MISS COLONIA IN LONDON.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1262, 7 May 1896, Page 15

MISS COLONIA IN LONDON.

CONFIDENCES TO HER COUSINS ACROSS THE SEAS. London, March 21. Dear Cousin, —The first Drawing-room of the season was held last Thursday by " the dear Princess," assisted by her two girls, and supported by Prince Charles ol Denmark, in whom, as the fiancee of Princess Maud, wo all now take the tenderest interest. The contrast between the two sisters-in-law, tho Princess of Wales and tho Duchess of Saxe-Coburg is very great, the latter looking quite an old lady, whilst the former appears about the same age as her daughter Victoria. You must not, however, accept tho new photos of 11. 11.11. as absolutely accurate. The fashionable photographer takes every line out of his sitter's face, thereby retaining certainly an impression of youth, but destroying genuine likeness. The Princess' most remarkable personal characteristic is an extraordinarily upright —bolt upright—carriage which she retains for hours at a time, to the dismay of ladies in wailing, especially when travelling. She attributes the habit to her rigid bringing up, and in speaking of it recently said to a friend; "We were never allowed to lie

down during the daytime when we were children for fear of making ourselves untidy, and I am so accustomed to the habit now that I should never dream of removing my bonnet while on a journey." The tenth instant was absolutely the thirtythird anniversary of the marriage of this juvenile grandmama. In noticing it one of the papers calls to memory Mr Win. Forsyth's poem of " Welcome " to tho Princess Alexandra, quite the best among hundreds published about that time. Here is a stanza:— And the Queen of our hearts is tho Queen of the Sea ; And as long as the sea rolls on, May Lie love of the faithful, the faith of the; free Do around her children's throne. And wliate'er lie tho storms that the Witters

May their banner in peace and war lie tho sceptre that waves to the Southern

Cross And that shines to the Northern star And the thunder-burst of Welcome,

Like a s'orm-surge on the strand, Is tho wonder-burst of Welcome—

Of the far-resounding Welcome—

Of a whole rejoicing Land : For who but tho Sea-King's child should be Tho Jhide of (he B rave Old Land! The name of Alexandra reminds me of another marriage, that of the Duke of Coburg's young daughter. She is only sweet seventeen, but it is, I believe, a fact that tho Duke ol Coburg, even more than the Duchess, is in favour of very early weddings. About the time of his eldest daughter's marriage he remarked, in conversation with a lady of his household, that the happiest weddings ho had known were those in which the couple wore both very young. The Duchess of Coburg and her daughters h.ive been busily shopping in tho West .End during their stay at

Clarence House, and have, made innumer able purchases in connection with Princes Alexandra's marriage.

ROYAL CIGARETTE-SMOKEBS

I saw an American paper tin- other day

which represented the Princess of Wales and a party of ladies at Sandringham pulling cigarettes after dinner. As a mallei of fact it is notorious 11.1t.11 dislikes the smell of tobacco only a degree less than the Queen, and has a special aversion to perfumed Turkish cigarettes. Not only does she insist en none of her own oihnraijc adopting the ugly practice, but she has persuaded her niece, the impress of Russia, to discountenance it at St, Petersburg. The latter is credited with the observation thai a cigarette in the mouth of a woman is as bad as an oath in that of a man, and has requested that neither her ladies-in-waiting, nor vet the ladies of the Court, should approach her so long as thero is tho slightest, aroma, of tobacco about, their clothes or about their person. DRESSES AT THE DRAWINGROOM. But I have strayed some way from the Drawing-room, which, of course, was not a gorgeous function, the CourL being still in half-mourning. The Iwo young Princesses of \\'al.s were dressed alike in coi'.-'.agi s of black satin, ( mbroidorcd in jet in the design of leaves, the sleeves being of Vandyke chiffon strapped with jet, which al.-o formed the waist-belts. Other royalties present wire—tho Duke and Uiiclio, a id Veil-;, the Duke and hue!)' ..• oi Saxo-Coburg-Golha, and the Duke and Duchess of Connaught. Some of the dresses among the "general assembly" were of a mod handsome description. That of tho Lady Mayoress (Lady Wilkin) was of rich white duchesso satin, beautifully embroidered with silver, and priceless lace inserted with the embroidery ; tho Court train which fell from the shoulders was of turquoise velvet, lined with pale mauve satin, and ornamented on one side with a large plume of feathers. Another elegant gown was worn by Lady Aline Beaumont (sister of tho Marquis of Londonderry). Tho

