LADIES' GOSSIP,

Otago Witness, Volume 15, Issue 1487, 15 May 1880, Page 26

LADIES' GOSSIP,

A pretty custom has come into vogue at Home among ladies, namely, of carrying floral baskets instead of bouquets to parties and the opera. The most fashionable flowers are violets and pale yellow tea roscß. The spring fashions at Home offer as great a variety in materials as in styles. Complete toilettes may be made of black or white satin, but this material in colours is used as portions of .dresses only. The most gorgeous brides' dresses made in Paris are said to be for American orders. They are mostly of white satin, embroidered with the fiuest iridescent pearl beads. There are two American ladies in Europe who have obtained the title of princess— the Princess Lynar, formerly Miss Mary Parsons, and the Princess of Noer, formerly Mary Esther Le°, of New York, who was married in 1864 to Prince Frederick, brother of the Queen of Denmark. All the rich fabrics in vogue at Home for spring wear are trimmed with laces, feathers, splendid embroidories, and passementeries, adding considerably not only to their effect, but to their cost. A little girl, shut up as a punishment for some fault in her father's barn, at Baud (Mobihan), in France, was killed by a wolf which, by climbing a rubbish heap, was able to enter by the root. The family had been at work in the, fields at some distance, and on the father opening the door to release the child, the wolf sprang out arjd made off, leaving on the floor tho half- devoured remains of its victim.

Toilettes arc sometimes composed of no less than four different materials and shades of fche same colour, and these must be combined with the greatest tact and tante, to prevent thuir having a 100 prononce effect. The leading London clubs have now flower stands in the hall at which members may purchase button-hole flowers, White, pale blue, pale pinlr, and cream oachemire— either Indian or "Empress"—

make charming dinner dresses. For young girls they are trimmed with satin blais or silk plicae's, but young married ladies chose as garnitures ornaments and scarfs of satin broohe", or Borne Pompadour matarial ; and, thus ornamented, they make really elegant dresses.

The return of curls is announced by French hair dressers. They are to be worn on the temples and close to the face ; and, although this is beooming to a few lovely old ladies, it is to be hoped the fashion will not be generally introduced, but it [is said that it will.

Immense gold crosses are very fashionable now, and are much worn by English ladies travelling on the Continent; and elsewhere.

Gold embroideries, heads, and trimmings of all kinds are very fashionable at Home, and their vogue is not at all likely to diminish.

Mrs Bell, Bister and heiress to James Gordon Bennett, of the New York Herald. _^ has just given birth in P&ris to a fine baby." - It is a boy, and the happy little fellow found in his cradle 100 U.S. bonds of 1000 dollars each, as a present from bis uncle. J. G. B. appears to have a speoial liking for the sum of 100,000 dollars, which was the exaot amount contributed by him to the Irish Famine Fund.

The greatest novelty of the spring season is hand-painted lace. Never have natural flowers been so muoh worn as of labe ; they appear in the hair, in the corsage, and trailing round the skirt of the Parisian belle.

The season's bonnets will certainly nob increase in size. In fact, there ia every appearance of their being smaller than we have lately seen them. The hats, on the contrary, will be large, and the most fashionable will have wide brims raised a la " Gainbborough." Light felt, trimmed with satin and feathers to match, will be among those moßt worn by the leaders of fashion ; creme, light grey, and white bsing the favourite colours for dress bonnets.

At a wadding in London lately the bride wore orange blossoms on her white satin shoes.

All bodices, of whatever stupe and style, are very close fitting, and require to be well shaped and made.

The wedding bouquet is no longer the simple thing it was ; it takes the form some- • times ef a huge ball of flowers hung up in the room, sometimes of a casket, sometimes of a fan. For full dresß fans are of plain satin, embroidered with Bilk of delicate colouring j some, indeed, are hand-painted on silk by artists of repute.