Sophia Loren’s granddaughter Lucia Sofia Ponti is making her official 2024 Le Bal des Débutantes debut in style.
Ponti, 18, will be one of the debutantes at the annual high-society event, which aims to celebrate “excellence, the empowering of women and the harmony between débutantes and cavaliers from all over the world,” per a social media statement. The famed Le Bal will be held at Paris’ Shangri–La Hotel.
Ponti chose a haute couture gown designed by Armani, according to the Paris-Match, weeks after teasing her selection process.
“I tend to go for dresses or clothes that make me feel confident but also are comfortable to wear,” Ponti told Hello! earlier this month. “I had looked through other dresses that were featured in Le Bal in previous years, and they all individually represented the girls so beautifully. I just hoped to find a dress that would do the same for me.”
Lucia is the daughter of Italian director Edoardo Ponti and his wife, Sasha Alexander. Edoardo’s parents are Loren, 90, and the late Carlos Ponti, who died in 2007.
“My grandmother and I are very close,” Lucia added to Hello! “We visit her frequently in Geneva and she comes to visit us in L.A. as well. I love her dearly and despite the distance, we spend ample time together.”
Lucia, who is a student at Brown University, hails from Los Angeles. Loren, for her part, primarily resides in Switzerland.
“I admire her dedication to her values. She never forgoes her own authentic self to fit the expectations of others around her,” Lucia added of her grandmother. “I am infinitely inspired by her and always feel grateful to have such an amazing role model to look up to.”
Lucia particularly was enthralled with Loren’s iconic film career and her style.
“Occasionally my grandmother would come and visit my family in L.A. and I would give her my room to stay in during her visits,” Lucia added to Hello! “As a little girl, I would walk into my room covered in hair pieces, jewelry and coats. I was so mesmerized by the transformation my room would go through every time she visited.”
