Brooke de la Villanova: High Society

When Philadelphia approached me about writing a column, I could only utter the immortal words of my late friend Ruth Seltzer: “Pass the canapés and let’s talk.” Well, the talk on the Main Line all seems to center on Ardrossan, the old Hope Montgomery Scott estate, which remains on the market. We hear that the Jeffrey Luries — who just bought the old Annenberg place — now wish they’d held out to perhaps bid. … Of course, this also begs the question of the uncertain future of lovely Mary Reamer, Hope’s niece, who’s still living on the second floor and runs her delightful dog obedience school there. We do so worry for poor Mary. What if she’s forced to move and take other employment — like being Susan Tabas Tepper’s new nanny? … Just got our tickets to the annual “Party in the Park” to benefit the Mann, this year featuring a private performance by London’s Royal Ballet. I told my husband Edgar, “Now that’s the kind of entertainment we need, not those tired dancers everyone keeps dragging out at every bar mitzvah in Merion.” The behemoth steering committee includes our dear friends Louise and Alan Reed as well as the Gerry Lenfests, the Mitchell Morgans, and those pistols Penny and Bob Fox ... Our son, Basil, is home for summer break, and showed us what can only be described as the most horrific scandal sheet we’ve ever seen. (Taking our new professional duties quite seriously, we felt obligated to read every word.) It’s a “blog” called The Philadelphia Diaries (philadelphiadiaries.blogspot.com), written by an anonymous (and evidently quite bitter) observer of city society. Really! Till next time, darlings ...