Symphony of sophistication

Joanna McNeil Lewis was resplendent as she greeted guests at the Academy of Music's 152d Anniversary celebration, her fuchsia Versace gown a beautiful contrast to the spray of soft pink, green-stemmed roses behind her.

Lewis, president of the Academy of Music, gathered her espresso mane in a sleek chignon fastened by a near-blinding jeweled clip. A platinum diamond-and-pearl brooch was pinned to the shoulder of the one-shouldered gown. Strappy Valentinos graced her feet.

It was a picture-perfect red-carpet look, complete with a dramatic dip in the back of the slinky dress.

"I just wanted to be glamorous," said Lewis, gesturing slightly with opera-length white leather gloves. "I wanted to look classic in the front and when I turned around, I wanted people to say, "Oh!"

Accompanying her Saturday evening was R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills.

Supporters of the Philadelphia Orchestra struck a particularly fashionable chord this year at the annual event, which featured a raw-bar cocktail hour and James Taylor concert, followed by dinner and dancing. The Academy of Music festivities are considered by many the city's most high-fashion annual event.

The celebration was low- key, but the mood was definitely upbeat. Perhaps balls are still on everyone's mind after last week's presidential inauguration.

At least that seemed true in the case of Linda Scribner Paskin, who channeled Jill Biden's fire-engine-red inaugural gown: Paskin wore a showstopper clear-red strapless frock by Vicky Tiel. (It bears repeating that Biden's gown was designed by Reem Acra.)

"Red is a very 'in' color," Paskin said. "It's a happy shade and it's an inauguration year!"

As expected, all of the men, with the exception of one gent in a kilt, wore white tie.

The women opted for Hollywood glamour, choosing designer names that rivaled attendees of Sunday night's Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Take Martha McGeary Snider, Gov. Rendell's policy adviser on arts and culture, whose stylist picked a wine-colored Marchesa with a flower on the one-shoulder dress (word is that Anne Hathaway has the same dress). Tricia Wellenbach of Bryn Mawr was also in a Grecian-styled Marchesa; hers was emerald green with a jeweled empire waist.

"I picked this dress because everyone had a hard year and I thought we needed to see color," said Wellenbach, who sits on the Academy of Music's program book committee. "And this dress was extremely comfortable."

Of course, Oscar de la Renta was in the couture-labeled house. Linda Siegfried, cochair of the Academy Ball's program book committee, commanded attention in her straight, sequined black-and-white floral gown. Siegfried stacked jeweled bracelets over her noir opera-length Isotoner gloves. Nice touch.

The cocktail dresses that infiltrated white-tie events for the last three years were nowhere to be seen Saturday night. Gowns were floor-length gems in an array of blues from navy to turquoise, tomato red, kelly green, champagne and, of course, black.

There were just a few full-skirted ballgowns. Totally tanned Anne Hamilton, on the Academy's board of directors, was stunning in a floral-appliqued, turquoise strapless Catherine Regehr, her full skirts trailing behind her.

Many women chose dresses that traced their curves and were accented with ruching and draping. There were a surprising number of tiered bottoms, some as tight as quarter-inch blinds, others ending in flouncy ruffles.

Some of the hottest dresses of the night have been, gasp, worn over and over again. Let's call them vintage, for style's sake.

Alice Lea Tasman, fund-raising consultant and author of bridal books, couldn't be missed in her 10-year-old scarlet Monique Lhuillier. (It was from one of her first collections, you know.) The kick pleat and tiered bottom were right on point. The shoes were none other than Manolo Blahnik.

Partygoer Gisela Alter of Fort Washington literally glowed in her 13-year-old dress. Alter's lavender Isabell Kristensen was rather space age/fairy princess with its fitted bodice and tightly pleated asymmetrical bottom. Her see-through short-handled bag lit up as she walked away.

But who was the belle of this year's ball?

That title goes to Hilarie Morgan, wife of real estate developer Mitchell L. Morgan of Bryn Mawr, who also sits on the Philadelphia Orchestra's board.

Morgan's black Chanel tuxedo dress had Grecian elements. It was of the moment, age-appropriate and dainty. The ruffled high collar gave the ensemble a certain old-school, feminine flair, while the three buttons along the hemline kept her look modern.