HE COLOURED LANCERS AND FANCY DRESS BALL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1748, 6 September 1905, Page 24

HE COLOURED LANCERS AND FANCY DRESS BALL.

Very novel and striking events do not come very frequently to mark off the dull routine of life —consequently, when anything nice and refreshing comes we are delighted to chronicle such a pleasant happening very particularly. To all lovers of brilliant colouring and picturesque effects this beautifully car-ried-out ball was a real enjoyment. It had every element of beauty and pleasure combined, thank© to the systematic and energetic management of the committee. They were, first of all, exceedingly business-like and kept out every expense that could he avoided, so not one penny of their money was frittered away. Then they spared no time or trouble to thoroughly see all the details of the ball wer© well arranged! and carefully carried out. That their net results are elo'so to £250 is a most triumphant announcement, and is a gratifying surprise to the public. We think our local tradespeople are wonderfully benevolent on any occasion when there are calls upon them for charity. The committee feel they are. grateful for much useful and substantial help. The D. 1.0. were very generous in lending furniture and decorations and aid in various 'ways, besides tx?eir monetary contribution. Mr E. J. King, who supplied such excellent music, voluntarily, madle a handsome rebate from his fee. Mr Groves kindly brought his motor and worked hard, trying his best to make the floor anyway practicable. The floor of our Town Hall is had at its best, because of its philistine foundations. Some ill-advised person had doctored it with a wickedly sticky wax mixture, which made it more hopeless than ever. Mr J. Williams, a Napier chemist, however, cam© to the rescue with a generous gift of divers oannisters of some! very good powder, which did all that was possible to remedy the mischief. Mir Knight and his men did a lot of good work at the porch and entrance hall for a very reasonable price, and their efforts were most effective and pretty. Godber’s supper was entirely satisfactory and good in every respect, and abundant to the very end. The secretary has in all her accounts, and she will have them properly audited, and the committee will meet on Tuesday for final winding up of their business.

At a quarter past eight o’clock his Worship the Mayor and Mrs Hislop met the Vioe-Regeal party and escorted them to the platform' to the music of the National Anthem.. They took their place© surrounded by the members of their Lancer set, which formed a most picturesque group in their lovely Louis XIV. costumes. Immediately the procession of dancers appeared, headed by the Right Hon. the Premier leading Mrs Wilford. Thus grand march was really the prettiest effect of the whole evening. As they advanced and made their obeisances to their Excellencies and turned from right to left- in obedience to signs from Sergeant Golclough, it had a marvellously charming effect. The Vice-Regal set was as follows :—The Governor and Mrs Wallis, General Babington and Lady Plunket, Captain Braithwaite and Mrs Pearce, Mr A. Cooper and Hon. Oathleen Plunket, Captain Bingham, A.D.C., and Miss Seddon, Dr Collins and Mrs Babington, Captain Hughes, D.S.O 1 ., and Mrs Robinson, Captain Robinson and Miss Richmond.

The dresses of this set were brilliantly beautiful. They were of pale blue silk v made in the Louis XIV. style, with voluminous skirt© and pointed bodices and elbow sleeves. The blue silk skirts, opened in front over white satin tahliers embroidered with pink roses and blue ribbons. The ladies’ hair was powdered and raised high over cushions and a curl over the neck and pink roses becomingly arranged. The gentlemen wore black satin court dresses.

The Parliamentary set was composed of Right Hon. the Premier, who danced with Mrs Wilford, Mr Massey and Mrs SeddOn, Hon. J. Carroll and Mrs Geo. McLean, Mr Heaton Rhodes and Mrs Sidey, Mr Wilford and! Mrs Berries, Mr Allen and Miss McLean, Mr Sidey and Miss McLean, Mr Herries and Miss McKenzie. This was one of the brightest sets in the room. The Right Hon. the Premier wore his red LL.D 1 . gown and velvet beefeater’s hat. The other gentlemen had black gowns and red hoods and mortarboards. The ladies were black satin dresses with red gowns and hoods and academical hats—with powder and patches.

The Puritan set wore stone grey dresses made correctly and large white collars and pretty Puritan caps. The men had grey cloaks and broad-brimmed hats, It was danced by Dr Cahill and Lady Ward, Sir Joseph Ward and Miss Skerrett, Mr Skerrett land Mrs Boys, Mr Knox Gilmer and. Miss May Seddon, Mr Prouse and Miss .Eiileen Ward, Mr Boys and Miss Prouse,,! Mr Vincent Ward and. Mis® Macintosh, Mr L. Hales and Miss Olive Mills.

The following is a list of the other sets:—•

Beauicaire Set—Lady Mary Carlyon, white dresses and deep red roses and wands with roses. The men had pale blue satin coats with the red ribbon of France and white satin waistcoats beautifully embroidered by kindly busy girls for them in pink roses and blue true-lovers’ knots. White wigs. Daffodils were the set that mostly took the popular for. they wore the prize the Governor is giving. They wore whit© silk dresses and pointed belts of deep mandarin silk. Their bouquets were the perfection of beauty, being of daffodils elegantly arranged and tied with Mandarin ribbons. Powdered hair and patches.

