The biggest star at the American Ballet Theatre's opening-night gala wasn't a performer but a guest. As everyone knows by now, Michelle Obama was on hand—in black sleeveless Alaïa—to enjoy a program that included excerpts from Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet and a jazz number featuring Herbie Hancock on piano. Of the night's many curtain calls, none matched the standing ovation the First Lady received when she took the stage; if there was a no-flash rule inside the Met, it certainly went down the tubes during her brief remarks at the dais. And to the delight of opera-glass gawkers, Michelle O. took in the proceedings from a very visible parterre seat, alongside fellow honorary chairs Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg and Carolina Herrera, who co-sponsored the evening.

Thanks to the guest of honor and the abundance of seasonal frocks, this black-tie evening was about fashion as much as dance. Veronica Webb and Rachel Roy paused to discuss Michelle's best wardrobe picks on their way in. "I love her in Alaïa, and I love her in her cardies with her belt," Roy offered. Webb chimed in, "My favorite fashion moment for her was that she wore her Tracy Feith dress more than once."

Kelly Ripa denied that the guest of honor had anything to do with her decision to show biceps. "It's springtime—good luck finding a dress with sleeves!" Ballet certainly tops the other fine arts as a way to firm up arms and just about everything else, noted Dree Hemingway, the model and former student at the School of American Ballet. "My body has always been really toned because of ballet," said the 21-year-old, who was there on the arm of Francisco Costa. "I don't think I'll ever have to work out—until I get really old. Talk to me in a couple years."

— Darrell Hartman