WOMAN'S WORLD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13683, 26 February 1908, Page 10

WOMAN'S WORLD.

I ■ ' — A WOMAN' OF FASHION. HOW A SMART I'AKTSIEXNE , SPENDS THE DAY. The way a pretty and h \.™ v man spend* her different from what it »m n»y - 8g To be convinced of us. tead>> ■ instance, the " Chroniqaj*" of \lcomtc de Lamm? (Mmc de G.radm) or U» novels of Balzac describing the fashionables" of his time. The budget of an elegant woman of that period, for her «i.t>n> maintenance, would hardly be sulhc.ent today for the purchase of three gowns and °Thi Parisian lady of 1830 put on, when she got up, a pretty lace cap, and went to join her children in the study, for she supervised their instruction and wis alt aether a most tender mother. 10-day tbo"complications of the morning make . maternal effusions difficult, if not possible. When the tender mother of to-day has taken her bath, after she lias been witably rubbed down, massaged, manicured, pedicured, curled, ondulated—that is, after having gone, through the expert hinds of at least half a dozen persons;--she dresses and goes for the morning wa'.k. And so with all the other items ot* the day. The only occupation common to both the modern lady and the lad,/ of 1830 is card-playing— in days gone by; bridge to-day. HAPPT DATS WITEX HATS WV.RE CHEATER. "If women are so fond of playing cards," Mine, de Giradin used to say, " it is because they are unable to keep Jp a conversation." Let us be more fair to them. There are "salons" where one plays and salons where one talks. There are even salons ' where one plays and talks. Instead of discussing hotly the last novel by Georges Sand, one talks about the latest poem of the Comtesse de Noailles. Intellectuality is not on the wan:, in spite of a certain dullness and sluggishness,, a kind of cerebral numbness, which has recently come under the notice of peychologist doctors, who, it may be mentioned, severely declare that over-motor-ing produces this mental paralysis. Those were happy days when neatly pulled up stockings were the acme of. elegance, and when Mile, de la 'louche, the most famous milliner, sold her finest bonnets for thirty shillings. We have now the £40 hat, which may require feathers from a hundred birds for its trimming.

The modern Parisian lady's morning is overburdened. The elegant lady of to-day devotes to hygiene the greater part of the morning; then goes out for a stroll. She walks, because it is good for her complexion, and also for her slenderness. Many ladies ride and look charming under their three-cornered hat, which has at last replaced the horrible top ht.t. A few of the fashionable " mondaines" play diabolo, but the majority take a walk, which is often shortened in order that an electric bath or a light bath may be taken before luncheon. This luncheon is a simple affair; eggs, " white" me.it (veal, chicken, etc.), vegetables, and stewed fruit. The ladies who follow the latest "regime" take "decorticated" vegetables, paps, macaroni with milk and sugar, rice or oats with cream, and they drink a small, very small, quantity of mineral water. Above all no cakes, no sweets, no entremets. As a matter of fact the fashionable lady of to-day eats the food that would suit a baby of eleven months! ■■■•,■ FAMOUS DOCTOR'S DON-MOT. A famous French doctor, one of the greatest living specialists for stomach diseases, was recently approached by a lady who complained about her digestion. "What shall I do, doctor?" " Madame, I am willing to prescribe a special regime to you, but I am afraid you will follow it." "What do you mean?" " Well, you see, women nowadays obey their doctors strictly." " You complain of this?" " Indeed, I do. Regimes are seldom a success, and the consequence is that we can no longer use the old excuse : ' If you only had followed my prescriptions!'" After luncheon, fifteen minutes of perfect, rest and immobility. No sleep. This immobility is chiefly meant to distend the muscles of the face.

Then come the calls, shopping, and the daily visit to the dressmaker. The scene at the dressmaker's, at the famous "couturier," as he is called in Paris, haci been described a hundred times. All languages are spoken in his salons. The spectacle is typical of the age. The door of a salon opens. One perceives a white shoulder, a bodice is being fixed on a bust, the effect of costly laces on a skirt is carefully tried. One hears timid reproaches or enthusiastic expressions of approval. At the beginning of the season many ladies spend hours in those salons. One elegant American lady spends the day, the whole day, with the "couturier." A footman brings her luncheona wing of chicken, some fruits, and a flask of Cyprus. This habit of several society ladies of remaining from morning till night at the dressmaker's has suggested to the latter the idea of organising buffets where one can lunch, take tea and all confectionaries. Another belle always takes her pet dogs with her to the dressmaker, and during the day a groom brings special mineral waters ( for them, for her ladyship fears the microbes for her dogs as much as for herself !

