On an average day, you can find Sophie Kodjoe in her most comfortable pair of sweatpants. But when her mom Nicole Ari Parker floated the opportunity to trade in her loungewear for a ballgown, she jumped at the idea.
On Saturday, Nov. 30, the 19-year-old daughter of Parker, 54, and Boris Kodjoe, 51, took part in the Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris, an annual event that introduces about 20 women between the ages of 16 and 22 into high society. This year’s debutantes included Sophie, Apple Martin and other intelligent and well-traveled young women with impressive titles.
In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, Parker, Kodjoe and Sophie join a Zoom call from three different locations to chat about her entrance into society.
Parker admittedly didn’t have any experience with “debutante life” until once day a producer on And Just Like That… suggested she submit an application to participate in this “beautiful, magical event.”
“I approached Sophie, and Sophie was like, ‘Mom, that’s like… Are you sure? I mean, that’s really a lot,'” she recalls as her daughter smiles in the background.
“At first I was like, ‘What do we know about debutante ball?'” Sophie laughs. “And she likes to say I live in my sweatpants. The idea of being in this space was so… It was a bit foreign to me. But then I heard princess and I was sold. Since I was five, I was like, I’ve always wanted to wear the big dress and dance and have high tea. And so I was like, this is something that I have to do.”
Kodjoe, on the other hand, needed a bit more convincing. He already knew “my daughter’s a princess” and he had just gotten back from Rwanda. It wasn’t until Parker reminded him they needed to “have this moment together” — after all, they were “empty nesters, and she’s our firstborn.”
Once everyone was on board, the entire family got to work. Before they could fly to Paris for Waltz lessons, rehearsals, photoshoots and other events to prepare for the big night, Parker and Sophie went through various fittings and jumped through many hoops to pick her gown.
“One of the stipulations [is] that none of the girls wear the same designer. And because I was shooting, I was very late to organizing that part of the ball, and so all of the designers were pretty much taken,” says Parker, classic designers like Chanel, Valentino and Dior were no longer options.
Eventually, both Parker and Sophie were dressed by Oscar de la Renta. On her big night, Sophie stunned in a plum-colored gown that featured a balloon skirt that gathered on one side to reveal a thigh-high slit. She accessorized with a solid gold collar and drop earrings by V Muse and wore her dark hair in a chic updo.
As for Kodjoe, he opted for a tuxedo made by HUGO BOSS and took Sophie’s cavalier (or escort), her friend Toussaint, for his own fitting at a designated atelier.
“He had to have a particular shoe, a particular tux, tails, suspenders, the vest, the white bow tie —everything,” Parker says of their daughter’s date before Kodjoe adds, “We had to get him fitted with all of this stuff, which was kind of fun.”
In Paris, Sophie was inundated with photoshoots and various events she had to attend. There, she met her fellow debutantes.
“At first, I was nervous because sometimes I get nervous around new people,” she admits. “Especially with all these amazing young women my age, and they’re all doing amazing things in other parts of the world. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t have a title. I’m just Sophie from L.A.'”
When it was time for Sophie’s debut into society, it was an emotional affair for the entire family.
“It was a lot,” Kodjoe says of seeing Sophie in full glam for the first time. “When you raise these human beings from when they’re this big … unconditional love comes with unconditional fear.”
“To see her spread her wings, so to speak, in all of her grace and glory and beauty and her personality come out this way on this stage, it was tremendous,” he sighs. “It was very, very emotional. A lot of tears. Tears of joy, tears of melancholy as she takes the first steps into this big, big life. It’s amazing. It was really, really great.”
Sophie says Parker was “a mess even at rehearsals” and continued to check in on her as she was getting ready upstairs.
“For some reason, I was convinced that she needed something when she was in makeup. I needed to check to make sure she was okay in hair,” Parker laughs. “And every time I show up, she was like, ‘Mom, go upstairs! Everything’s fine.'”
When it comes time to open up about the night’s father daughter dance, Sophie cringes before bursting into laughter. She tells PEOPLE that the duo’s only emotion was “goofy” and they received a lot of “praise” for picking up the choreography.
“I will have to brag we did get it quicker than a lot of the other dads and daughters there,” Sophie quips and Kodjoe agrees, “We have some rhythm, which is great, and there’s a lot of people struggling with that.”
Their dancing chops were so good, they were chosen to be one of the three father daughter couples with a two and a half minute dance solo.
Now that Le Bal is behind her, Sophie looks back at the whirlwind affair with a sense of awe and gratitude.
“Honestly, it’s so crazy because I didn’t even think I would be this out in society because there’s so many amazing women that I did this with,” she gushes. Aside from their titles, Sophie says each debutante was “so pretty, and so talented, and so well-traveled.”
“I was just really excited and a bit humbled,” she smiles.
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If there’s another ball, Sophie will be an enthusiastic participant. For now, she tells PEOPLE she’s sticking to her studies at Howard University — regardless of whether or not she’s out in high society.
“I’ll just continue going to school and I’ll continue living my life I was before. As soon as Le Bal was done, I went right back to my subjects,” she says. “I will not forget it at all. And hopefully I can start, I guess, putting myself out [there], … but I don’t think it’ll change my daily routine much.”
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