"I just couldn't stomach another angry women's conference," whispered a lawyer who was playing hooky from her job. "So I sneaked out, and here I am!"

We were sipping champagne cocktails last week under the flower-bedecked tent at the annual spring benefit for the Central Park Conservancy. Popularly known as the "Ladies Hat Luncheon," it was a splashy affair, featuring New York's social elites and those who aspire to be, wearing some sensational, if not riotous, millinery creations.

It's not often that lady lawyers cross paths with the ladies who lunch. But for a few hours, we mingled with the Page Six crowd--those gals who wouldn't dream of wasting away at some office, poring over documents.

We were the guests of a Fortune 500 lawyer, who personally hosted one of the coveted tables, which included an assortment of Am Law 100 and in-house lawyers, plus other working gals. (Interestingly, Sullivan & Cromwell, Boies Schiller, and Skadden Arps were listed as sponsors of the event, though I didn't see any of their lawyers. Were they too serious for such frivolity or were they intimidated by the frou-frou hats?)

Curious about whether there were other lawyers under those fanciful hats, I approached several tables, asking if there was a lawyer among them. Mostly, the women looked confused--if not a tad insulted--by my question. Oh well.

But as the luncheon concluded, there was no doubt where everyone fit in the social order: The ladies who really lunch got into their waiting cars and migrated to the Carlyle, Swifty's, or some other posh watering hole for the afternoon, while the rest of us schlepped back to the office.

In any case, below are scenes from the luncheon. Can you guess which ones are the lawyers?

If you have photos of lawyers at this luncheon, please send them to VChen@alm.com.

Photos: Courtesy of Central Park Conservancy and V. Chen