"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND. (Specially written for the Witness Ladies' Page.)

Otago Witness, Volume 23, Issue 2684, 23 August 1905, Page 67

"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND. (Specially written for the Witness Ladies' Page.)

THE RIVER SEASON.

Ascot Sunday was the fashionable beginning of the river season, and this year all previous records were eclipsed. Glorious ■weather — over 80 iv the shade — brought such a rush of traffic to t!he great waterway that at Maidenhead and Boulters Lock the lock-keeper and his assistants were unable to cope with it.

Tha upper reaches, in their full summer fceauty, between their wooded banks, witn thg& fairy isles of rushes and shady backwaters and lily-decked pcois, were the in tended destination of hundreds of yachts and thousands of boats ; but a number of ,those whose arrangements were to lunch at sequestered riverside hotels or picnic ia historic spots must have been .vexed and hungry before they finally reached the desired, haven, lor those whio did not reach the locks till noon did not arrive., at Oliveden Reach till 4 o'clock. Many of the launches with, their creature comforts aboard did not enter the locks, but took a trip on th© beautiful waters below. -The lawns of the Guards' Club, near Maidenhead.- were crowded with ladies hi exquisite river frocks ; indeed, all along the river, on tike water, and on the banks .for miles tlie bright-hued parasols — pinks, blues, greens, reds, heliotropes — gave the appearance of a blaae of flowers. Thousands -who did not go up the river by boat v^ent by train, and by- noon there was no *>rt of craft available," the great boathiouses at Kew, Richmond, Henley, and all the other "centres being in use. On the Saturday hundreds of people •waited on the river near Windsor, under the impression that the- King and Quean. would be seen boating ; but their Majesties, with, their son an«i daughter and grandsons, had escaped the public gaze and hadlgone off in an electric launch for a quiet, little trip through Romney Lock and farther on.-, the Eton Eight for Henley passing the launch, on. its -way to Monkey Island, where the Royal Family alighted and returning later to Windsor. With -the temperature 84 in the shadethe coolest place -is the river," and with a fine June, July, and August the watermen make their harvest ; but a w.et summer means disaster, "especially a wet Henley week -'Sereral severe, thunderstorms had' made the weather uncertain;, and Monday, the first day_ of the' regatta, was overcast, but hob. Thd half -threatened downpour did' iiot eventuate,, however; and, though doubtful glances -were cast on the sky, the teat encouraged tine ladies to don their Henley costumes, and off they Trent, all these "dainty creatures, among, them the typical rivar.' girl of- the summer season. One description of her says; she is the giri "at home this week among the rushes and forget-me-nots, tine meadowsweet and poppies of the Thames." It will be perfectly- easy to differentiate between the London debutante who is taken down to Henley and makes a dainty appearance on some club 'lawn or lions©boat this week and the genuine- river girl ; for the former Sis just a little out of the picture, while the latter is part of it, aaid a very important part too, for "without her the regatta would lose- its chief esb cbarm.

The London importation looks excessively and intentionally sylvan, perdhaaice in a. baby frcck of daintiest white lingerie muslin, trimmed where trimming may most effectively be disposed, with a mosaic of fine l«oe- and little" fitful frills of. that most favourite embellishment^ Valenciennes edging. Her hat matches her gown, for it is a ©o-called washing one, made of layers of muslin, with La- France^ roses gracefully disposed beneath fche brim." cud: as likely as not r gauze or ribbon strings instead of the scarf, that will drop from the shoulders and trail along the green sward. ' Her parasol is also a layer one, a new invention, to match her hat, built of appliques of lace and embroidered lawn, disposed in big Ecallops over the frame, and she holds it languidly across one shoulder 4 n a hand that is exquisitely gloved with long white rucked ganta ds suede But the sum total of this mass of charming elegances "-. does -not appeal to the^river girl, -who is a Jaw unto herself- regarding her attire,. -and cares not&ang tHe prevailing 1 mode, thoughjehe > Hoes not run. counter to it. Her very "wise.plan. is to* -eliminate from it all apparent obedience to fashion' * - demands, while she- bo far bows to it sus--to enhance her W charms to perfection. The simplest ringsi ottedlawn or whipcord muslin is her choice this summer, a fabric a thought more substantial than book muslin, and. -a whit less thick than duck or pique. has it .made •with a> flawing untrimmed skirt and a baby bodice cut in a shallow V at the throat, where there will be a little embroidery or lace inset, end she wears milkmaid sleeves pushed up at the elbows to show her ■prettily rounded arms. No gloves, of course, and as a rule no hat is worn, but a big poppy red parasol is carried as the indispensable regimental badge of the oult, or perchance a petal pink one flounced with lace. I

