LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2009, 25 August 1892, Page 42

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— A most objectionable custom, at present highly in vogue in smart society in Paris, is that of painting children's faces. Fashionable mothers paint their youngsters' cheeks and lips with the same hues that they wear themselves, and, in consequence, the wretched little creatures are never able to play or amuse themselves in any healthy way for fear of disturbing their appearance, while their skins wither prematurely, and they are condemned to continue the practice under pain of looking prematurely old.

— Miss Elizabeth More, of Edgeworth, Pennsylvania, has recently built with her own hands a neat little cottage, laying the foundation, doing all tbe carpenter work, and even plastering the rooms. Daring some of the work she found it necessary to don male attire, and she was aided in the hardest part of the work by a young girl friend. Miss More is a pretty girl, and is very proud of having once been a protege of Jane Gray Swisshelm, from whom she probably learned some of her energy. — An effective lilac luncheon served recently in London had a centre-pieoe of artificial lilac bloom set in a close border of real white tulips. Individual candlesticks in the form of Corinthian columns of pure white porcelain supported lilac-shaded candles. The chaira of white and gold enamel had lilac cushions and scarfs of the same colour, with the name of the occupants in gold letters. Candied violets in poke bonnets of lilac silk were used for favours, and white ices were served in violet-tiDted glass cups set in gold standards. — After many conflicting reports it has been finally stated authoritatively that Miss Victoria Cleghorn, who is perhaps better known as the Princess Kauilani, Crown Princess and heir apparent to the throne of Hawaii, is not to make her homt in Boston, nor to be placed as a student at Wellesley College. Instead of this she is to be presented to Queen Victoria, to visit some of the European courts, and then to go to America for the purpose of making an extended tour of the States, visiting the World's Fair, and returning to Honolulu in time to celebrate her 18th birthday on the 16th of October 1893. At that time she will be of age, and able to assume her duties as heir apparent. — The house which Mr Astor has bought in Carlton House terrace, London, is to be done up in the most resplendent manner, with the view of cutting Mrs Mackay's marble hall completely out of the field, and showing the Britisher how far more magnificent are Yankee palaces in comparison with English ones. — "Miranda" records, in the Adelaide Observer, that " « tuckers ' are once more restored to favour, and I am really glad to record the revival. It has always seemed to me a trifle unfeminine to wholly do away with lace or frilling of some sort from the collars of one's gowns, and I am sure men always prefer to see something soft about a woman's throat. The leading modistes are all putting 'tuckers' into the new frocks, and, ac may be imagined, these are very dainty affairs. Lace is most in favour, and there is nothing prettier for the purpose, but some silken ones and some of the irrepressible chiffon are to be seen. Lace is altogether very much en evidence just now, which partly accounts for the dainty dressy appearance of most women this season. Women should never allow i*; to be out of fashion, for they always look well in it." — The proud mother of a tailor-made girl says : — " I encourage her because she is a living example of the beauty of cleanliness. She oan't be anything else and look good form. Imitating her brother, her skirt and coat have to be well brushed ; again imitating him, her shirt must be immaculate, and the collars and cuffs on it as white as the driven snow, and as nnwrinkled as a baby's face. She has a certain amount of latitude in colour so far as her scarf is concerned, but it must be tied in the most precise way and exactly after the manner of that affected by the gentle dude. As far as her belts go she can be as fanciful as she pleases ; sometimes she chooses a belt that will draw in tight and display the slenderness of her waist as compared with the breadth of hei hips, and again she will chose a soft sash knotted a1;a 1 ; one side, and say unconsciously, * Don't I mfike a girly-looking boy ? ' But the keynote of the whole get-up is neatness and exquisite cleanliness, and so I approve of it."

— Mrs Todd, one of the very few women who were present at the battle of Waterloo, is still living — but in great poverty — at Spitalfields. Her father was killed in the battle, and her mother appoara to have died of a broken heart. A charming description of the venerable dame has been written by a lady representative of the Pall Mall, who visited her on the eve of the anniversaiy.