" Watteau" train was of ivory brocade shot with yellow, the design in clusters of tulips and turned, back on the left side with bunches of tho natural flowers, the skirt being composed of plain white satin, and the bodice draped with chillon and finished off with an empire belt of embroidered silver. Viscountess Cross (wife of the Lord Privy Seall looked very handsome in rich black satin draped with lace, and train of black

moire bengalinc, ornamented with a cascade of lace, caught up by jet ornament?. The Lord Chamberlain's daughter, Lady Berlha Wilbraham, selected a dress of grey shot silk, trimmed on tho bodice with chiffon and white feathers and a long "mantcau do Cour" of pale mauve brocade, while the Hon Fanny Hood (Lord Hood of Avalon's daughter) looked charming in a gown of Rose du Barri satin, with Court train of moss-green velvet. A striking dress was that of Lady Russell, of Shallowfield, the train being of winecoloured velvet lined with shot silk, and draped with point d'Alencon lace, and the dress of beautiful satin brocade, the predominating colours being soft maize and pink. And to conclude we must mention the dress of Lady Tweedmouth, which was of black Lyons velvet, richly embroidered with jot and having large sleeves of tulle, tho Court train being of the same velvet lined with, the new " moire Mouille" silk and fastened in a largo knot. Sho also wore, a black fcuille veil and plumes and a superb diamond tiara. The bouquets i were chiefly composed of lilies of the vrllcy, white lilac, white roses and shaded violets, FASHIONS IN NAMES. The announcement that tho Chairman 1 of the Chartered Company's (the Duke of AbercornV) little grand-daughter was to be named Mary Malabelc Mashona Hamilton was incorrect. But the child actually j has been christened Mary Rhodesia i Hamilton, out of compliment to " tho 1 strong man of South Africa." ProbI ably many other parents will tako a hint from this precedent and do likewise. j Undoubtedly fashion influences names as ! well as garments, as witness the run on certain names at certain limes. A few ! years ago Ethel, Mabel and Maud were , all the rage, today Dorothy and Doris are reigning favourites, to be replaced in a few hoi t months bysome more fashionable appellation—Boris, perhaps. Not very long ago it was, says tho Globe, our lot to adjudicate on a name competition, and a plebiscite being the easiest way out of the difficulty, wo took one, with the result that Dorothy, Gladys, Alary, Muriel and Violet were the most popular for girls'names, Frank, Cecil and Charles for boys. AVe have littlo doubt, bearing tho latest royal infant in mind, but that George would displace one or other of the latter names were a similar competition to bo made to-day. Had not tho late Prince Consort been christened Albert the name would not be so popular in England to-day as if is, and hut for the Prince of Wales the conjunction of Albert with Edward would be a more accident, and would most certainly not be met with so frequently as it is. The Beatrices of to clay owe their appellaton chiefly to the Queen's youngest daughter, and Arthur came into vogue with the great Duke of Wellington. But it is not only personages that are at the root of many names, but events also. We have not yet come across a Johannesburg Smith, though there may be such a one, but Alma is quite a common name for Indies of a certain age, and it i i stated I soiiou ly thai a child was christened '".Siege Sebastopul" during' the stirring limes of the Ciimcan War. ll is a wellknown fact that in 'S? many children were baptised Jubilee, and it, is recorded that in 'fi'2 the name and memory i i .1 umbo was perpetuated ou an innocent child of Lye, who doubtless rues the day when the children's pet was dragged from the Zoo to foreign climes. "GOSSIP"AND ITS GOWNS. Even the wonderful dresses worn by Mrs Langtry in " Gossip "at tho Comedy Theatre have not sufficed to popularise that " curious mixture of the entire Kendal repertoire," as Wm. Archer called this peculiar play. A general criticism upon the Jersey Lily's dresses can easily be made. Mrs Langtry—let us charitably hope from modesty —takes iniinito pains to divert tho eyes of the audience from her beauty. Unlike a well-known mondc'.iru, who, having a beautiful arm and hand, wears neither bracelet nor ring, and avoids gioves when possible, so as to draw attention to what she is, Mrs Langtry draws attention to what she has, and seems prouder of the jewellery that she

