In case you weren't WASPy enough to attend what is sure to be the social event of the year a party where a bunch of 18-year-old girls in white dresses parade around while their overbearing mothers get sloshed on white wine, the Times will have the pleasure of introducing you to attendees of Wednesday's International Debutante Ball. One of the girls who will be "introduced" to society is Hadley Marie Nagel, whom the Times describes as the "most swell." But don't worry! She still knows how to rough it with us plebeians. She says of being a debutante, “I mean, you still have to pay for your coffee at Starbucks." And here we thought that all descendants of the founding fathers got a free-coffee-for-life coupon. more ›

Last night, the International Debutante Ball was held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Forty-seven young women from all over the world arrived to be "presented to society" (in earlier eras, it meant that the young lady was officially on the marriage market). The AP reports, given that "A debutante's family pays $14,000 for a table plus thousands of dollars for couture gowns, hairdressers and other expenses," some people are wondering if the tradition is antiquated.

"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." more ›