The London Season: Dubai 2012

I am both extremely excited and delighted to announce the London Season's upcoming visit to Dubai! Chairman Mrs David Hallam-Peel and Vice Chairman Mrs Jonathan Woodall have been extremely busy in recent months working in partnership with Louis Fourteen, British Polo Day and Caprice Holdings. Together they have created a luxurious four day visit which is set to be truly spectacular and the most wonderful time for both guests and debutantes.

On the day of arrival the guests will be whisked up 180 floors to the top of the striking Burj Khalifa, familiar to many from a thrilling ascent scene by Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible, for a magnificent reception accompanied by the sunset. A three course dinner will follow overlooking the world's largest fountains on the terrace of Caprice Holdings' Rivington Grill. 

This will be followed by a wonderful day at the kind invitation of Old Etonian Tom Hudson, MD of British Polo Day, to view what is sure to be a riveting game of polo between the Habtoors and the Old Etonians. 

Most excitingly the visit to Dubai will see the first Kind Hearts and Coronets Ball at the stunning Palace Hotel in support of the wonderful charity The Smile Train. Guests will be dancing to the marvelous sound of the incredible Jive Aces.

The November visit to Dubai is set to be a truly dazzling experience and will surely be a time for the debutantes to treasure forever.

 Photograph of Vice Chairman Mrs Jonathan Woodall and Chairman Mrs David Hallam-Peel at the Queen Charlotte's Ball 2010 kindly provided by Mike Daines at Photocall Events.

A Closer Look: John Boyd Hats at the Berkeley Dress Show 2012

At the Berkeley Dress Show 2012 we were privileged to work with marvellous Royal milliner John Boyd, with the debs modelling his fabulous pre-Ascot hats at the House of Lords. I was so excited and curious about my own hat for the evening and for all of us it was a treat to wear such exquisite millinery confections! Mr Boyd and his team were incredibly lovely and he also has a fantastic eye for matching a hat to a girl, taking in their face shape and personality.

All the hats have an intrinsic timeless elegance to them.They are striking in design and also very fun, making them an utter delight to wear. Thank you so much to John Boyd and his team for letting us model such magnificent creations.

Backstage at the Berkeley Dress Show 2012

For the Berkeley Dress Show 2012 we were most kindly invited by permission of Lord Brabazon of Tara to the House of Lords. The venue was absolutely magnificent and in the Portico rooms guests at the champagne reception took in a stunning view of the River Thames from the terrace and enjoyed the music of the wonderful Jive Aces swing band.

Earlier in the afternoon we debutantes were privileged to receive a fascinating tour round the Houses of Parliament. I learnt so much and saw such beautiful art work and furnishings. It’s amazing to think just how much history the space we walked through is steeped in, including where Winston Churchill thumped his fist so wholeheartedly his ring took chunks out of the table.
The backstage area was a hive of activity as we prepared to make our entrance. We were modelling John Boyd’s magnificent pre Ascot hats and it was absolutely wonderful to talk to the lovely milliner and his team and wear such gorgeous pieces.

The Shanghai Group Photos

I am absolutely delighted to share with you the beautiful group photos of the debutantes from the International Debutante Ball in Shanghai, the second also with the delightful beaus.
We had such an amazing time in Shanghai, it really was the most incredibly experience and one we shall never forget. The wonderful organiser Mrs Vivian Chow said  "Everyone in Shanghai was exceptionally impressed by the ladylike behaviour of the British debutantes. Their parents should be very proud of them!"
Below I have also included a clipping from the eight page feature on the ball from China's Noblesse magazine. It was such a fascinating experience taking part in a magazine shoot on this scale.

The Shanghai Hairstyles: Kim Robinson

Kim Robinson is somewhat of a hairstyling superstar. The Australian born but Hong Kong based stylist has tended the tresses of the likes of Kate Moss and the late Princess Diana of Wales, and also styled high fashion couture collections including for Chanel and Dior.
Having our hairstyles created at Shanghai's first International Debutante Ball was certainly a luxury experience. It started with photographs taken weeks beforehand and continued with appointments with Kim and his team the day before the ball. It soon transpired we were in for a special tailor-made experience, with Kim working in collaboration with each girl and taking into account her personality, face shape, dress and all important Chaumet tiara. Whilst the hairstyles were in keeping with the deep and wonderful history of the debutante ball Robinson worked to keep the styles youthful and fresh: “I want to highlight the natural glow of their youth, rather than distract from it.” he said.
The care and attention paid to my hair was absolutely amazing. Robinson and his team are perfectionists and my style was treated like a work of art, which I am inclined to think it was. So much concentration and learned technique was put into it and it was still pristine at the end of the night, when it felt like a crime to unpin it!

