Lock up your viscounts! When Apple Martin twirled into Les Bal des Débutantes in a custom sky-blue Valentino gown, which reportedly took 750 hours to make, it was reminiscent of a scene from Bridgerton. Having kept a relatively low-profile until now, the 20-year-old daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin made her ‘societal debut’ at the Shangri-La hotel in Paris last week, with her younger brother Moses, grandmother Blythe Danner, and A-list parents by her side. Apple was also accompanied by her date for the evening, Count Leo Henckel von Donnersmarck, the son of film director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. We told you it sounded like a scene from the Shondaland series.

The annual gathering, which raises money for charity, is known familiarly as ‘Le Bal’. Hosted by historic French fashion house Renouard, 20-25 young women from prestigious and wealthy families around the world are invited to the exclusive event and are matched with a young man or ‘cavalier’ for the event. Past debutantes include Ava Phillipe, daughter of actors Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe, Emily In Paris’s Lily Collins, daughter of Phil Collins and Lady Kitty Spencer, Princess Diana’s niece.

‘Apple is an adult woman now, so we can relate to each other like that,’ Paltrow told E News earlier this year. ‘Of course, I’m always her mama […] But it’s very interesting to really watch her step into herself as a grown woman.’ Paltrow has previously described her daughter as an ‘extrovert’, and she certainly appeared unfazed as she glided around the Parisian ballroom before taking to the dance floor.

It is, of course, not usual protocol for women in their late teens and early 20s to be presented to high society in a grand ballroom. In fact, debutante balls originated in 18th century England and America as a way of introducing young women ‘of marriageable age’ to high society. While ‘Le Bal’ started in 1958 – and was halted in 1968 following a worker uprising in Paris, and did not resume for several decades until 1992 – its modern revival is not exactly modern at all.

Apparently, guests are invited to the exclusive Parisian event based on appearance, intelligence and family connections – usually that means royalty, celebrities or families involved in politics. While it’s unlikely debutantes like Apple were there to offer their hands in marriage, the antiquated premise certainly feels at odds with a progressive society.

In ‘Le Bal’s’ defence, it seemed like all the guests lucky enough to be invited were having a great time. Apple, for one, used the opportunity to show off her strong genes and hit the dance floor with her famous father – and she has gained a lot of attention in the process. One X user dubbed her a ‘beautiful chic lady’ while others called her a ‘brat’ and a ‘nepo baby’, and she swiftly became a breakout search term on Google.

In fact, a few videos of Apple working the room and jumping into the photos of her fellow debutants have prompted ‘mean girl’ accusations online. An insider was quick to jump to her defence, however, and said, ‘Apple’s more playful and fun and she’s really a total girls’ girl. She would never mean to take the spotlight from anyone, that was not her intention. To characterise her as a mean girl is very untrue.’

Currently a sorority girl at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee – where she is reportedly studying English and Law, History and Society – Apple is more used to the spotlight than most of her peers. She made her FROW debut at Paris Fashion Week in 2023, sitting alongside actors Sadie Sink and Lucy Boynton at the Chanel show (Karl Lagerfeld dubbed Apple a ‘Chanel girl’ when she was just four years old, after all). As well as earning her fashion dues, Apple also shares her father’s musical talents and has sung with him on numerous occasions, even boasting a writing credit on Coldplay’s ‘Let Somebody Go’.

While a future in fashion or music might be on the cards, could there also be a role for her at Paltrow’s lifestyle brand, Goop? In 2021, Apple appeared in the campaign for the GOOPGLOW Glow Lotion, a product which she helped to develop. When asked if Apple might enter the family business someday, Paltrow told the Today show, ‘I don’t know. I think both of my kids are sort of like, “We don’t want to think about what we want to do. We just want to see what unfolds.”’ As the children of two A-listers, there’s no rush, and Apple is certainly not short of career options when she graduates.

As the spate of family pictures from ‘Le Bal’ illustrate, Apple appears to be the product of healthy Hollywood co-parenting – her parents coined the term ‘conscious uncoupling’ after all. Despite getting divorced back in 2016, Paltrow and Martin have remained close friends and even go on holiday together with their new partners. Apple and Moses are reportedly close with their mother’s new husband, Brad Falchuk, and their father’s fiancé, Dakota Johnson. The 50 Shades of Grey actress even said in March, ‘I love those kids like my life depends on it. With all my heart.’

With a litany of famous role models, high society’s approval and Valentino on speed dial, it looks like the future is Apple’s for the taking.