The house-boats, though fewer this season, are alone wortQi the trip to Henley, •with, -their decks and balconies massed with flowe'S and ferns. Aboard some lavish entertaining is dons, and in the evening, when the racing is over and the trainborne crowd have returned to the city, and myriad launches and boats Jiave "sailed a-way," music and laughter float onfc softly ' over the shadowed •waters, or ths softer splash 1 of oars, as two 'overs loiter on the stream or a solitary punt goes by. Then later, w'he* "lamps are gone out on earth, and those in heaven" shine in their far remoteness, the river sleeps, the- great trees on the dim banks keeping sentinel watch., guarding the stream they guarded when dead tnd gone tings passed fey iin stately barges, and as ihey *>31 gnard "when other lips and other hearts" tell the oia, old story undei their spreading branches.

The season has been notable for its magnificent dinner parties and balls. Th° King and Queen and numerous other members o-f the Royal Family were present at the ball at Grosvemor Hcnise given by th*» Duke and Duchess of Westminster. * The

scene was magnificent and the jewels warn superb. The royal guests arrived after 11, and State chairs were placed for them. The young princesses, among them Princess Patricia of Connaaght, enjoyed the dancing possibly more than the magnificence.. The Prince and Princess Arisugawa of Japan were present among other foreign royalties. The Princess is a tall and graceful woman, witii a clear, pale complexion, and wherever she goes is charmingly dressed. The dancing rooms Wiere decorated = effectively and simply with mauve and white hydrangeas, and the supper room with sweet peas arranged climbing up tall palms. The balcony was a bower of rambler roses. The fashion of flower decorations is on the increase, and at most of the big functions this year the floral schemes have been exceedingly beautiful, costing hun1 dreds of pounds, and sometimes thousands, for blossoms that perish during a night. Apart from the big names there are others who have entertained on a larg-s scale during the season at the palatial hotels and restaurants, and perhaps the most-talked-of dinner was that given at the Savoy Hotel by Mr 6. A. Kessler, an American millionaire, which cost £3000, and is known as the "Gondola Dinner." It was one of the most remarkable dinners ever known, for it was prepared in 24 hours, and served without a fault, and considering that a courtyard was prepared as a Venetian street of water, with the gondola floating , on it, and the whole illusion of Venice by night perfect, it was unique. Tlie host stipulated for something that had never been done before, and report says the manager responded : — I will transfer you and your guests to Venice, and you may dine floating in a gondola. The poetry of the idea struck Mr Kessler at once, and lie gave the manager a free hand as to cost. Mr Kessler said after it was over that it was the finest .bing he had ever seen. Within ~ a few minutes after Mr Kessler ordered the dinner, Mr Pruger had at work 120 electricians, carpenters, and scene painters, the best in London. Besides these workers, the Venetian costumes' for the 18 waiters who served the dinner were given, out by contract, *nd the music ordered. This army of men worked incessantly Jor 24 hours, finishing thti "Idyll of Venice" two hours before the guesta arrived on Friday. The superb dinner waa> cooked in a private kitohen by 15 special cooks. , _- It was served at 8.45 p.m. As Mr Kessler' s guests went gaily down the landing stage into the gondola, they were startled to see three dolphins sculptured out of ice holding up by their tails great quantities of iced fruits. Dinner lasted until 11.30 o'clock, when the guests - were taken into the hotel's Venetian room, which "was fitted up as ih-e Doge's Palace. Here a reception took place, to which 80 guests were invited. It lasted until 2 o'clock on morning, and then supper was served. A curious idea during the dinner was to have "Baby Jumbo," the tiny elephant from the Royal Italian Circus, walk down the landing stage carrying on its back an enormous cake lighted with candles. Already Mr Keasler's lead is to be followed. On July 5 the Japanese Minister, Viscount Hayaahi, will entertain the Prince and' Princess Arisugawa of Japan. Part of the hotel •will be -fitted up like a Japanese garden with lakes, waterfalls, and flowers. Japanese artists are already at work on the details of the din- , ncr, which will be another wonder. But for the oddest party of the season, I commend you to an account of "A Poodle Garden Party," which, appeared in the Daily Mail : — THE CUSLY POODI/E CLUB AT HOME. — Monday, July 3, 4 to 7. — It is hardly usual wneft introduced to a " lady to bite- her on the nose. Again, it is ■scarcely correct, with ox without an introduction, to pull off her bows and ribbons and chew them. Guests, too, have pre now been struck off a hostess's visiting list for slighter offences than breaking up a group ready for the camera- by charging through it at the rate of 20 miles am hour en route for the refreshment buffet. Yet all these social crimes were condoned at a novel garden party given yesterday to the human .and canine members of the Curly Poodle Club "by Mme. Alfred dv Cros at Maitland Lodge, Addison road. When 50 poodles axe gathered together one must 'expect — to use an. Irishism — to find a few black sheep. The general level of deport- ! men*, however, was marvellously good. Take the three brown poodles brought by Miss Pemberton Hincks. The mother poodle, beautifully dressed in ribbons of a subdued matronly hue, sat in a tiny victoria decorated witih pink roses and daisies, while her two daughters, in floral harness, acted as carriage horses. 1 " Boadicea and her chariot" was the title bestowed on' the turnout by one spectator. "Boadiceb" behaved with all the good manners and repose of a bath-chair invalid. Sub- , sequeatly "Boadicea," with her fair owner, mounted a liliputian motor car of one-and-a fraction horse-power and whizzed round the lawn, with the accomplished poodle in motor goggles at the driving wheel. —Poodle Bangles.— In a- humane endeavour to avoid running over_a pink-skinned poodle, "Boadicea" failed to negotiate a flowerbed, causing a heavy mortality among the geraniums. As the crowd on the lawn thickened, the grass was strewn with ribbons and other fragments of canine toilets—"just like a drawingxoom crush," as one lady remarked. A black poodle arrived in a tasteful creation mainly consisting of a wreath of blue forget-me-nots and ribbons to match. "White marguerites and old gold ribbons was another striking combination. As a rule the poodles followed the recognised lines adopted by the fair sex generally— that is, the brunettes (blacks and browns) wore daring contrasts and bright colours, while the blondes ■{whites and apricots) went in for pale Liberty shades. In a corner of the lawn stood a* tent labelled "Poodles' Buffet," the menu of which include-1 four kinds of biscuit, milk, and water. The four-legged guests arrived in motors and victorias at 4 o'clock, and all wore, in addition to multitudes of bows and ribbons, becoming leashes, the other end of which was held by the owner. In a number of cases a charming leather dog whip was carried as an , additional useful ornament. I One poodle wore a gold-mounted rniniatwe 1 round the neck, and gold and silver bangles round the forefeet were so common as to be i almost de rigueur. Prizes were awarded for