' has acquired than of the beauty that is I her natural gift. I Such a costume as her dress of pale ; blue pique, with its bodice of taffetas glaco j veiled with embroidered lawn, and belted with bright green velvet and a girdle of emeralds and diamonds, was pretty from a dressmaker's point of view, but its I fashionable sleeves and fluted basques | destroyed the effect of the splendid lines' lof the actress' figure. It might well serve I a Parisiennc who relied more on chic and j charm than actual loveliness, but Jane 1 Harding would have repudiated a costume that did not enhance her particular stylo of beauty, and could only draw eyes from tho wearer to the thing worn. Of course the clou of the third act from a woman's i —not a critic's —point of view was tho famous diamond tiara which she wore on her hair, coiffed in the simple Greek knot, to which she has wisely returned. Her ball dress of thick cream satin, veiled at the back with tulle, and decorated at either side with wide panels of embroidery —the sleeve were of white tulle, butterfly shaped and the plainly cut bodice served as repomsoir to some wonderful gems. In the second act the pique gown is exchanged for a very becoming dress of pale pink chiffon, veiled with j tulle, and edged with lino old embroidery. Geranium-coloured velvet encircled the waist, and was tied in a huge bow at the left side, whilst a bunch of violets nestled near the throat close to another bow of the bright velvet. An enormous picture hat of black tulle, with masses of feathers, crowned and overshadowed her face. These dresses may sound somewhat gorgeous for the seaside, but it must bo remembered that " Mrs Barry" was at Trouvillo where the fashionable femmes (hi mow] of the foreign colony of Paris vie in splendour with tho notabilities of the dcmi-mowlc. DBESSES IN "FOR THE CROAVN." Tho costumes in the beautiful poetic drama at the Lyceum are exceedingly tasteful, and sure to bo freely copied for fancy balls. Never, possibly, lias Mrs Patrick Campbell's strange beauty boon no well sol off as by Militza's picturesque dress of Rliodian rod. Over tho twin garments was a straight divided skirt, hanging from tho shoulders of rod with crossbars of gold, and kept in place over the hips by a heavily embroidered scarf, in which green and gold were tho dominant colours. Tho gorgeous underskirt was half-masked by an elaborate necklet of silver, and over her long, glossy, dark hair was worn a bright green, silver embroidered scarf, tied turbanwise. In the second act, Militza, chanting her song of tho young girl and tho butterfly, seemed to have stepped out of ono of the pages of the " Arabian Nights." A white scarf, tho ends delicately embroidered with gold, was tied round her head ; over the orange-silk trousers that reached the ankles was a straight skirt of white, bordered with green and gold, and the bodico was half-hidden by jewellery of barbaric splendour, in which tho Persian turquoise was most noticeable. Tho strange characteristic leopard skin that figures on so many dresses in the play was clasped round the hips by ornaments of rare beauty, fashioned of metal enamelled in a deep lucent red, and studded with turquoises. In tho last act the slave girl's pale intense face had as background a head scarf of bright colourkilling rose ile chine. A white linen Persian embroidered skirt half concealed tho baggy pale blue satin trousers, that were decorated down each side with strips of embroidery, in which touches of black recalled the spots in tho leopard skin that again divided skirt from bodice. In her arms she bore a great bunch of flowers—■ roses, lilies and carnations—that recalled tho principal colour in her dress. Miss Winifred Emery's regal robes, though of rare beauty, were killed by tho exquisite colouring and fashion, not only of tire gipsy prisoner's dresses, but also by the picturesque costumes worn by Michael, Constantino, and their followers and enemies. Ba/.ilide's first gown was a harmony in green. Tho under-dress of pale emerald satin was worked over with conventional designs in jewels and silks of many hues; the ample queenly mantle of deep emerald velvet was lined with rosecoloured satin, and accorded well with the heavily jewelled crown that gave seeming height to Miss Winifred Emery's figure. Tho second act shows the ambitious Greek princess resting on a couch covered by a bear skin, that serves as rcpoussoir to her over-dross of gold embroidered yellow silk that is lined with pale blue. The arrangement and outline of this dress would give admirable ideas for a modern tea-gown.