie of Austria and Prince world’s imagination. “Well, it has all the right venue for the event (in English it is usually Christine Lee; and from the Philippines, Mariano Hugo of Windisch-Graetz, and looks FANCY FOOTWORK Margot Massenet in the Christian Louboutin room life’s a bALL Clockwise from top left: Inside the Palais de Chaillot; “When a deb wants us to find her a the debutantes and their dates before their Princess Alexia von Auersperg-Breunner and her father, Prince Karl cavalier, we look at the ages, the language moment in the spotlight. von Auersperg-Breunner; Tommaso Crimi and Princess Larissa of they speak, their heights and possibly “I’m a bit nervous, but mainly really Windisch-Graetz; Rose Fisher and Count Pierrot du Saillant their backgrounds and usually it works,” excited. And luckily my cavalier is super says Renouard. “We certainly do not plan nice,” says Lam, who has been paired with romance, but the beauty of it is that it Viscount Emilion de Roquefeuil. “I met Elly Lam, like a princess from a storybook, with long for Chanel when I was 13. He picked this often happens unexpectedly. One German him at the waltz rehearsal. It was definitely Alexandra blonde curls, huge blue eyes and perfect vintage Chanel dress for me.” debutante married her awkward to meet Louey milky-white skin. “Oh, Valentino helped me Sophie Coleridge, the daughter of Condé cavalier and they now someone and then have and Emily pick out my dress,” she says casually. “He is an Nast president Nicholas Coleridge, had a have a young daughter “I imagine this is what to hold their hand for Madrigal old friend of my mother’s and when he heard Kate Middleton moment when she picked who I will certainly two hours, but he was pose with a I was coming to the ball, he chose a gown for out her Alexander McQueen dress. “I met invite to the ball as getting married feels like, super charming and car made by me from the latest collection.“ Sarah Burton [creative director of Alexander soon as she turns 16. kept saying ‘look into Renault, an getting to look beautiful official sponsor Anna Cleveland van Ravenstein, the McQueen] and we chatted about how she had It really is a very my eyes’ because I was of the Bal daughter of model Pat Cleveland and to sneak into the palace for wedding dress romantic night.” and be the centre of a bit shy. Everyone has photographer Paul van Ravenstein, is also fittings in the run-up to the royal wedding,” As I arrive at the been swooning over him remarkably relaxed about her relationship she says. “Thankfully my dress wasn’t so top Palais de Chaillot the attention all weekend” and saying how much with one of fashion’s giants. “I’ve just moved secret, but I am thrilled with it—I’m not following evening, I he looks like Chuck Bass to Paris to live with my boyfriend, and Uncle really a princess gown kind of girl.” can see why the Bal is from Gossip Girl.” Karl thought it would be a good idea for Friday is also the day when most of the a breeding ground for young love. The dining Isabel Beatty, the willowy, dark-haired me to come to the ball to make my name debutantes meet their dashing young cavaliers room and dancefloor are dominated by the daughter of Warren Beatty and Annette in French society,” she says. “Uncle Karl… for the first time. They are allowed to invite view of the Eiffel Tower just outside the bay Bening, is also rather taken by her cavalier, Lagerfeld?” I venture. “Who else?” she replies friends, boyfriends and brothers to act as their windows, and huge vases of white roses scent Brandolino Gritti. “We’ve only just met but with a bemused expression. “Uncle Karl has cavaliers but more often than not they ask the room. As princes and princesses, dukes he’s lovely and we’re good friends already,” been so good to me. I’ve known him since I Renouard to pick a date for them—usually and duchesses, film stars and CEOs mingle in she says. “He’s Italian and it’s so nice to get to was two months old and I started modelling princes or barons from old European families. the cavernous hallway, I slip downstairs to see know someone a bit different.