Le Bal des Débutantes might sound old-world, but the annual Paris gala has become one of the most fascinating fashion moments on the calendar.
Where else do you find couture houses dressing Gen Z, photographers circling the ballroom, and jewelry maisons sending out their best diamond tiaras for the night?
This year, those tiaras stole the show. Natural diamonds, historic silhouettes, and a renewed appetite for unapologetic glamour made them one of the most talked-about parts of the evening.
How a mid-century Paris ball became a cultural marker
Le Bal des Débutantes began in the 1950s as a formal coming-out event for young women in European society. By the late twentieth century, the tradition had largely faded1. Its return (and its relevance today) is the work of one person: Ophélie Renouard, a French public relations visionary known for connecting luxury brands, philanthropy, and the cultural elite2.
Renouard revived the ball in the 1990s, reframing it for a new era. Instead of a strictly aristocratic guest list, she curated a mix of daughters from philanthropic, artistic, scientific and global business backgrounds. The event became less about lineage and more about influence, cultural reach and purpose. That shift reshaped the ball into what it is now: a modern intersection of couture, craft, charity and international visibility3.
Her version of Le Bal also established the creative partnerships that define it today. Couture houses design custom gowns. Jewelry maisons loan tiaras and high jewelry rarely seen outside archives. Families gather in Paris for a weekend of fittings, rehearsals, and a final presentation that feels part fashion moment and part cultural snapshot.
The gowns evolve each year, but the diamonds, especially the tiaras, have become the ball’s unmistakable signature.
Why tiaras are trending again
Tiaras have been edging back into the fashion conversation for a while. They are no longer viewed as relics of aristocratic dressing. Instead, they’ve become part of a broader return to expressive luxury, period-drama aesthetics and an appreciation of craftsmanship. There are a few key factors driving the trend:
A shift back to red-carpet glamour
After several seasons defined by minimalism, the red carpet has moved toward statement jewelry again. The 2025 British Fashion Awards is a perfect example. Stars chose sculptural chokers, oversized clusters and high-jewelry moments that feel regal. Tiaras fit naturally into this return to maximalist glamour.
Period dramas reshaping taste
Shows like Bridgerton, The Buccaneers and The Crown have inspired an appetite for historical silhouettes. Their portrayal of tiaras has made them feel aspirational rather than old-fashioned. Younger audiences now associate them with romance, craftsmanship and character-driven storytelling.
Gen Z’s love of archival luxury
Gen Z is fueling the rise of archival fashion and heritage design. “[They] are very much about rediscovering materiality, rediscovering decades of the previous millennium. They’re very nostalgic about things and are eager to see something from the archives,” explained Thomaï Serdari, director of the Luxury & Retail MBA program at New York University, in an interview4.
Younger generations gravitate toward pieces with provenance, technique and emotional resonance. A tiara, especially one crafted with natural diamonds, hits all three notes.
Natural diamonds at the center
The resurgence of tiaras is also tied to the enduring appeal of natural diamonds. Their unmatched light performance and depth give tiaras the dimension and brilliance that make them unforgettable.
Our favorite diamond looks at Le Bal des Débutantes 2025
H.R.H. Princess Eulalia d’Orléans Bourbon
Princess Eulalia d’Orléans Bourbon entered the ballroom in a dramatic Tony Ward couture gown5 that combined layers of blush-toned tulle with intricate embellishments. The effect was soft but striking, giving her an ethereal presence that balanced her Franco-Spanish royal lineage with modern sensibility. She was one of the night’s most photographed debutantes for a reason.
The diamond details
Eulalia wore the historic Fleur-de-Lys Tiara, created in 1912 by Viennese jeweller Moritz Hübner. Its architectural lines are set with ancient diamonds that once adorned the insignia of the Order of the Holy Spirit, gifted by King Charles X of France6. The tiara’s three large fleur-de-lys motifs can be detached and worn as brooches, and the piece has been passed down through the Bourbon family, once belonging to Princess Maria Anna of Parma.
Reagan Sacks
Reagan Sacks arrived as one of the most modern, editorial-feeling debutantes of the evening. Wearing a custom Schiaparelli Haute Couture gown7 in a soft blush tone, she leaned into the house’s sculptural codes: a clean, elongated silhouette, a precise neckline, and subtle architectural volume. As the daughter of David Sacks8 (former COO and product leader of PayPal and an angel investor in companies including Facebook, Uber, SpaceX and Airbnb), she represents a new wave of American influence at the ball.
The diamond details
Reagan wore the Petit Diamond Tiara from the renowned Austrian jeweller Köchert, a piece made circa 19019. The tiara features a swirling, foliage motif set with shimmering natural diamonds and was a wedding gift originally given by Emperor Franz Joseph to Princess Maria Anna of Parma. She complemented it with a matching diamond demi-parure necklace, also drawn from Princess Maria Anna’s collection10.
Gabrielle Janssens de Balkany
Gabrielle’s pearl-colored Luisa Beccaria gown11 stood out for its simplicity. She is the granddaughter of Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy and part of a family closely connected to the last King and Queen of Italy12, a history that gives her presence at the ball a natural sense of legacy. Even so, her approach to the night felt modern and unfussy. She let the dress lead, keeping her styling clean and letting her jewelry add the right amount of sparkle.
The diamond details
Gabrielle wore a Belle Époque sapphire and diamond tiara created by Kreuter in 191113, a sweeping, architectural piece set with natural diamonds flanking a central sapphire cluster. She paired it with the Diamond Earrings of Marie Thérèse de Savoie, Duchess of Parma, loaned by V Muse Jewellery. The earrings gained global attention when they appeared in Sotheby’s 2018 sale “Royal Jewels from the Bourbon Parma Family,” making them one of the night’s most historically rich pieces14.
The tiara’s modern moment
What made this year’s Le Bal so compelling was the way each debutante interpreted the tiara in her own language. Royal descendants leaned into history. Hollywood lineage brought modern glamour. Fashion heirs chose clean, contemporary silhouettes. And together they showed why the tiara is back in the cultural spotlight.
Sources
- www.lebal.paris/le-bal/ ↩︎
- www.arabianmoda.com/ophelie-renouard-le-bal/ ↩︎
- www.newyorksocialdiary.com/le-bal-in-paris-celebrating-youth-excellence-the-empowering-of-women-and-the-harmony-of-nations/ ↩︎
- www.forbes.com/elizabethgracecoyne/amid-designer-shakeups-brands-are-digging-through-the-archives/ ↩︎
- www.vogue.com/le-bal-des-debutantes-paris-2025/ ↩︎
- www.tatler.com/article/le-bal-des-debutantes-2025-tiaras/ ↩︎
- www.tatler.com/article/le-bal-des-debutantes-2025-tiaras/ ↩︎
- www.time.com/time100/david-sacks/ ↩︎
- www.vmusejewelry.com/Legacy/ ↩︎
- www.tatler.com/le-bal-des-debutantes-2025-tiaras/ ↩︎
- www.hellomagazine.com/best-dressed-le-bal-des-debutantes-2025/ ↩︎
- www.vanityfair.com/le-bal-debutantes-2025/ ↩︎
- www.royalwatcherblog.com/royal-jewels-at-le-bal-des-debutantes/ ↩︎
- www.royalwatcherblog.com/duchess-of-parmas-diamond-girandole-earrings/ ↩︎
