LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 1912, 13 July 1888, Page 33

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— At a recent drawing room the Princess of Wales had a dress and bodice of black gros de Sicilc, draped with tulle, and trimmed with pannels of fine, well-cut jet, which glistened like black diamonds ; the train was of black and gold brocade, lined with satin, and embroidered with gold, trimmed with • gold and black galon. Her Royal Highness • yore, with the usual- veil and feathers, fchjj • tiara of diamonds presented to her by the 365 • ladies on the occasion of her silver wedding/ '. and this was a special object 'of iptereatj aa well as the diamond butterfly presenteabvi - the Grand Lodge of Freemasons, a- diamond

necklace, "and other ornaments. She had more than the usual number of orders — the Victoria and Albert, the Crown of India, St. Catherine of Russia, St. John "of Jerusalem, the Order of the Royal Red Cross, the Jubilee Commemoration Medal, and the Danish Family Order.

— The passion for scandal in American society is probably greater than in any other civilised community. Mrs Candour would feel herself a novice in a New York drawing room. One of the favourite recreations of American ladies is the luncheon-party in honour of some special guest, who is expected to give the most private information about her friends and to listen to chaotic chatter against every reputation she holds dear. — St. James' Gazette.

— A new figure in the cotillon has been introduced in Paris. It is called "Le Retour dv Generate." Gentlemen put on blue spectacles, turn up their coat collars, and simulate heroes returning from battle by walking lame. They then pass before the ladies, and each lady chooses a "generate," whereupon the lameness disappears and the dancing continues.

— Madame Sarah Bernhardt, more than any other living actress, has mastered the art of the production of vocal sounds on the stage. She has lately explained her method. The quarrel scene in " Frou Frou " took her many months to learn. Her habit is first to read the speech in an undertone as slowly as possible, pronouncing each word with a long breath drawn before and after. This exercise she by degrees increases in rapidity until she has almost insensibly acquired the habit of pronouncing the sentences with what appears a whirl of passion. — If one does like artificial flowers they have certainly never been prettier or daintier than they are at Home this year, being arranged like carelessly gathered little nosegays, tied up with grass, and with the long stalks left unshorn. Leaves are very much worn in hats, and a spray of half-opened still gummy linden leaves is a triumph of imitation — it almost touches poetry. Mimosa is very popular, and so are tulips ; but the field flowers, " cowslips wan, that hang the pensive head," "dandelion clocks," forget-me-nots, and river grasses are the favourites — albeit we are threatened (says a London writer) with a forest of carnations from Paris, now that General Boulanger has adopted that flower for his emblem. If so, we will try to forget their association with the French fire-eater, and remember how Spenser in " The Shepherd's Calendar " calls them " coronations and sops in wine," and tells us they are worn by lovers.

— The business man with a hobby that he rides is a happy man; but if the hobby rides him his business will suffer sooner or later. The man without a hobby will be found in the club room, the billiard room, or the card room. The hobbyist, with his loft of pigeons, his birdskins or eggs, his bugs and beetles, takes more substantial happiness than all the members of the highest-toned clubs in any city combined. Besides that, home and Dame Nature is all the world to him.

— Haruka, the Empress of Japan, dresses in the richest silks, gauzes, crepes, and stuffs. Her hair is brushed back a la pompadour. She will visit America next winter, travelling in state with a dozen maids-of-honour, numberless officials, and every incident of luxury.

— The Princess Victoria of Germany, says the Lady's Pictorial, whose engagement to Prince Alexander of Battenberg has been so ruthlessly postponed, is a very fair girl, with light blue eyes, regular features, and a complexion as pale as a lily. Her nose is slightly retrousse, which relieves her face from an expression of insipidity that would otherwise accompany so noticeable a lack of colour. The young Princess is a little like the eldest daughter of the Princess of Wales.

— American girls learn very early to regard themselves as public characters. In one of Thackeray's stories a little aristocrat, who is parted from her child-sweetheart by the departure of the family for the country, is asked how he is to know this. "He will read it in the paper," replies the little lady serenely. This precocious sense of importance is developed in America to an enormous extent by the publicity of endless details about every girl who is qualified to be regarded as a debutante. Her movements are carefully chronicled ; no point of interest in her wardrobe is overlooked ; the whole community is supposed to be anxious about her complexion ; and the announcemant of her marriage shakes the social sphere to its centre. — St. James' Gazette.