Jane Austen set wore the typical dress of 1807, every littl©_detail having been most carefully copied.

The Blackbirds were a most effective set, with stylish black satin evening gowns. Powder and patches, and a large blackbird in their hair and another on the top of their sticks, with some roses and green ribbons. Frosty Night set was a bevy of fair girls in white muslin, powdered hair with silver stars, and wands with silver stare, and sprinkled all over with something that looked like hoar frost. The Early English period was represented by two sets, and were charmingly quaint figures. The Romney set were in plain white muslins with full skirts, and poudre hair, etc., The Empire set were all Hawke’s Bay ladies. Their lovely satin gowns with trains from the shoulders were very handsome and becoming and were greatly admired. The Pierrette and Pierrot set were a pleasant bit of bright colour, being white with large red bosses and tall hats.

The set of savages were quite unique, the cream and gold dresses of the ladies being in contrast to the red velvet cloaks of their partners, who carried gold lyres. The Elarly Victorian set were amongstthe very pretty quaint gowns of their period. Miss Bee re’s Olde English© set danced a minuet very gracefully. The Nurses, last but not least, being a very pretty uniform., which makes the wearers all look fascinating.

The Nondescripts had been almost left out, but they were of all periods and sorts ,aind numbered some very handsome fancy dresses amongst them. There were 17 sets altogether.

Lady Plunket’© three children were the sweetest group of Kate Greenaways and they were greatly admired, while they in turn enjoyed the hall as much as any of the spectators. Mr and Mrs Herepaths costumes were Wonderfully well carried out. They represented the early part o? lasi century. Mi’s Herepath had a blue silk gown with purple fringe on the bodice and skirt and large bows of purple ribbon and violets. Large gigot sleeves were shorthand worn with mittens. Her hair was amazing but correct in every respect, so we refer our friends to the pictures of that period. Mr Herepath’s suit was a work of art and was entirely the work of his wife, who must have a genius for costumes. It had a. coat of purple cloth, fitting very well—light drab trousers fitted with straps under his shoes, and a long white waistcoat and voluminous muslin neck cloth. His wig and mutton chop whispers were also most punctiliously correct. This pair won the prize (a very pretty inlaid tray) given by Lady Ward for the most' original dress in the room.

Miss Partridge, in a. complete Dutchwoman’s dress, from the starched winged cap down to veritable sabots of wood, ran the winners, very closely for the prize, as it was a very quaint and original costume. Mi’s H. Rawson wore a lovely dress. The quilted heliotrope was jewelled and was worn under an ivory satin robe with panniers and watteau train, powder and patches.

Lady Russell looked lovely in a Marie Antoinette wig and patches and black Velvet gown with cerise flowers. Mrs W. Nathan, Mrs Bucholz, Mrs J. Gray, Miss Joliannson, Mrs. Chaytor, and many others, were becomingly dressed and wore powdered hair and patches; Miss Nathan had a lovely blue satin gown and blue wreath. Mrs Corrigan had white satin Court dress.

Mrs Symons wore an amber satin gown and powdered hair. Mrs A. El. Rhodes had a deep rosepink chiffon over glace silk. Mrs (Dir) Young had a Hquant Early Victorian dress. Mrs L. Blundell wore black satin and powder and patches. Mrs Harding (Mount Vernon) was a very charming Duchess of Devonshire in amber satin and picture hat perched on a high powdered coiffure. Mr and Mrs J. D. Siev wright wore effective costumes as Duke and Duchess of Beaufort. Mrs Ernest HadfLld was a, very cheerful Red Cross nurse. Mrs Tolhurst, black evening dress and jDowder and patches. Mr Stott in full Highland costume.

Col. Chaytor as A.D.C. Mr B. Hadfield was a most realistic Arab Chief in a white robe and red

sash, and white turban and long patriarchal beard. Mis© Macdonald! wore a. pretty blue brocaded Pompadour costume. Miss Rutherford wore pale blue satin. Miss Fallows in white satin Court dress. Strephon looked exceedingly countryfied in smock-frock and milking hat. A very pretty milk-maid was Miss Lukin. Miss Hamilton and Miss Mongolith were two fiJLaori beauties in mats and! huia feathers. The ball was altogether quite the prettiest and best we have ever seen here. The costumes of a past period entailed a certain stateliness in the dancing which was a vety great improvement upon the romping and ungainly and absolutely ungraceful style which is so painful to look on at, and which has become general in our hall rooms. Oue freqiertly wonders where the grace and dignity of our dancers has gone, and who can have introduced the vulgar romping now miscalled dancing. It may be that the pretty Lancers of this ball may appeal to the jjubhc sense of beauty, and the quiet gracefulness of the past iray return.