By Caroline Cranston
The Tyler Rose Debutante Ball is one of the most renowned events in the debutante world. From the extravagant celebrations to the intricately detailed gowns, this two-day weekend event attracts guests from all over Texas. The Tyler Rose Debutante Ball admits around 50 young women to resemble a royal court. Escorted by young men, each woman is named Duchess of her respective hometown, and one special debutante, always a resident of Tyler, Texas, is named Queen of the ball.
The 2024 Tyler Rose Ball announced the overall theme as “Fanfare of Festivals,” where festivals from all over the globe were presented. From the Holland Tulip Festival to the St. Patrick’s Festival, celebrations from each country were represented by the debutantes in the most colorful and thoughtful way. As a guest, I thoroughly enjoyed the fashion this event brought to the table. Weighing around thirty pounds and featuring intricate details, each dress was classified as a work of art.
Designers of the Tyler Rose Debutante Ball were tasked with creating three to four pieces. As part of my attendance, I made sure to get the inside scoop. One debutante from the Lilac Festival recalls her dress “taking up to four months to complete.” She added, “Each girl in the debutante ball was given three options to choose from for her festival gown, with sketches and headpieces included. I was drawn to the Rochester Lilac Festival because I wanted to represent some sort of flower for my gown, and I think that lilac is so elegant.” After speaking with this young woman, I found myself wanting to explore the rest of the gowns.
As mentioned earlier, this event lasted two days. Friday evening was the Royal Presentation, where each debutante had the opportunity to showcase her magnificent dress, accompanied by a bow and a walk-out song of her choice. This portion lasted around two hours, but it was undoubtedly the most special part of the weekend, as each woman had her moment to shine and showcase what she had worked so hard for. It was especially meaningful to watch fellow SMU Look staff members Caroline Stiles, Elizabeth Wheless, and Margo Washburne participate in this beautiful event.
Saturday was definitely the longest but also the most interactive celebration. At 9 a.m., the Texas Rose Festival Parade commenced, featuring cheerleading and band groups from multiple Tyler County high schools, local restaurants, music groups, and of course, the 2024 debutantes. In groups of around eight, the debutantes were displayed on their respective floats, which complemented their gowns. Following this event was the Queen’s Tea, hosted at the Tyler Rose Garden Center. From 1 p.m. to around 3 p.m., the girls were scattered beneath tents, allowing guests to walk around and view the gowns on display.
Here are some pictures I captured from this event:
Tyler Rose Debutante designer Jacob Climer has been on the gown design team since 2019. This past week, I had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Climer over the phone to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes in creating these fantastic pieces of art. In his introduction, Mr. Climer recounted how SMU holds a special place in his heart, as his first theater job was with the costume and tailor department there after studying theater in college at the University of Evansville. In fact, Mr. Climer shared that SMU is where “[He] met Chris Spencer, who’s the casting director, and [his] associate designer on the Rose Festival.”
When asked about the gown-making process, he explained that it takes around eighteen months to fully sketch, modify, and create the gowns, from start to finish. This means that planning for the 2025 ball began six months ago. Mr. Climer noted, “The dressmakers usually start in late February or early March. We do our first round of fittings during spring break, and then the first set of dresses is due in the summer.” As mentioned before, the Tyler Rose Debutante class consists of around fifty young women each year. Mr. Climer is responsible for sketching designs for the entire court and the Queen’s royal court, which includes around nine young children.
Not only was I astonished, but I was also wildly fascinated by this fact. There was one more aspect of my phone call with Mr. Climer that greatly captivated me. I asked him what his biggest inspiration was when coming up with fifty different designs, each with its own unique silhouette and features. He responded, “I also look at the kind of amazing Miss Universe pageant costumes, and I’m really most influenced by 90s runway, which has a lot of couture pieces.” Connecting theater costumes with vintage, yet iconic fashion transforms the debutante gowns into works of art rather than costumes. I believe that integrating this level of fashion is what makes Jacob’s gowns truly special and attention-grabbing.
The event concluded with a final presentation of the debutantes, who changed into fashionable, sophisticated gowns for the evening. Surrounded by all their guests and family members, the debutantes celebrated the end of their long weekend with a night of dancing and great food! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the 2024 Tyler Rose Debutante Ball and will cherish this moment forever!