— The Queen's drawing room on the 9th May was attended by 1200 ladies, and of these about 450 were presented. Her Majesty withdrew before the reception was over, and her place was taken by Princess Christian, who was accompanied by her daughter, Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. The Princess of Wales was much missed. The Queen, who looked extremely well, wore a train and bodice of black silk, trimmed with crape and jet, a jet diadem and ornaments, and a white veil. Princess Christian's train was of pale blue pompadour satin, trimmed with Honiton lace, and turquoise and diamond ornaments. Her daughter had a train of rose-coloured silk over tulle, trimmed with satin bows. The Duchess of Albany wore black velvet, the train embroidered in silver, and ruby and diamond ornaments.

— The Duke of Marlborough is about to marry, an American widow, and has been spending very large sums on Blenheim, not long since dismantled of some of its most valuable treasures. The bride-elect, if report be true, is extremely wealthy, and under her reign thesplendorus of the historical home of John Churchill and Duchess Sarah of famous memory may revive. Mrs Hanimersley is the name of the widow, according to one report ; another describes it as Roberts.

— No mother who understands her business ever allows bet daughter to appear other than simplicity itself. A man flirts with a fast girl, offers her a box-seat on his drag on club days, or even a cigarette in the billiard room when the parents are both playing whist ; but he marries the ingenue. This fact is the ABC of the dowager. The simple-minded girl is the creation of resolute and persistent training with a definite object. —World.

— It is said her Majesty, like most persons inclined to melancholy, enjoys the company of cheerful pecple ; Princess Christian, the

Duchess of Albany, and the Duchess of Edinburgh are all lively talkers, and their witty conversation greatly amuses the Queen. The Princess of Wales, however, is not so vivacious, and her unfortunate deafness renders the sweet lady a little silent when in company, and this tendency is said to depress her royal mother-in-law. It is a significant fact that her Royal Highness and her daughters only visit the Queen on rare occasions, and seldom or never sleep at the castle or at any other of the palaces when her Majesty is in residence.

— An unusual and interesting entertainment took place on April 17 on the racecourse at Madrid. Twelve thousand children from various charitable institutions assembled, and after being regaled with sandwiches, orange 3, &c, defiled past Queen Christina, the infant King, and the Princesses. It is calculated that about 120,000 persons witnessed this novel and pleasing spectacle. — Stories of the Queen and her family always find listeners, and though half such stories are untrue or only partially true, the following is said to be really authentic. The Queen, driving with Princess Christian on May Day, somewhere in the royal borough, came upon a group of children with a maypole. Her Majesty scattered some silver among them, the Princess, whose heart is larger than her purse, emptied the contents of the portemonnaie also among them, and leaning over to the Queen said, laughingly : " See, I am bankrupt." Whereupon her Majesty replied : " No, you have one Sovereign left." " Yes, mother; but that I could not possibly spare."

— An American gentleman who was recently visiting in England thought he would try an experiment to test the credulity of Englishmen in regard to the United States. So one day when he was with a number of fairly intelligent Englishmen he gravely told them that on various street corners of Chicago there are peculiar machines run by intricate clockwork on which is inscribed the legend : " Drop 10 silver dollars in the slot and get a divorce." Half of his auditors believed the story, and the other half accepted it in its main features, but criticised certain details.

— The secret of all good bread-and-butter puddings is to let the buttered bread soak in the custard for a quarter of an hour before baking it in the oven.

—At the ball given by the King and Queen of Denmark, to celebrate his Majesty's 70th birthday there was a very pretty arrangement in the cotillon. First came two fairies with gilt staves adorned with ribbons ; and next a most beautiful gilded carriage, lined with flowery satin, with curtains of creamcoloured silk. The box was coloured with scarlet velvet, ornamented with the dates 1818 and 1888; the doors of the carriage were covered with pictures in the style of Watteau, representing the royal residences. The carriage was drawn by eight angels, on ■; the box were two, and behind stood two fairies, and a little girl sat in the carriage almost covered with flowers. Two fairies brought this pretty procession to a close. The carriage first went twice round the apartment and then stopped in front of the King and Queen ; the little girl alighted and presented their Majesties with two huge bouquets of dark red roses, with a cross of white camellias, and ornamented with broad ribbons, and she then recited a short poem.

— The legal description of the wife of a baronet or a knight is not "lady," but "dame." "Lady" is the feminine equivalent of " lord," and " dame " is the feminine equivalent of " sir," just as " mistress " is the feminine equivalent of " mister." It is true that there is a clause in the original form of patent for the creation of baronetcies, which is a little ambiguous on this point. But the better opinion is that " dame " is the appropriate and legitimate description of both the baronetess and the knightess, and " dame " and not " lady " is what they ought assuredly to be called everywhere and on all occasions. Sir John and Dame Jane, Sir Lancelot and Dame Eowena, so would they be known, and the ridiculous anomaly of "ladies" who yield precedence, often by many degrees, to " mistresses" and " misses " — the daughters of viscounts and barons, and the wives of the younger sons of earls, as well as of all the sons of viscounts and barons — would come to an end. — World.