—No fashionable Parisian wears any other nejlige this season than a mauve levite ala liusse. It is a kind of long paletot like that worn by Russian popes, trimmed around the edge with Byzantine embroidery of close silk and gold threads. — The little King of Spain, who is always getting into mischief, alarmed the whole Gpurt the other day by his disappearance, and was finally found at the theatre at Royat dressed as a clown. It seems that his small Majesty is extremely fond of one of the servants, and he followed the man without his knowledge to the theatre, and when there insisted upon being dressed in a clown's costume, and this had just oeen done when he was discovered by his faithful subjects. The genius of the French shoemaker seems to be largely directed to the favhioning of novel and pretty low shoes, ties, slippers, and sandals to accompany dancing toilets. The "Princess May shoe " is perfection in its shape, and has no fancy touches. It is of black French kid of tbe finest, most flexible quality. It is lined with mauve silk, slashed a little on top, and tied with a plain black satin ribbon. The Comtesse de Nurasol, Miss Etta Hughes, and Fraulein Paula are the Spanish, English, and Austrian governesses of the Infantas of Spain. Each of these ladies receives LBOO a year from the Royal Exchequer. Jean Ingelow, the poetess, says of woman's rights : " I don't approve of them at all ; we cannot rave rights and privileges as well, and I prefer privileges, We shall

lose our privileges when we demand our rights."

— Queen Christina is doing all she can to discourage bull fighting in Spain. She has been seen but once in the Royal box of the arena since the death of her husband. Notwithstanding this decided attitude taken by the Regent towards the national sport, bull fighting has never been more popular in Spain. Every Sunday the. arena at Madrid, accommodating some 16,000 spectators, is filled to overflowing. The torreros and the espadas are overwhelmed with engagements, and bulls command the highest prices.

— A new sphere of work for ladies has just been discovered. The Women's London Gardening Association decorates dinnertables, supplying wedding and other bouquets and all kinds of floral arrangements. The association is also prepared to " take in plants and board," supply conservatories, &c, or take charge of them by the year, on terms quite unobtainable elsewhere. These lady workers also undertake gardens, and the charge of graves in cemeteries.

— A pleasant side of Turkish girl life is that which may be seen any day just now at the " sweet waters " of Europe or tome other favourite retort on the outskirts of Constantinople. The family will set out in the morning, and, spreading their rugs in some field, spend the day there doing nothing, and apparently very contented with the occupation. The women squat on the ground, with their feet under them, in that peculiar manner to which they are indebted for their bandy legs. It is nob romantic, but truth compels one to state that all Turkish girls ultimately become bandy-legged; the fine, well-made women one occasionally meets in Stamboul are mostly Circassians. A few cakes and some sweets suffice for both young and old. A stranger is invariably struck with the prematurely serious air which Turkish children wear. The elder girls do not play and run in the manner that English people expect of healthy children. They sit or stroll about, quietly and gravely, their yashmaks loosened and forming a enow-white frame work, which displajs to advantage their complexion, as yet unspoiled by paint and powder. On the approach of a man, they will hastily diaw over their yashmaks, not bo close, however, that the stranger cannot aCmire their faces, if he has a fancy for Turkish beauty, whicb, though in girls and young women sometimes very attractive, is too frequently of the half-bred Tartar type, lacking intelligence and refinement.

— During Queen Wilhelmina's recent visit to Friesland she appeared at the races dressed in a Friesland costume presented to her by some 8000 women of the province. Her arrival on the course was the signal for a great outburst of enthusiasm.

— Any woman in whom the dress instinct is not entirely dormant can be her own milliner this season (says a Home paper), for the most startling of flyaway bows, the daintiest of lace rosettes, ribbon rucbings, and lace thistles, besides a great variety of flowers, all may be purchased ready for trimming hats and bonnets. A few fancy pins, a little knack at producing effects, and the thing is done without touching a needle or wasting half a day's pleasure.

— The Duchess Karl Theodor of Bavaria always assists her husband, the Duke Dr Earl Theodor of Bavaria, in his practice as an ophthalmic physician. The duke had 1235 patients in his season from April 3 to June 6.