The patience of the " vendeuscs" is amazing. They are also expected to know a great deal about the customers. One customer is a princess, another a queen, a third a leading actress. The wav of addressing, the tone of the voice, has to vary according to the standing of the lady. This archduchess is here incognita, and her presence must not be betrayed ; this other person has only just obtained a title, and it would not do to call her only "Madame." Blunders must at all costs be avoided. Etiquette is strict, and a mistake similar to that of an actress who once asked a prince, heir to a throne. " How is madamc your mother?'" would never be forgiven. The lady, after all this, then goes to some theatrical rehearsal or to the 3 races then comes the tea hour at one of the leading hotels or at the great confectioner's; this is followed by a drive in a motor-car. how BRirWB has killed CALLS. Calls arc. few. One nays fewer and fewer visits. Bridge has killed them Bridge is played even at receptions' If the brilliant "talkers" of 1830 came backto this world they would not recognise it. " ° ■ The evening meal, "the diner," is a more elaborate and important affair than the luncheon. The regime is total I v abandoned at night! After the "diner" the fashionable lady goes to the theatre. Balis are scarce, but, those that take place are very sumptuous affairs. To be perfectly true, it must be added that all "mondaiues" do not keep strictly to the programme given here. Many devote much of their time to their children, and many are interested in art. Manv read books worth reading and eat roast beef and solid chops, and manv, too look charming without wearing h-,',1 worth £40. " °

]?ashion is a tiring goddess to worship A young mondaine, exhausted bv constant visits to the dressmaker, the milliner and others, with her pretty head bent under the, weight of an immense over-feathered hat, said to me the other day, -"When oili ! when will it be the fashion not to follow the fashion?"

, 1 ; PEBFUMES. Gather » quart of rows haven from fragrant roses (after they have settled down) after the dew 1* all off. Do not pick them right after a rain, as they are not as frag. rant. Put a layer of the leaven in the, bottom of a. wide-mouthed glass bottle, sprinkle with Kilt, then cover with a layer of absorbent cotton which is wet with pure olive oil, another thick layer of row leaves, sprinkled with salt, and fill the bottle with alternate layer* until the bottle in full. Tie a piece of oil-silk (double) over the top of the bottle, set-it where the sun will shine on it all day for two weeks, then uncover and extract the oil from the cotton and rose, leaves. ft, is superior to many of the perfumes which are sold. rKincMK or swkkt VIOI.KTS. In some localities sweet violets *r«j &t plentiful as wild violets in in meadows, 'lake a sugar bowl, or any oaithen dis.i « itft a cover, pick a quantity of sweet violets on a dry day. place .i thick liyee in the t>.atorn, and covet- with a layer of absorbent cotton dipped in olive oil: then til! th« dish with alternate Livers of violets and cotton. Tie -silk over the top. put the cover on, and let them stand ?A hours; then remove the violets and put in fresh ones every day until the oil is fragrant; then throw away the violets and put the oil and cotton in » bottle with a glass stop per, pour over it. a lilt to spirits of wine shake it Well, and set it in the sun (o, several days. Tin's ma.'ies a pleasant per fume. The, absorbent cotton can he purchased at a druggist's. Use none but pur© olive oil. In using the violets, break off tho stems and throw away. LAVENDER WATER. Take a pint of spirits of wine, half an ounce of oil of lavender, half an ounce of oil of lxirgamot, a small quantity of musk. mix together, put into a large bottle, will a glass stopper : shake every day. A little cap lined with cotton wool, thickly sprinkled with sachet power, if worn for an hour occasionally, will impart to the locks a delicate, indistinct fragrance that is the very epitome of daintiness. The following skin tonic, if a little is added to your daily bath water, will help to make the flesh" "firm and healthy: One pint of best white-wine vinegar and two drams each of the following: Rosemary, rue, camphor, and lavender. Let the herb? soak in the vinegar for 42 hours. The.; strain and bottle for use as required. A simple violet water may be preparec by adding pulverised orris root to nlcohoi Jot- a base. Into this drop the sweet via lets. .