LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2309, 2 June 1898, Page 44

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— A new industry, first put forward under the patronage of Mrs John Jacob Astor, has blossomed forth. This rich young -woman, one of" the most prominenc and beautiful of New York's - fashionable matrons, has ha^-her own sweet face painted withy.most exquisite art" on six very choice Sevres- plates, that are only used for her smallest and most select luncheon parties. The plates show Mrs Astor in evening dress, tailor dress, reception gown, skating furs, in a delicate summer muslin, and iv her bridal gown. It has remained, however, for Mrs Oliver Belmont to lead all the rest in portraiture of an original and most expensive sort. Only the Queen of Italy has anything to show like the huge -window of stained glass that fits into the space at the head of the stairs in Mrs Belmont's New York house This window, 14ft high by Bft broad, looks toward the west, and no one who enters the hall of the house "can fail to loolc up^.t this window, through the many colours of whicht the light for the hall comes. In a framework of marvellous glass roses the mistress of the mansion stands, arrayed in gorgeous yellow brocaded satin, wearing her famous turquoise tiara, necklace, and brooches. The window was designed and the glass work done by American artists^ and the crystal pieces o* glowing colour and many degrees ol thickness are put together in a framework of silver instead of lead. At some points in the decoration genuine jewels are set in with the glass, and at night a heavy iron door closes at the back of the window, which, by cunningly arranged electric lights, is softly illuminated. It is said that to no less a person than Alma Tadema the young Duchess of Marlborough is giving sittings for a glass portrait like her mother's. . — This year the Pans modistes have de •creed chat the shade of pale lavender, so much in vogue half a century ago, is again lo be the fashionable, wear, with this difference, that now it is to be shrouded in gauzy muslin, having the same colouring introduced in flowers or designs on a white ground. Of course, such dainty garments are but fleeting joys, but during their short life they are simply exquisite, being specially charming when worn by a young girl The hais, to complete such creations, are all more or less of the toque ordor, but the materials used are soft, billowy chiffons and tulles garni, with •wings and ospreys, or long ostrich feathers, finished off with a cluster of coses resting on the hair

— The mother of Lady Victoria Loi Welleslev, whose death at an advanced a^c occurred some little time ago, was one of the most nehly dowered English brides of the present century She inherited estates, the yearly rental of which was £60,000. together with one of the finest mansions in England, the famous Wanstead House. Her marriage with Mr William Pole Wellesley, afterwards the fourth Earl of Morumgton, was celebrated in 1812 with the splendour befitting a bride whose Din. money aloae was £12,000 a year.

Her wedding dress cost 700gs, her " cottage bonnet of lace" 150gs, and she wore, during the ceremony, among other jewels, a necklace worth 25,000g5. Unfortunately, all Miss Tylney-Long's wealth could not purchase happiness, and 11 years of Mr Wellesley's extravagance resulted in Wanstead, the erection of which cost £360,000, being soul to a Norwich builder in 1823 for £10,000, upon the condition that every vestige of th? magnificent fabric, even the foundations, should be removed within the following 12 months. — There is a remarkable shawl in the possession of the Duchess of Northumberland. This was formerly the property of Charles Xof France. It was manufactured entirely from the fur of Persian cats. Several thousands of catskins were utilised in weaving it, and the task" occupied some years. The shall measures eight yards square. — The subject of dress is an ever interesting one to* the larger part of Avomanhood. Women who are indifferent to the charm of beautiful clothes are as truly freaks of natuie as the shrill-voiced female of the rights platform. And the woman who is always well and suitably dressed has an influence over those she comes in contact with that the obnoxious New Women will never obtain till she manipulates her fringe, lengthens her skirt, and spends more time in the adornment of her, usuallj--, unprepossessing self. Nowadays there is no excuse for anyone to be ugly. We have hair restorers, cosmetics, and dentists; and most important of all we have dressmakers and beautiful clothes. Although most women love clothes, few understand the science and art of suitable dressing, and this is more truly evident with their choice of colours than in anything else. The shade which lends an added charm lo the perfect complexion and bright hair only serves to accentuate the faults *of the duilhaired, sallow young woman. A sallow tinge in the face is increased tenfold by a grassy green or a violet shade of blue, whereas a deep crimson or a" distinctly blue colour performs wonders with such a complexion. Women have often good taste and invest in lovely clothes; but how many fail in their results by disregarding shades and possessing a totally wrong idea of their colouring and appearance. '