London Fashions

The Home correspondent of the South Australian Chronicle has the following to say on this subject under date June 17 : —

Startling are the colour combinations now in favour. In Hyde Park this week I observed any number of gowns which united mauve and yellow ; there were others in deeper shade of purple that presented a daring combination with pink. It rrould at first thought seem impossible that unions so generally opposed to the laws of colour could prove anything but glaring instances of bad taste. Not so, however, if the modiste be a true artiste and has learned how much or how little of the opposing colour to introduce, and the value and significance of careful shading. The pretty pale mauve crepons blend well with trimming of velvet in a certain tone of yellow. As a rule, the yellow material is supplied in ribbon velvet more or less wide in the form of bands for the full sleeves. The narrow sash which outlines the waist ends in a good-sized rosette at the back, the ribbon being drawn down to a point under the rosette, thus adding an jpp arance of length to the waist. Or the contrasting colour may be supplied in the form of a wide Empire sash of soft yellow silk folded widely in front, and kept in place by a very long narrow buckle. Passing under the arms towards the back the folds of the sash become narrower and more compact, and terminate under the inevitable rosette made of the same silk. The revera are lined with silk to match, and the colour is repeated in the collar and in the wide turned-back cavalier cuff-f. Jnst now there is a rage for the " Incroyable" style of revers. Starting from the collar, they stretch away outward long past the armhole ; in some exaggerated cases they extend beyond the sleeve on either side, terminating in an acute angle and sloping downward at the lower edge finish just above the bust. Below, the corsage is buttoned in the usual way. There is sometimes a yolk of lace over fiik, with a pelerine of lace going quite round the yoke, outlining the edge in fact, and brought to a slight point in the centre of the bust. When the material is thin, as in crepon, delaine, grenadine, &c, the frill is often made of the diess material with lace or tilk yoke above. Tbe sleeves, though very voluminous, are not raised on the shoulder, but the quantity of material used serves to k»ep the epaulette of lace well away from the arms. Sleeves are made with tight cuffs to just below the elbow. The upper part of the sleeve being, as I rematked before, very full, is gathered to the cuff, and is sufficiently long and ample enough to fall well over the elbow in a puff that is kept in place by a few gathers quite at the back and just above the joint, or otherwise by a band of ribbon tied in a neat, bow immediately above the elbow. Berthes of the dress material are sometimes made to fall smoothly from the edge of the round three-quarter high corsages now affected. The chemisette or upper part of tbe bodioe may be of silk, in contrasting

tone covered with black silk guipure or string-colotir lace. Of imitation laces the variety known as '• Russian " lace is more popular than imitation " Irish point," which was so popular last year. Sleeves differing in colour and material from the dress are a great feature of present fashions. Tartan plaid silks are being introduced with very excellent effect into gowns of black silk, Indian cashmere and other black materials ; the wide Empire belt with vest, collar, and sleeves are of the plaid, and occasionally it appears in small quantity on the dress skirt. Black toilets are worn here in excellent contrast to the excess of colour that prevails and prove an excellent foil to the latter. I will give three examples of tasteful gowns in this style. Simple, but stylish, is a dress of Indian cashmere. A band of olive-green velvet in a light shade of the colour was laid abovo the hem and bordered on either side with narrow jet trimming. The deep corslet belt pointed top and bottom waa similarly trimmed. The upper part of the bodice was green velvet, the black sleeves were made with three puffs graduating to the wrist, the ■ame being divided by bands of green velvet. This dress was accompanied by a black chip hat trimmed with green velvet bows, black lace, and one of the jetted Mephistophelian aigrettes so conspicuously worn by fashionable wpmen. It is difficult to account for the spice of diablerie that has crept into current; millinery. " Mephisto " plumes, bats' wings, glittering asps, and the like are all used by milliners as decorations. There is something peculiarly unpleasant about these sable aigrettes ; tall and aggressive, the ends sharply curling in opposite directions, and withal standing up like exaggerated repeats of the representative horns of hia Satanic majesty, or the more familiar excrescences on the head of the Mephistophelian fiend as Goethe sets him before ua.