Marissa at the ball

Larry Page was obviously bored and uncomfortable during his first foray into San Francisco society. Sergey Brin seems to have no obvious pretensions: his wedding ceremony took place in swimsuits under one of those Hebraic tent things. But their Google colleague, Marissa Mayer, has a weakness for designer fashion, and social aspirations to match. This month's charity ball for the Museum of Modern Art drew the ladies of San Francisco society in their finery. And then there was Marissa Mayer, in a pattern that looked like the map mashup of a particularly nasty typhoid epidemic. If you think we're being cruel, you should listen to the tight-faced grande dames who dominate these charity galas. The moral of this story: social climbing is hard, the slips are painful, and, especially in San Francisco, the view from the top isn't worth the struggle to get there. [Photo by Drew Altizer.]

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