Royal Marriage Preparations.

Otago Witness, Issue 1764, 12 September 1885, Page 26

Royal Marriage Preparations.

A wedding, even in humble spheres, always entails many preliminaries and preparations, and when the wedding is that of one of the highest-in the land they are naturally wider in scope and 'more elaborate in character. The approaching marriage of Princess Beatrice has set many distant looms in motion, caused many beautiful fabrics to be made, and kept hundreds of hands busy, and all these waves of industry communicate unwonted impetus to others, in an ever widening circle, and tend to make business all the brisker.

That well-known firm, Messrs Garrard, of the Haymarket, goldsmiths and jewellers to the Crown, have made a splendid service of massive silver plate, which is the present offered by the ladies and gentlemen of her Majesty's household to Princess Beatrice on her marriage. It is in the Louis Seize style, and each piece is richly chased with rams' heads and festoons of flowers, and comprises two seven-light candelabra, two double and four single tier dessert stands, and an oval basket as a centre piece. Messrs Garrard have also reset a good deal of jewellery for the Queen and delivered it. We may be permitted to suppose that the ultimate destination of at least some of these beautiful articles is her Royal Highness' jewel case. M. Claude, of Davies street,' Berkeley square, whose taste in artistic dress is well known, has some orders for Princes Beatrice, but they are not to be executed until after her marriage.

Messrs and Allenby, of Regent street, have had the honour of making some interesting fabrics, and among others the black broche grenadine, which will be worn by the Queen at the ceremony of the 23rd. It is extremely rich, , and perfectly marvellous as a specimen of the finest and most skilful silk weaving that has ever been accomplished in Europe. It was made at Lyons, a i new Jacquard loom being specially erected, and a new and separate set of cards prepared for that piece of material alone, so that no other can be made. The pattern is rather a large flower of double wire silk grenadine on a double broche ground, and it will look very handsome when made up over a thin bright silkl This firm also undertook the delicate task of copying a wonderful old piece of brocade from a fragment in the Florentine Museum for the Princess Beatrice. The ground is a kind of maize in colour, and the rich conventional pattern stands out on it in a shade difficult to describe, but nob unlike that of mahogany enriched by years and rubbing. It looks capable of standing alone by its own richness, and Catherine de Medicis herself might have worn it. Some extremely pretty soft tussore silks, with bordering in oriental colours, were also supplied by Messrs Lewis and Allenby. A great deal of Irish poplin has been purchased for the trousseau, and among others Messrs Atkinson, the old established poplin manufacturers of College Green, Dublin, have made and delivered some magnificent specimens of these rich and unique materials. One is ivory white in a small yet rich eastern design, interwoven with many gold threads ; another is of the most splendid tint of brilliant cardinal colour, and so soft that it drapes magnificently ; while a third of rather lighter make is pale skyblue, with a pattern of forget-me-not sprays all over it. Messrs Howell and James, who are specialists in the way of lace, and experienced judges of it, have supplied some most beautiful black Chantilly in two widths, one wide enough for a flounce, and the other narrower, so as to form garniture to match. The lightness and richness of the pattern are remarkable, and, besides the the flowers, it shows at regular intervals the daintiest of little baskets, out of which Flora's treasures appear to be falling in profusion. Messrs Hayward, of Oxford street, received the Royal commands some time ago to take a selection of laces to Windsor Castle, and from these her Majesty chose for the Princess twelve yards of the finest point* de gaze in flounce width, and six yards narrower. The pattern is a very elaborate one" of roses and tuberoses, and can hardly be excelled for beauty. It has been made up with exquisite taste as a dinner gown with pink spotted crepe de chine. The Queen also selected for her daughter some exquisite specimens of white and ecru silk Irish lace — a sjieciulite, which Messrs Hayward have spent much time and pains in bringing to perfection. One of the prettiest shaped fichus in which it is made is called the Beatrice. A visit to Messrs Redfern's Cowes establishment a few weeks since revealed what charming dresses were there being made for Princess Beatrice. One of the costumes prepared for the royal trousseau is of fine tweed shaded into small checks, and made up with a lovely tricotee silk shaded to match. The bodice is quite new, with a triangular vest bordered with a small" graduated revers of the silk, which forms a rouleau collar at the back, and from the point where the vest terminates the fastening is carried diagonally. The skirt is quite original in its arrangement, and is formed by broad pleats of the tweed alternating with folds of the silk finely gauged at the waist, and again a little lower down. This causes them to fall naturally into the form of kiltings, which show between the folds of tweed. The upper drapery is caught high on the left hip and folded towards the right side, and forms very graceful loops behind. A natty little jacket for outdoor wear, and an elegantly folded toque, are supplied with this

costume. Another of the gowns made by Messrs Redfern is brown tweed with red ana cream threads intermingled. The polonaise bodice is fastened transversely from the left shoulder by by very handsome hand-painted buttons. ' The rather 16ng front drapery is disposed diagonally over a plain skirt, and the back is finished off by boiiffante loops. This is in* tended as an ordinary travelling and walking dress.

One of the most charming toilettes is suitable for tennis or for a garden party, This is & kind of cream matelasse, with a stylish little bodied pointed in front, and having 6hort coat tails at the back. There is a turquoise-tinted vest finished off on each side with a graduated revers of the cream material, with buttonholes down the left side, and very handsome carved mother-of-pearl' buttons on the right. This gives the idea that the bodice «an be buttoned over the vest at pleasure. Some of the broad box-plaits in the front of the skirt have the lower corners turned up and faced with the blue, and between them are seen the tiny cream kiltings which are carried all round the back of the skirt. The scarf drapery is rather boujfante behind, and the little tennis hat made to match is a clever combination of cream and blue. A plainer 'tennis gown is of soft thin cream flannel, with a skirt arranged alternately in wide plaits and fine kiltings, and a Norfolk jacket with lapels at the neck and a waistband.

Princess Beatrice is evidently fond of brown, for Messrs Redfern nave made her another tweed of that colour, with knotted stripes of red and cream running through it. The long drapery of the skirt falls away right aud left in perpendicular folds, both at back and front, .over a plain petticoat, and the short habit-bodice has a turn-down collar, which allows a washing scarf to be seen below the linen collar. It is fastened down to the waste by the very small neat buttons, so well known to all who wear dresses made at any of the establishments of this firm.

A beautiful dress for cold weather is of fine grenat cloth, with ottoman silk panels, and 'graduated vest and cuffs to match.- A marked feature of the bodice is the manner in which the cloth revers are fastened back on each side of the neck by a single curiously shaped button , a row of which are also-used as fastenings below the vest. A very pretty little out-door jacket is of the same cloth, fastening transversely from the left shoulder, and trimmed with a wide hand of the richest sable. A toque made to match renders this costume quite complete for out-of-doors. A great deal of the lingerie for Princess Beatrice has been made by Mrs Bland, of 10 Bruton street, and more has been ordered iv Ireland, so it is evident that the Emerald Isle is having a very fair share of the benefits accruing from t the wedding outfh) of the Queen's youngest child. — Queen.