Debutantes: When Glamour was Born

When the golden age of high fashion and high society converged, and glamour was born. A debutante’s dress is anything but a minor detail, and this sumptuous volume delights in one stunning look after another: lace bodices and silver sequins by Chanel; Vionnet’s luxurious silk brocades; the signature white satin gloves and ubiquitous feathers of the ’30s; fluid frocks by Schiaparelli; the heiress-worthy designs of Claire McCardell and Valentina, especially popular with the ladies of the Whitney and Vanderbilt families; tulle and chiffon gowns by Dior and Mainbocher; sleek, one-shoulder styles by Norman Norell; and the one-of-a-kind, custom-made gowns donned by countless celebutantes, such as Jackie Kennedy and Brenda Frazier (whose custom frock earned her the cover of Life magazine). Debutantes celebrates the timeless tradition with gorgeous photography from high-society and fashion documenters such as Cecil Beaton, Toni Frissell, and Slim Aarons as well as never-before-published pictures culled from personal collections. Traversing winter cotillions at the Waldorf, summer coming-out soirees in Newport, and bourgeois banquets in Paris, Debutantes marries high fashion and society with an eternal allure to be coveted by all ages.