the best poodles, the chief of which was a gold collar.

Our Japanese royal guests, Prince and Princess Arisugawa, have been much entertaned during their popular visit to London, which they have greatly enjoyed. They have been entertained at Buckingham Palace, and at the Japanese Legation Viscount H-iyr'slii gave an evening party in honour of their Imperial Highnesses, on which occasion 1000 guests were invited to meet them. The Legation was beautifully decorated for the occasion, geraniums, heaps of carnations, and reuses being used. Almost 3000 people were present at the garden party given in honour of the Prince and Princess in the grounds of the Royal Botanic Society by the Japan Society. From the flagstaff ' flew the Imperial flag of Japan, and tlu\ Scots Guards played a programme of Japanese music, commencing with "Kimi-ga-jc," the Japanese national anthem. So great was the curiosity of the crowd of^fashionably-dressed women to get a near view of the- Japanese Princess that it was with difficulty she could pass along the lane of bowing humanity. Even when the royal pair retired to a tent, with the rudeness of fashionable society they crowded round and pulled down parts of the screening canvas to get a peep in. Wherever they have appeared there have been outside crowds to welcome them, many beir. o disappointed they are dressed in the clothes of a European lady and gentleman, and not in national Japanese garb, for the Indian princes have given Londoners a thrill on many occasions. Indeed, there are- quite a number of Indian ladies this season in the parks and at the other resorts picturesque in native attire. It is .long since so many nationalities have met together in London, and at every function the foreign element is pronounced.