Racegoers Warmly Clad At Trotting Meeting

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27921, 19 March 1956, Page 2

Racegoers Warmly Clad At Trotting Meeting

NEWS FOR WOMEN

The weather and not fashion dictated clothes worn by women racegoers at the first of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s Easter meetings, held on Saturday.

Most women were clad warmly against the chill wind, but women's irrepressible delight in a new Easter hat was evident everywhere. Most women wore close-fitting hats, but the few who ventured out in widerbrimmed creations thought the effort of keeping them on worth the pleasure of wearing something bright and new. Knopp tweeds in frocks and suits, and two-toned coats with contrasting collars and cuffs, gave a colourful note amongst the grey suits, still very popular: and navy, black and brown coats. From the grandstand, racegoers looked down on flame-coloured geraniums, salvia bonfire, and lobelia in the garden plots, and sheep penned to the right of the course gave a rural atmosphere. Birds also seemed attracted to the grounds, and. dozens of black and white gulls resting on the lawn in the centre of the course remained unperturbed during the most exciting race finishes.

Flame - coloured begonias were massed with flowering wax plants and-coleus on the landing leading to the members’ rooms, and outside the luncheon room a tall capsicum tree, complete with scarlet blossoms, gave a gay touch of colour. Visitors Welcomed Mrs C. E. Hoy. wife of the president, had the pleasure of welcoming several visitors to the official box. They included a visitor from Canada, Mrs K. Baxter, an Englishwoman whose home is in Erockville. Ontario. She end her husband, a New Zealander, formerly of Ashburton, are touring New Zealand and will leave this morning to visit Mr and Mrs Trevor Thomas at Ashburton. During their stay in Christchurch they were the guests of Mr and Mrs C. S. Thomas. Other official guests were Mr and Mrs H. Lyall, of Melbourne, who are spending eight weeks in New Zealand. They left yesterday for the south, and will visit Milford before going to the Hermitage, Mount Cook, for Easter. Mr Lyall is a Melbourne City Councillor, and a member of the committee of the Royal Agricultural Society, Melbourne. A former Christchurch resident chatting to friends in the grandstand was Mrs E. Manning, of Sydney, who has been staying with her sister, Mrs D. Mcßean Stewart. She will return to Australia by air on Friday. With her was Mrs V. M. Godfrey, who returned to Christchurch recently after spending five months’ holiday in Wellington. Visitors from Northern Rhodesia were Mr and Mrs L. Bean, formerly of Christchurch, who have taken a house in Christchurch until June. Mr Bean is on the colonial administration staff at Lusaka, Northern Rhodesia. Mrs H. Honore, who was among the smart racegoers, is planning a trip to France to see her married daughter

in Paris. She will be accompanied by her husband and daughter. Miss Therese Honore. They will leave in May and expect to be away about three months.

There were many country residents at the meeting. They included Mrs T. W. Thomas, whose husband is a committee member of the Marlborough Racing Club. She and her husband are visiting Mr and Mrs R. W. Saunders, Papanui. Mrs Thomas wore a black wool jersey frock lightly studded with diamante, and her white wool coat had narrow black braiding on the pockets trimmed with small pearls. Her close-fitting black has was of velvet. Fashion Notes Fashion notes were the jet trimming on Mrs Hoy’s dove grey velour hat which toned with her dark ivy green and grey shadow-striped suit; the loose fitting jacket of the rust and white knopp tweed suit worn by Mrs Eric Rutherford (Parnassus) with her small black velvet hat; the black wool reversible coat worn with a feather trimmed black velvet hat by Mrs Harold Goggin; Mrs L. A. Bennett’s turquoise felt hat worn with a suit of lighter blue; the black ensemble relieved with touches of white worn by Mrs A. L. Matson; the wide-brimmed coolie hat of geranium red velour which Mrs L. Bean brought from Cape Town; the touch of citron relieving Mrs Honore’s close-fitting hat worn with a light grey suit; black veiling trimming the white felt hat worn by Mrs R. Booker with a soft grey coat; the grey and white flecked tweed frock with high collar worn with a small black hat and grey coat by Mrs Jack X. Ferguson (Akaroa); Mrs C. S. Thomas’s tailored felt hat in soft Wedgwood blue worn with a grey suit; Mrs G. P. Anderson’s green mottled coat worn with a small cocoa brown hat; the sandalwood felt hat flecked with black worn by Mrs W. G. Macartney (Tai Tapu) with her anthracite grey suit; the cinnamon brown hat and fur of matching shade worn by Mrs Arnold Young with her junior navy coat and powder blue moss crepe frock; the white upturned brim of Mrs J. Connolly’s grey velour hat worn with a matching grey suit; the white broderie Anglaise blouse worn with a grey suit by Mrs R. A. Witbrock; the close-fitting white felt hat worn with a grey wool suit by Mrs Ivor Gray (Motukarara); the pervenche blue blouse worn with a grey suit by Mrs O. Rhodes (Amberley); Mrs A. A. Spratt’s avocade green felt hat worn with a striped beige worsted suit; the smart grey suit worn with a white hat by Mrs Jim Coop (Ataahua); the highcrowned putty-coloured felt hat worn by Mrs J. Manning with a light grey tailored suit; Mrs H. E. Cook’s chartreuse felt hat.

Among those in the official box were Mesdames C. E. Hoy. C. S. Thomas. K. Baxter, A. L. Matson, Ormond Hutchinson, D. McCormick, H. E. Cook, E. Rutherford, L. A. Bennett. G. W. Blaxall. C. S. Peate, S. J. Moore. E. T. McDermott. R. E. Booker, H. E. Goggin and H. Lyall.