BELLE OF THE BALL

Carolina Lansing, granddaughter of the fashion designer Carolina Herrera, prepares to make a dazzling debut in Paris

- NAGIDMY MÁRQUEZ ACOSTA

Carolina with her grandmother, Carolina Herrera, and Wes Gordon, the fashion house's creative director, at the label's boutique in New York

Since the Fifties, youthful elegance in Parisian high society has reached an annual pinnacle at one event in the French social calendar: Le Bal.

Le Bal des Débutantes, to give the occasion its full name, is renowned for gathering bright young things from around the world to dazzle in haute couture.

One of the most anticipated guests at this year's ball, on 29 November, is Carolina Lansing, granddaughter of the Venezuelan-born fashion maven Carolina Herrera, whose designs have been worn by Jacqueline Onassis, Michelle Obama and Melania Trump.

The younger Carolina, 21, who is studying communications at university in America, will join a roster of debutantes to have come out at Le Bal that includes Lady Amelia Windsor and Lady Kitty Spencer.

Also attending this year will be Lady Araminta Spencer-Churchill, daughter of the 12th Duke of Marlborough, Bronwyn Vance, daughter of the actress Angela Bassett, and Jillian Chan, daughter of the actress Sandra Ng.

Carolina will wear a black-and-white polka-dot strapless dress designed for her by Wes Gordon, who took over as creative director of Carolina Herrera in 2018, when the founder of the fashion house stepped aside.

Like all debutantes, she will be accompanied by a "cavalier", or male companion - in this case, her younger brother Magnus.

"Our dance lessons are a bit chaotic, but so fun, and we can't wait to experience this together," she tells HELLO! in a joint interview with her grandmother and her mother, Patricia Carolina Herrera Lansing.

CAROLINA HERRERA