Kirk Kerkorian’s Granddaughter Attends Bal in Paris 40-Carat Necklace

As Kemper, 20, tells it, the dazzling night at the Hotel Shangri-La did not disappoint, and as the world saw in the following days, nor did her couture ensemble. The Cornell University student — whose late grandfather Kirk Kerkorian owned MGM Studios — tells PEOPLE that her bespoke Chrome Hearts gown and glittering Louboutin heels served to tell the story of her life.

Like many of her fellow debutants, Kemper followed Le Bal tradition and helped design her gown for the evening. She collaborated with her parents’ longtime friends, Chrome Hearts co-owners Richard and Laurie Lynn Stark and their daughter, Frankie Stark, making the effort “so special,” says Kemper.

“I’ve had a connection with them my whole life. I’ve known them forever,” she shares. “When we proposed the idea to them, they loved it … Not only is it an honor for me, but they were so excited about it.”

Kemper says she began by sharing a general idea of what she wanted for her debutant look, but that was largely all it took. She remembers how Frankie’s very first sketch of the dress perfectly captured the essence of Kemper’s vision. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is my dream dress,'” she recalls.

The slitted silhouette with a plunging V-neckline is draped in pink lace, a fabric choice made to accommodate Kemper’s silk allergy. The Le Bal attendee says it took over 900 hours of craftsmanship by the Chrome Hearts team at their atelier in Paris.

Kemper’s appearance also broke new ground for the brand. She is the first Le Bal debutante to ever wear the Hollywood-founded brand to the historic event, which was originally launched in 1958 and then revived by Ophélie Renouard in 1992.

Other attendees this year went with more traditional — albeit no less glamorous and thoughtful — designs. Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance‘s 19-year-old daughter, Bronwyn Golden Vance, wore a dress by Stephane Rolland. Carolina Lansing, 21, nodded to her grandmother, fashion icon Carolina Herrera, in a polka-dotted gown by Wes Gordon for Herrera.

Therefore, Kemper admits it was certainly an edgier choice, especially considering Chrome Hearts is only newly entering the couture space, like with Kim Kardashian’s bold 2025 Met Gala look.

“When I brought the idea [of wearing Chrome Hearts] to Ophélie, I feel she was a bit hesitant at first, but I think that I wanted to pay homage to my L.A. roots,” the Ivy League student recalls to PEOPLE. “To my core, I’m such an L.A. girl. I was born and raised there. I grew up wearing Chrome Hearts, and my family has worn Chrome Hearts forever.”

She adds, “No one knew what it was going to look like. They didn’t know if it was going to be edgy and black. They had no idea. So when I came out in a pink lacy beaded with Japanese pearls on the side, no one expected it.”

Like in years past, high jewelry collection group V Muse Jewelry sponsored the event and lent the debutants opulent accessories to wear for the evening. Some of the young women were styled with tiaras and earrings, but Kemper was given a necklace of 40-carat paraiba tourmaline, an extraordinarily rare, high-value gemstone.

“Alex [Fan], the owner of V Muse Jewelry, picked out this gem especially for me,” says Kemper. “He put it on my neck, and immediately, I knew. I was like, ‘Wow.'” It tied in my dress so perfectly, and I loved how the blue and the pink radiated off each other. It was incredible.”

But the special touches didn’t stop there. Much like how she tapped the Starks for her gown, Kemper looked to another family friend, Jaden Smith, for help with footwear. In September, the 27-year-old rapper — whose parents are Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith — was named the first men’s creative director of Christian Louboutin.

“I told him that I was doing Le Bal, and I was like, ‘Of course I have to wear Louboutins. It’s only right,'” Kemper shares of her conversation with Jaden, who personally helped her pick out a pair of sparkly shoes to go with the dress.

“So not only was my dress special and my necklace special, but my shoes were so special to me as well,” says Kemper. “Every part of my look was close to my heart, and it was very family-oriented.”