Celebrations: International Debutante Ball - Bad Girl Behavior

Anne here. For starters, I will give you plenty of photos, in case you haven’t seen them. Our location is the International Debutante Ball at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Monday night, Dec. 28, 2008.

The NY Times positioned the story with just a bit of faded glory, and ample socialite excuses ” … had I only known … we couldn’t get our deposit back.”

Indeed the band played on, although there were only 47 debutantes this year, versus 58 in 2006. The guest list stood at 662 instead of 976.

Some parents recognized the disconnect between the opulence inside the hotel’s gilded doors and the mood beyond them; others took comfort in the fact that the event raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity, mainly the Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club, a hotel in Manhattan for military members and their families.

Roxanna Armstrong Himelrick of Scottsdale, Ariz., who was introduced at the 1976 ball, said that when she remarried in the fall, she chose to elope rather than have a lavish celebration, in part so she could afford the ultimate coming-out party for her 18-year-old daughter, Brittany Blair Mack.

Here at Anne of Carversville, there’s no need for apologies. If I’m honest, I probably dreamed of being a debutante … perhaps when I was five or so and in my pink fluffy coat stage. Actually, I was eight. Who am I to cast the first stone!

Be Careful of Flying Debris!

“Behead the debs” knives are slicing and dicing all over New York, with reader comments about the debs drawing ruby red. Woah! I guess whirling-twirling high society girls hit a nerve here in America.

Let me state that I am not in the financial chips myself this year, and I hope that my concerns for global poverty are well established on Anne of Carversville. I am in no way a member of THAT crowd, but the commentary amazes my winesappy, rose-colored “can’t we all get along” mind.

Ah yes, anything for a good story … which is why I must try so hard to be clever on this website. I refuse to roll around in the muck, and we WILL maintain some standards of journalism on this website. (Besides, I have plans.)

For Your Reading Pleasure

Gawker: Debutantes Indulge as Nation Reels

“Who were the hugely tacky snobs at the International Debutantes Ball in New York last night? Many were from Texas. One is Arianna Huffington’s daughter!

Of the 47 debutantes at the Waldorf Astoria, celebrating their privilege against a backdrop of economic catastrophe, at least one clutch came from Texas, according to AP’s captions. But there were also plenty of girls from states less enthralled with the antebellum South, including New York (yes, Mahattan specifically), New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.”

HuffPo’s Small Fry, Christina Huffington, Announces Herself To The World: Guest of a Guest Blog.One of the debutantes was Christina Sophia Huffington, daughter of THE Arianna. HuffPo just raised some significant venture capital. Hence the comment from Gawker: At least we know one reason the Huffington Postneeds so much outside money! Ouch!

Gothamist: Debutantes Still Come Out in Withering Economy

(Note that Gothamist has an excellent assortment of photos of the party they love to hate.)

Would someone please tell the girl on the left, Patricia Poekei from Summit NJ, that she might consider walking around with a few good books on her head.

Hers is not debutante posture! I’m sorry; I’m only human. It was just a tiny, dull blade. Forgive me.

First the profesionals weigh in on Gothamist: “All of that excess. It kind of makes me gag a little,” said Rachel Weingarten, an expert on marketing and trends and the author of “Career and Corporate Cool: How to Look, Dress and Act the Part at Every Stage of Your Career.”

Elayne Rapping, a professor of American Studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo, said the persistence of debutante balls mirrors the trend of wealthy families throwing lavish bar mitzvahs and Sweet 16 parties. “The economy is so bad that it seems vulgar,” Rapping said. “I guess they live in a bubble.”

And now for the comments:

From JobBluth: Oh gag. One of those girls is actually wearing my Vera Wang wedding gown. WTF?

Note from Anne: WTF? It seems JobBluth, that you need to tell us that you’re in the Vera Wang gown league, too. Strange criticism, but then I get so confused.

Perhaps JobBluth is so overwhelmingly rich that she’s miffed that some young thing with only a $100 million trust fund had the audacity to wear HER wedding gown. I have no idea … but I have that problem with comments generally, so don’t mind me.

From Spiritof76: (quoting one of the debs) “I want to meet international friends and have contacts with people from different countries.”

You do? Then join the Peace Corps. Sheesh. These girls and their families obviously have an inflated sense of entitlement and privilege. And as for the girl on the left in the third photo, $14k and they never taught her not to slouch?

Right on, Spiritof76, re the slouching!!!

Best, Best Comment

Meiss from Greece weighed in … so very Anne of Carversville ! I read elsewhere from AP that “Each deb is paired with a civilian escort in white tails and a military cadet in a dress uniform.”

That’s not pairing. That’s a menage-a-trois. But I loved the debbie Corfiot’s raison fete for joining the knees-up. Bad Anne!!!

Reinventing History

I thought we might all enjoy my pink fluffy coat story in the coming days, but I’m thinking now that perhaps this charming childhood memory is best left to myself. Any notion of uppity behavior seems to be igniting venom these days. And we’re doing so well here at A of C … why rock the boat.

We’ll see how desperate I am for material.

Love, Anne