— When the late Dr Norman Macleod paid one of his visits to Balmoral in 1863 he was taken into the confidence, in a rather oldfashioned way, of the Princess Beatrice. Her Royal Highness was then a little lady of six summers, and found it very hard to get the proper degree of respect and obedience from her nephew and niece. "Whp.l, do you think ?" she complained, " I am an aunt, Dr Macleod, yet my nephew William (of Prussia) won't do what I bid him, Both he and Elizabeth refuse to shut the door. Is that not naughty ?"

When a lady (we are talking of a lady in the full height and breadth of fashion) has got her bonnet and gloves on, and is perfectly ready with her parasol in her hand, she always goes back to the looking-glass to take the last fond look. Upon our asking " a dear handsome duchess " if this was not the truth and the beautiful truth, she had the charming candour to state : " Yes, my dear sir, it is the truth, but not all the truth. No woman, take my word for it, is satisfied with one look. At least, I know that lam not, for (and here our duchess laughed as though she was pleased with herself and all the world) I don't mind telling you, I invariably take four — four good ones. The first look in the glass is for myself, that's fair ; the second is for my husband, that's nothing but just ; the third is for my friends, that's only generous ; and the last is for my rivals, that's human nature. If the last look satisfies me, then I know that it is all right, and I assure you I never take any more."

Home Fashions.

It is impossible not to see how in many ways we are fast returning to the fashions of 50 years ago. Some persons who have been to see the new play, " Pompadour," predict the speedy reappearance of hooped petticoats. Certainly the style of dress that goes by the name of pompadour is one of the prettiest and most effective women can adopt. The materials used in its construction are very charming. With such return stripes must go out of fashion. The rich flower brocades and floral pattern woollens, which are a feature of pompadour dress, are far more beautiful than striped goods— which

have a hard, uncompromising 100k — and have a marked tendency to exaggerate the defects of what I may call the national figure.

Ribbons, ribbons everywhere? A novel notion is to make a neck'ribbon and finish it with long loops and flowing ends reaching to and below the waist.

There was a grand wedding last week in London, which I went to see. The bridesmaids were carrying the daintiest little walking canes tied with white silk bows, in which a tiny spray of orange blossoms was introduced. It is amusing as well as interesting to see how readily women accommodate their gestures to new modes. One would think, not being accustomed to walking sticks, the sex would handle them awkwardly. Not so ; they carried their canes with the same dainty coquetry that they practice in the use of the wonted fan. Women do not lean on the sticks as a man does, but carry the cane with the point well forward, and a little jerking motion that has, as I said before, more than a spice of coquetry in it. I can fancy those pretty girls practising in the privacy of their own rooms, or before the critical eyes of each other and hear in fancy the fun that goes on amongst them. Women are born actors, Eays somebody ; so much the better for them say I. The fabled Palace of Truth would be a terrible place to live in were it situated in the Garden of Eden itself.

I was invited to a very pretty wedding last week. The bridesmaids wore silk dresses shot with pink and green ; also Leghorn picture hats trimmed with green gauze and pink azaleas. They carried bouquets of the same flowers, and walking canes tied with bows of pink watered ribbon — an affectation of infirmity that seems to be slowly gaining ground. Fawn-coloured materials with silver trimmings, or navy blue with gold embroideries, are favourite styles. The new tinsel embroideries are remarkably effective, but should only be used to trim self-colourecl materials, and to look really well must be of first rate quality ; and this kind is expensive, as bullion is used in their construction, and this of course does not tarnish, or rather net to any appreciable degree. It only tones down a little, and this is accounted gain and not loss. Silver embroideries are preferably duller than the new metal; steel, however, if worn cannot be too bright. The gold lace costs about Gs a yard 3in wide, and more or less in proportion to width.

I hear the health of our dear Princess is very delicate, and that it is likely she will have to go abroad very soon. The visit of Crown Prince of Italy is said to be likely to result in his betrothal to one of the daughters of the Prince and Princess of Wales. When the Queen was at Florence many visits and kindly amenities passed between the Sovereign of England and the King and Queen of Italy. Our Queen is a noted matchmaker, and I suppose the union would be from a social point of view a desirable one. Reportd eclares Princess Louise, the eldest daughter, is attached to an English noble, but then matrimonial reports are not invariably to be relied upon. — South Australian Chronicle's Home Correspondent.