A COURT FUNCTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18460, 25 July 1923, Page 14

A COURT FUNCTION.

e- The' first, Court of ■, the season, mainly official and diplomatic, was held at Buck- '; ingham Palace by the King and 'Queen :■' hrecently. '"■-•'.( "--'". ■~* - • • f ,. the. function was c*ne of the most brilliant held since the war. The. King and Queen, with the : members of the Royal - : circle, :. assembled in the "White Drawing Room. The ; procession to the : Ball Room was 'brilliant and imposing. The King wore the uniform of a colonel ' of the Irish Guards, with the Garter ribbon v and star, and the Bath | star.: The Queen's dress was subtly beautiful, the shade giving the impression of the afterglow of a gorgeous sunset. The cloth , was of gold, ■:. shot with .deeper tints, the front being . lavishly sewn with pearlii, topaz-coloured diamante, ! and large pearly paillettes, transparent and iridescent, and I so delicate in character as to suggest soap bubbles. Down either side of ■ the - front were narrower panels showing similar de-1 coration, but against a paler background, and gold lace was introduced on, the pale pink - mousseline de ?. soie corsage. - The sleeves were of innumerable looped chains of transparent pearly paillettes, and the train was ,of silver "and pale gold handwoven brocade, further enriched with diamante and paillettes, and draped with j antique point do Flandres' lace, the deep I ivory tint of which harmonised with the) background. Her Majesty wore the dia-1 mond crown in which is the Koh-i-Nor. Many of the other dresses were wonderful creations, reflecting the mystic and | Oriental mood which the fashion designers adopted after the discoveries in the Valley of the Kings at Luxor. Some of the gowns were striking in their picturesque brilliance. . Among the gorgeous and glittering assembly two other dresses stood out in amazing beauty—those of the Countess of I Cromer and the Lady Mayoress of Lon-' don (Mrs. E. C. Moore).. The Countess'! gown was one giving an Oriental . effect. It was. of ivory real Indian gauze, with | gold embroidery in a mosaic design. The train was of deep copper-colour woven metal cloth, with embroidery in various hues. ' - The Lady Mayoress was gowned in beautiful oyster, silver, and gold woven brocade. The sleeves were of gold, lace, i arid the embroideries in. iridescent crystals, and from the shoulders hung long girdles and tassels of iridescent crystals. The train was of cloth of gold, of an entirely new wes.ve, giving a molten gold effect, and hu:ag with great dignity in sweeping lines. Mrs. Stanley Baldwin (the Prime Minister's .wife) was another striking figure in a lovely Buckmaster; gown of cloth of gold and lace, draped in an original way, i trimmed : with heavy gold and white em- £ broidery, and a graceful train to match " fell from a low waistline at the back.