Designer advice for this year's Debs and grad ball attendees

A DEBS or graduation ball was once the preserve of upper-class English families presenting their daughters to suitable partners, but now every girl attends one. The season is beginning, so I spoke to Irish designers about their graduation balls and their advice on what to wear without spending a fortune.

In 1983, Don O’Neill went to the inaugural debs of Causeway Comprehensive School in Co Kerry, in the assembly hall. “We didn’t bring dates and there was no dress code, at the time,” he says. “So I did that in a beautiful, slim-fitting black suit that was hand-tailored for my grand-uncle in the early ’60s and in pristine condition. I wore a burgundy and black knit V-necked vest over a crisp, white shirt and a black bow tie.” He was the only one in a suit.

Oprah Winfrey wore one of his dresses to a film premiere and the 2012 Oscars, and Carrie underwood wore his gown to the 2013 Grammys. His beaded gowns flatter all ages, and customers include Taylor Swift, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Paris Hilton, Grainne and Sile Seoige, Miriam O’Callaghan and Kathryn Thomas.