Each year in ballrooms from Paris to St. Louis and everywhere in between, daughters from the world’s most elite families don white dresses for the ultimate coming-out party—the debutante ball. But this is not your average fête, steeped in tradition and antiquated rituals, these girls prepare for the ball by attending etiquette classes, taking ballroom dance lessons, and spending hours learning how to curtsey like the Queen. Without a candle lighting ceremony or a DJ booth in sight, the debutante ball is the most super of all Super Sweet 16's. Thinking of making your debut? Here’s a roundup of the best balls to come out at around the world.

[Photo via NY Mag and NY Times]

After we reported on Leven Rambin's new found beau, grammy-winning producer Mark Ronson, everybody's eyes were on the two this weekend, and apparently the new union is causing some drama. The Post reports today that at the Blue & Cream party Wednesday, sister Charlotte Ronson and half-brother Alexander Dexter-Jones avoided Rambin like the plague. Whoops. Maybe not the best press for the rising socialite, but a nice promotion for the Blue & Cream store. However, we are more interested in the store's plans for beach chairs and free espresso's served by scantily clad women on the sidewalk outside, a press stunt that is more likely to get people shopping.

[New Couple Alert: Leven Rambin And Mark Ronson]
[Blue & Cream Bringing UES To The LES]

Today, we read in Page Six  that our favorite greaseball mcgee Brandon Davis paid a visit on Saturday night to Frederic Fekkai and gave the stylists there quite a challenge.  They were "so appalled by his oily grunginess they donned rubber gloves..Even the shampoo person wore gloves."  Apparently Davis was completely out of it and was sweating profusely (sounds about right). 

Then, it goes on to report that, with half shut eyes he repeatedly asked them for carrot juice even though they kept telling him they only had oj.  While carrot juice is a great antioxidant, there's only so much it can do...he needs to go get his sweating problem taken care of asap.  This is becoming inexcusable...you can't even be within 5 feet of the guy without getting DRENCHED in sweat and grease.  We bet he expected that they would treat him "special" and run out to buy him his own personal carrot juice.  Kudos for the workers at Fekkai for knowing that with hair like that, you don't even deserve the oj!  It's pretty shameful really (not the part about him being fucked up either-it WAS a Saturday night-but the hair...just disgusting!!!)

"At the tender age of 23, she tries not to let her family's great wealth and illustrious history cloud her judgement." 

We were NOT going to do a post on Lydia Hearst Shaw today.  We promised ourselves.  We just couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't do it.  She's all over the media of course, after the interview she did with The Observer titled "Lydia Unleashed".  Gawker poked their fun twice, followed by NY Mag's Daily Intel, and then we're sure a host of other bloggers out there.  But then we actually read what she said about her gang "2.0" and saw the accompanying photo (shown above) and we just couldn't help ourselves.  Click on any of the above links to read the full reports on the interview, as we are just going to highlight the "2.0-ers",(including photographer Nadav Benjamin and musician long balled Cisco Adler, who she has recently been linked to romantically), shown above with their matching "key" tattoos.....bear in mind, we are not saying one word about this, we are just reporting it to you straight from the horses mouth... leaving you to make whatever judgements you should like on your own.  And now, Lydia Hearst as quoted in The Observer:

“I would say my closest friends are probably the 2.0, It’s not about a clique, it’s just about a group of people coming together and it’s a lifestyle—it’s a bond. … So many young people are wrapped up in the party scene. The great thing about everyone in this group is, we all have real jobs, we get up in the morning. We work and that’s what brought us together…We are hardly ever apart. It’s all artists—everyone in that group is successful in their own right, whether it is music, fashion, art, photography, business. We don’t want to compare ourselves to the Factory, because you can’t have the Factory without Andy Warhol, but essentially it is like a new wave and it’s a new style of living, and we are all just riding the wave, we are all being inspirational to each other and we are helping each other out and we are always there for each other, and we are hardly ever separated for more than a day—each one of us has the same mentality, which is breaking free of the mold that is the stereotype of society and the way that we are expected to be.”

Last month, the 2.0 gang went out and all got tattoos of a skeleton key; Lydia’s is on her inner right forearm. “The symbolism behind the skeleton key is that it opens every door and it’s bonded us together,” she said.

Is this the new A Small World for NYC, or a an attempt to fill the gossip void left by the departure of socialiterank.com? Well either way, we know if there is rankings involved people are going to compete. Just for fun we searched for Tinsley Mortimer and Olivia Palermo to see where these dueling socialites rank up. Looks like Tinz has a healthy lead over her junior rival, with 167 more connections and a good deal more attention...

In any event the social method behind site seems pretty interesting. It aggregates the amount of times a person's name shows up on the web to determine their "attention %", and apparently they add people's names manually (not sure what the purpose of this is, but sounds like a ton of work!). So its basically like a pre-populated social-network, if that makes sense?

We love it when socialites try and be normal (well at least quasi normal). This picture was taken at Nick Mele's 4th of July shin dig this year. Can you spot Byrdie Bell, Amanda Hearst, and Lisa Rockefeller? We like how they are at least trying to fit in with the other prepster graduates from Georgetown, GWU, Skidmore, the New School, Trinity, Emory, and Oxford.

After all they are just like us...just with lots of money and title. One thing we never got about Amanda Hearst is how she gave up on Boston College to go to rush back to New York and finish up at NYU. She is going to spend the rest of her life going to social events in the City, why not try being a student in a collegial environment for a little while? Once you leave it, those years are gone, never to return again. In about 5 years, she is simply going to be a) jaded, b) married and jaded, or c) divorced and jaded.

Micah Jesse, enough is enough!  Young man, we suggest you dry yourself off so that you don't drench that poor girl next to you.  Someone has to go put out the flames on this guy.  So I guess Stereo by the Shore is really that much fun?!

July 4th marks United States independence, but more importantly the beginning of one of the best parties in world, the Henley Royal Regatta in Henley on the Thames, England.  It is one of the three Royal events on the calendar (with Wimbeldon and Ascot), and medal presenters have included in the past the likes of Prince Albert of Monaco.  Anyone who has ever been to Henley can tell you what a great party it is, and the many pints of Pimms consumed on the river banks. 

The main regatta enclosure enforces a strict dresscode that requires men to wear blazers and women cannot have a skirt that rises above the knee.  The enclosures are replete with sundresses, fanciful hats, and men squeezing into their schoolboy blazers that often have very unique color schemes and piping.  And if you don't believe us about the "above the knee" rule, regatta officials do in fact have a measuring stick that is often broken out to determine whether a person is in violation. 

The rowing is also pretty cool...if you're in England in July ever definitely take the hour train ride from London to see this five day spectacle.

Who better to put on the cover of Social Life Magazine, than Tinsley Mortimer, the Queen Bee of New York Socialites? Here she is basking in the glory of being a covergirl at the Stereo House in Southampton. We must say she does look a lot different in person than on the cover. Such are the wonders of good lighting and Photoshop.

Andreas Santo Domingo (far right), Fiance of NYC uber-socialite Lauren Davis, makes a stop at Pink Elephant (Southampton). Some other lovely model-esque guests below:

And last but not least, the highlight of the night, Miss Universe Riyo Mori.