In 1996, le Bal, held at the Hotel de Crillon, began its ten-year partnership with the jeweler Mikimoto. To mark this occasion, four debs – from Japan, France, the US and Great Britain – modelled its pearls for le Bal, along with 22 other Debs, such as Countess Lavinia Borromeo wearing Emanuel Ungaro, Melissa Lilley in Bruce Oldfield and, in France, Lorraine Ricard in Dior or Alice Durand Ruel wearing Nina Ricci. They were presented by French society journalist Emmanuel Brantes.

All proceeds from the evening supported the research carried out by the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris.

The Debs wore Mikimoto pearls for the first time.