A Steeplechase Debutante Shares Her Journey Designing a Presentation Wardrobe Before Her Big Bow in Fort Worth

Emily Kate Bell is a finance major at Fort Worth’s Texas Christian University. She’s one smart cookie, and she’s looking forward to diving head-first into her new career after graduation next May. In other words, she’s not sitting in the family parlor, busying herself with needlepoint and flipping lazily through books of poetry ― just waiting for the right man to arrive and whisk her away. While a debutante leads a life that is equal parts refined and confined on shows like Netflix’s mega-hit Bridgerton ― times have changed.

Today’s debutantes are well-educated and able to manage businesses and careers outside the home. This modern crop of eligible young ladies has the option to marry for love rather than settling for a match that has been arranged to ensure family rank and position.

Being presented to society as a debutante is entirely different than it was just a few generations prior.

“It highlights women, it’s different these days,” Emily Kate Bell tells PaperCity Fort Worth. “The stakes are not so high. It’s more about celebrating the individual than matchmaking. I’m a part of a generation where women get to do what they want to do with their lives, it’s less dictated.”

The debutante season has become a celebration of women. Emily Kate has friends who hail from other cities around the state, who will be presented this season in their hometowns as well, and Bell says they are all looking forward to celebrating each other.

Doing The Texas Dip

Fort Worth typically has two groups of debutantes presented each year ― by The Steeplechase Club and The Assembly. This year, the Assembly chose not to present any debs due to a smallish group, who will make a more memorable bow next season instead.

The Steeplechase presented eight debutantes this year ― each wearing a white gown and making a formal bow to club members and guests at River Crest Country Club on October 26. The same group of eight was then presented to the members of The Assembly on November 2, at a second ball, where they donned jewel-toned ball gowns.

The Steeplechase Club is so large that all the members cannot even fit in the same ballroom. While the actual presentation and bow take place in the main ballroom at River Crest ― the rest of the club becomes overflow seating, all the rooms fitted with a simulcast, so everyone can take part in the annual event of the season.

The formal bow is known by debs in the Lone Star State as the Texas Dip, and it’s good to have a steady and familiar arm to clutch on that big day. Emily Kate got to choose her formal escort for the evening ― a close friend to steady her nerves.

“Months of preparation and practicing had all come down to these thirty seconds of absolute terror,” recalled one previous Steeplechase deb, Caroline Harper, in her 2004 story “Coming Out” for Texas Monthly. “All of the spotlights shone brightly on me, and I couldn’t see anyone. I walked to the middle of the stage, paused, stretched out my arms, and floated to the floor. I bent forward from my waist as far as I could go, held my position for a few moments, sat back up, took my escort’s hand, and stood.”

When we met before her presentation, Emily Kate Bell said, “I’m going to try to be confident, supremely confident.”

Designing a Fort Worth Debutante

Emily Kate’s mother, Kara Bell, was a debutante as well ― in Midland. So, along with her sleek white satin gown, which was designed by Stanley Korshak’s in-house bridal designer, Mackenzie Brittingham, she wore her mother’s white opera-length, kid gloves to make her bow this October.

Fort Worth’s debut season is filled with formal presentations and glamorous parties. Besides your wedding, there’s no other event where you’ll be the center of so much attention. So, Kara turned to her favorite local stylist, Bonnie Thompson Smith, to achieve the perfect look for each event ― booking slots with top New York designers and gaining a new appreciation of the word “couture”.

“I thought, if we’re going to do this, let’s make it fun,” Kara Bell says.

“I’ve known the Bell family since 2012, so I know them well,” Bonnie Thompson Smith says. “I take no more than one or two debs a year.”

“I always start by asking the right questions to find out the needs ― taking into account individual style considerations. As a stylist, I like to match a client to a designer’s aesthetic. Some are known for sleek and chic, while others are more adventurous. I’ve watched Kara’s style evolve over the years.”

Fashion Icons and Couture Fittings

Smith arranged appointments with two of New York’s top fashion designers to complete the party wardrobe for (mother) Kara, (debutante) Emily Kate, and her younger sister Conally.

The first trip was in May when Emily Kate traveled from her study abroad semester in London to the Big Apple to meet with her stylist and the designers. Fort Worth-based photographer Beth Hutson joined the entourage, capturing every step of the process.

The first stop was to meet with Christian Siriano, who became a household name after winning the fourth season of Project Runway in 2007. Siriano’s glamorous styles have made him a favorite in Hollywood ― dressing stars like Angelina Jolie, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Emily Blunt.

“You walk into the showroom and they have the archives,” Emily Kate says. “It was kind of like a puzzle ― fitting together the right bodice, shape, and skirt.”

The style that spoke to her was reminiscent of a Dior design ― a classic bell-shaped silhouette.

Then, they met with another big name in the fashion world, Christian Cowan, who is known for his occasion wear ― dressing super-models, and edgy music artists including Lady Gaga. He proved an ideal fit for both Kara and Conally’s dresses.

Emily Kate found another party gown at Annie’s Ibiza while in London, saving her another trip across the pond, during her busy senior year.

On their most recent trip back to New York for final fittings, it was amidst the flurry of fashion week, and Christian Cowan was busily putting the finishing touches on his Spring/Summer 2025 collection, just ahead of his September 8 runway show. So, he accommodated this special Texas delegation at his home.

Can you even imagine? A private fitting in Christian Cowan’s home?

“We were nervous going in for the fitting,” Kara Bell recalls. What if something wasn’t quite right? But, that’s the couture difference. Their dresses were crafted and fitted to mannequins that matched their exact measurements. So, when they slipped them on, they fit like a glove ― making for a truly Cinderella moment.

Now that presentation galas and formal bows are in their rearview, it’s time to party. Four of this year’s debs, including Emily Kate’s family, will be hosting a swanky New Year’s Eve Party at Bowie House by Auberge. The theme is St. Moritz on the Bricks, and the party has rented out the majority of the hotel. It will be a fitting and fabulous finale to a fairy-tale season.