Debutantes and the London Season (Shire Library)

Until the middle of the last century, the dominant feature of London's social calendar was 'the Season', and central to this was the phenomenon of the debutante. As the privileged classes descended on the capital to embark on a four-month whirlwind of key social events and smart parties, the daughters of the aristocracy and the wealthy prepared to make their 'debut' into society. From the preparations and rituals involved in court presentation to the exhausting round of parties, this book will look at the details of what it meant to be a debutante; exploring a lost world that incongruously blended glamour and privilege with archaic tradition.