Well! The ever-intrepid reporter Elisa Lipsky-Karasz has been reporting on the latest trial-of-the-century for Women’s Wear Daily, and she seems far less interested in who will get Brooke Astor’s millions than in what her friends wore on the witness stand. Annette de la Renta (wife of… ) proved “the most casually elegant witness” she had ever seen, “descending into the courtroom from the Upper East Side on a cloud of money and good manners.” Oh my! Nancy Kissinger (wife of…) “also drew raves for her outfit – a green Oscar de la Renta coat dress with double rows of buttons” that “all the women were into.” It almost makes poor Brooke’s descent into urine-soaked madness worthwhile! But lest you think it was all just fun and fashion, there were a few tense moments. An audible GASP OF HORROR rose up from the crowded courtroom when, upon taking the stand, the elegant witnesses were asked to state their full names AND AGES!!!! Indeed, the impertinent looks the bailiff received prompted the District Attorney to acknowlege how “impolite” the question was and beg the ladies for their forgiveness. Oh, by the way, Annette is 69 and Nancy is 75, and you could see Miss Lipsky-Karaszes gleeful slobber on the computer screen as she dutifully reported those numbers for her readers.

Oh, and the picture below is of Brooke as we remember her, dancing gaily in a fog of Alzheimer’s, not a care in the world. If she could only see the trouble she’s causing now.