The Shanghai Jewellery: Chaumet

As debutantes in Shanghai we were honoured to wear the most gorgeous jewellery by Chaumet. Chaumet has a rich and illustrious background interwoven with the history of France and stretching over nine generations since 1780- which by a lovely coincidence is when King George III created the Queen Charlotte's Ball for his wife Queen Charlotte and the tradition of the debutante ball began.

The story of Chaumet's beginnings is quite wonderful. One day a runaway horse was caught by an intrepid young man, a jeweller called Marie-Etienne Nitot with a shop on the on Rue Saint-Honore. Astride that horse was none other than the French Consul of the time, Napoleon Bonaparte, later to become Emperor. Napolean remembered the young man's kindness and bravery and later anointed Nitot as his official jeweller.  

It is a really special treat to have the delight of wearing such fabulous jewellery, and not only that but a stunning tiara too, which I think we were all exceedingly excited about!

Chaumet also played a vital role in the proceedings of the procession, with the most magnificent tiaras for the crowning of the debutantes of the year. Jen Hau was honoured with the title of Chaumet Debutante of the Year whilst Larissa Scotting was crowned International Debutante of the Year.

The shining Chaumet jewels were a joy to wear and their presence was a very special highlight from our splendid time in Shanghai.

On China Daily Online you can find a piece here interviewing Chaumet's Managing Director for Asia Pacific Charles Leung and featuring the beautiful Lune de Miel series inspired by the love story of a spider and a bee, which I was privileged to wear.

The Shanghai Dresses: Tina Fu of Tina Couture

Here's a look at the stunning white dresses the debutantes wore at Shanghai's first International Debutante Ball. It was such a treat to wear something so beautiful made by Tina Fu of Tina Couture, who is a fabulous designer from Hong Kong but now Shanghai based. The dresses were especially made to the measurements of each girl and thoughtfully designed to suit their figure and style. I know I was especially happy with mine! The exquisite cut of the fabric was perfect and all the dresses featured amazing detail and craftsmanship. The dresses were a dream to wear and I was sad to bid farewell to mine! Our whole experience in Shanghai was wonderful, but to get to wear something so magnificent really made it extra special.

An Evening at Wartski

I was absolutely delighted to attend the Christmas Drinks Party for debutantes, which was kindly hosted by Wartski. How could I resist such an opportunity to have a lovely evening surrounded by their extensive collection of fabulous fine jewels and Fabergé?
Wartski is located at14 Grafton Street, which sits just of Bond Street in London. The family-owned firm's roots actually lie far away in Bangor, North Wales where it was founded in 1865 by Morris Wartski. Llandudno, a favourite spot of my own family, was then in fashion as a spa seaside resort and Wartski had established itself there by 1907, serving a colourful clientèle including the Marquis of Anglesey.
A shop in London swiftly followed and Morris Wartski's son-in-law Emanuel Snowman was the first to purchase pieces confiscated by the Soviet Union in the revolution of 1917. In turn his son, A. Kenneth Snowman, added to the Wartski legacy and his specialist book The Art of Carl Fabergé was the first to be written upon the subject. When he passed in 2002 his son Nicholas Snowman took on the role of Chairman which he keeps to this day. So as you can see this is a company steeped in a deep and fascinating history.
We were delighted to be welcomed with a talk from the firm's Managing Director Geoffrey Munn, who many will recognise as one of the learned experts on the Antiques Roadshow. He talked us through his book Tiaras - A History of Splendour with particular reference to the styles worn by debutantes of the past. When they were presented at court it used to be tradition for debutantes to wear an ostrich feather tiara, which I thought was a really lovely history.
There are so very many beautiful items in the collection. In the next photo you can see one of the girls trying on the most magnificent snake necklace. Each piece was dazzling with its own special history and many were still in their original boxes which are works of art in themselves.
I would very much like to thank Wartski, Geoffrey Munn and Kieran McCarthy for hosting our evening amongst such beautiful surroundings and for sharing their wide knowledge of fine jewellery and such a wonderful history of their company and enchanting collection with us.