1 — Regarding the unsightly excrescences . known as warts, a Paris correspondent says : It is now fairly established that the common wart can easily be removed by small do-es of sulphate of magnesia, taken internal* r M. Colrat, of Lyons, states " several children treated with three-grain doses of Epsom salts morning and evening were promptly i cured." M. Aubert cites the case of a womaa whose face was- disfigured by warts, and who was cured in ' a month by one-and-a-half-drachm doses of magnesia taken daily. ■ Another medicaj man reports a case in whbh I very large warts disappeared in a fortnight .. from the daily administration of 10 grains of ! the salts.— Practical Druggist. ; —i Just before and immediately after Lent, _ more engagement rings are sold than at any < other time. The favourite stone for years ( past has been the diamond, the sapphire , coming next. Opals are seldom seen in eni gagement rings, owing to their supposed m- : fluence for bad luck ; and some people object • to emeralds, as green is the colour supposed 1 to indicate jealous

; to indicate jealousy. — Fashion is scarcely less fickle in matters |ot furniture than in matters of dress. It is I only a few years since she decreed with a great flourish or hygienic trumpets that wooden bedsteads should be banished to the lumber-room or the saleroom and that iron ' and brass should reign in their stead. Elizabethan bedsteads might be picked up for the ■ proverbial old song. People. who possessed canopied four-posters were at theii wits' end to know what to do with them. They have been ruthlessly pulled to bits ; the handsomely carved and age-coloured posts have been turned into stands for lamps, flowerpots busts, etc. Then the curtains, the vallances, the feather beds— the health faddist waged war upon them all. Those of us who have all along had a sneaking fondness for these thmgs and passively accepted the cold brass and iron bedstead, hair-mattressed and curtamless, may now feel a thrill of warmth as i we contemplate the latest furniture lists. ! beds are reasserting themselves. - Uandsome, massive, polished, and carved they will take more " elbow grease " to keep <£ ci n in order than the chill brass and iron. V\ith the artistic hangings of the present' l clay tapestries, silk brocades, and even the ; h ambler cretonnes of beautiful colour- and ! design, our bedrooms will assume something : ot the impressiveness of those in old-tim? '• houses where they compete in interest with the public rooms. A new suite I saw lately combined a good deal of the old with the new. It was composed throughout of that green-tinted wood which has been fashionable for some time. Locks, handles and > broad outside hinges were of bright copper as was also a panel set in the back of the washstand in place of tiles. The hanenners ' were of silk damask in light shades of crim- ' son and green. The architecture— if 1 may ■ call it so— was unique, the wardrobe resemb"- ' ling an old church doorway, while the canopy of the bed was quaintly like a belfry. : i'he pottery on the washstand was of art ! crimson and goid | — The latest feminine fad is to have one's cameo photograph taken. The cameo process is nothing more nor less than a face in clear profile, photographed in strong while lights, against a block of prepared and polished black wood. The block of wood is usually about six or eight inches square, with a circular depression in the centre. Into this the picture is thrown and shows like a carving of pearl against ebony. Every curl and stray strand of hair, every filmy bit of lace and flower about the shoulders is outlined by the camera, and a pretty woman could not find a more perfect medium for a \ faithful likeness of her fine features. One | of the popular fancies is to set the cameo as a belt buckle, as a shoulder brooch, as a clasp ' for a sable 01 ermine Cc>pe, or to mount it in ' i broad gold band and wear it on the arm. j — Experts, declare that whenever a lughj class skating rink is opciied in the metro- J ; polis, astrachan comes into favour as a I trimming. At present it is much worn in all colours. — At a recent New York wedding chere ' were 13 bridesmaids, 10 of whom were paid over 30dol each, the costumes being provided for the occasion by the bride's father, j One favoured beauty, wlio lias appeared at '

! 200 weddings, issues dainty circulars, and directly a fashionable engagement is publicly announced forwards her prospectus to the bride-to-be, with letters of reference, &c Photographs of lovely maidens are also sent, one successful professional spending a small fortune in this way to extend her business. One transatlantic belle has earned sufficient to provide for herself an elegant trousseau by thus ministering to the wants of fashionable brides, and so run after is she that it is becoming quite an honour to have her name figure m the wedding report. — The Hon. Frances Wolseley, daughter of the Commander-in-chief, is .a most daring cross-country rider. Whilst staying in Ireland she had a large field, well supplied with deep and wide ditches, set apart for her use, and here she went "steeplechasing " very frequently. — Most of us have met, and marvelled at, the woman who is always in a hurry. She is eternally busy, is in a state of constant movement and activity, and nas an irritating and jarring effect on the rest of humanity. It is not that she gets through more work than anybody else. Her energy i& frittered away, and her time is too fully occupied with the little unimportant tilings of life for her to undertake what seems necessities to other people. She spends a couple of hours in trying to match a yard of cheap ribbon, and forgets to sew the uraii of her skirt or lasten the wobbling ouills o+ her hat. She is never punctual. She has too much to do to care about others waiting for her, and she tries the temper of women and gains the admiration of men by her busy, fussj r , little ways. Such a woma i should be forcibly kept quiet, compelled to do nothing for a stated time daily, till hei nervous system is calmer, her mind mora stable, and her conduct less irritating to her friends and acquaintances. — The florists of Melbourne seem to have clone a brisk trade during Miss Ada Reeve's engagement at the Princess Theatre, judging by the accounts given in the Melbourne papers. Punch says : — Miss Ada Reeve broke the record for gifts and flowers during the recent musical season at the Princess, and Ihe florists have every reason to bless the name of the bright soubrette. During her stay in the city Miss TvV.p.va's sit.t.inor ri-uiin nrAoon+orl rlaiiir t.Via

Reeve s sitting room presented daily the pearance of a floral store: flowers everj■w here. Miss Reeve ought to love Melbourne audiences for ever, after the magnificent send-off they gave her on the night of her last appearance. The conductor was as tired handing up flowers to the pretty and popular artiste as she was in receiving them. Besides a number of bouquets, there were designs m wreaths, anchors, an American man-of-war, a huge bon-bon (in illusion to Miss Reeve as Julie Bon Bon, in " The Gay Parisienne '), a wedding bouquet, and a design with " Ada " in red, white, and blue flowers. A pui3 'u«isap SIU3 paraßciuiooou ai^ireq pnourap is the second Miss Reeve has received from an unknown Melbourne admirer. A very dainty French parasol, an opal bangle, two handsome brooches, a silver card case, a diamond bracelet and a bird in a cage were handed up to the original Julie Bon Bon during her last season up in Spring Street. On the following day Miss Reeve drove to Spencer Street en route for Adelaide in a

hansom that was crammed with Ihe flowers she had received the night before, and the horse was decorated with those crowded out of the cab. Even the cabman wore flowers in his buttonhole. When the hansom stopped at a Collins street shop for more flowers a crowd gathered lound to see the last of the pretty actress. She dresses wonderfully well in private life as on the stage, and her v friends here say they never saw her wearing the same dress, twice. She travelled to Adelaide in a beaunful costume of fawn silk, lined with tomato red. The skirt was one of those artful garments that reveal their lining with the least movement, and Miss Reeve at Spencer street flashed about like a tropical bird in a jungle. Dozens of Johnnies were on the platform to say good-bye to Sobin Hood's "foresters," and everyone sang scraps of Miss Reeve's mo*fc popidar songs before saying good-bye to their ' little Mascotfce " and " simple little maiden oi to-day."