A LETTER FROM HOME.

Otago Witness, Issue 3961, 11 February 1930, Page 59

A LETTER FROM HOME.

Bv

A Wanderer.

(Special for the Otago Witness.) Vanity Street. LONDON, December 19. As a seasonable touch, let me give you first of all a charming little cloak for your young person who may be going to parties. Dainty frocks deserve a suitable covering, for, quite apart from the look of the thing, the ordinary heavy day coat eo often used, samiapologetically. as a party wrap can do flimsy garments quite a lot of harm.

An ideal little party cloak for the small maiden of anything from six to fourteen. It is made of powder blue velveteen, and depends for its effect upon the gauged Collar and button in the form of a velvet flower.

The little wrap sketched for you here works out quite inexpensively, being in Velveteen of a pretty shade of powder blue. This almost neutral colour you will find “ goes ” with practically every party frock shade, although of course you would make your own selection when planning the wrap. Another safe shade is a golden brown. You will see that the whole effect of the'wrap lies, apart from its voluminousness—which I must insist upon if the garment is to be a success! —in the heavily gauged collar, the button underneath being in the form of a Mower. The mother who knows her job will turn this cloak into a very special present, thus ensuring for it more care than an ordinary item of the wardrobe proper gets. I’m afraid the job couldn’t be done under four yards for the tiniest maiden, the quantity of material increasing proportionately with size. Even so, it is, as 1 said lief ore, a very inexpensive and well worth-while wrap.

And now let us come to the chapeau made on the lines of our Aletropolitan dustmens’ head-gear. The material was dahlia coloured velvet, and this reminds me that the colour in question has been sprung upon us suddenly, and is more than popular for frocks at the moment.

One of the popular new season hats with a side flap so becoming to a certain type of face. It is made of the fashionable dahlia-coloured velvet.

All the brides I have seen of late who have not tripped out of St. Alargaret’s in ivory velvet have chosen as an alternative dahlia coloured velvet ensembles trimmed with fur. Naturally the latter represents the toilette for a comparatively quiet wedding, and it shows how far we have gone from the time-honoured greys and other soft tones employed on these occasions. You will have noticed, too, how popular all tones of red have been for the dresses of the bride's attendants at fashionable weddings.

Reflections. Talking of weddings, is is amazing to see the fascination these ceremonies have for the rank and file. Hours in advance one finds them lined up outside the church, shivering in the wind and rain sometimes—and in any case never very warm at this" time of the year—and looking at the strip of red carpet as if it retained something of the glamour of those whose* satin-shod feet have trodden it in the past. It is a curious reflection that one has only to be married at a fashionable church and spend a sufficient amount on personal adornment to cause half a dozen stalwart officers of the law to be drafted to the special job of controlling the crowd and traffic, and to render some hundreds of otherwise worthy women null and void—except as sight-seers—for about three hours! I suppose the inevitable answer would be that weddings are “good for trade”; but when one sees the bridesmaids almost running from the church to the carriages, and huddled in fur wraps of various shapes and sizes which destrov their appearance as a complete retinue, one realises what a tremendous amount of money is spent in achieving so comparatively small a result. However, these matters are relative, and we all have our own ideas of happiness and what is worth while.

By the way, and speaking of bridal wraps, I notice that some of the white fur cloaks offered just now are extraordinarily cheap in price and effective as regards appearance. Hitherto cheap white furs have been a thousand times worse than any other imitations, but some clever person must have discovered the secret of synthetic ermine, with the result that at every wedding and in every theatre vestibule one encounters wraps which look like thousand-pound affairs, even while one realises that, according to the law of average, nine out of every ten must have cost something in the vicinity of 20 guineas. Is That So?

This week I am giving you a new picture of our greatest comedienne. Alarie Tempest, who has been entertaining us in that delightfully-written and perfectly-cast play by Air St. John Ervine —"The First Airs Fraser” at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. I really don’t know why new pictures are taken of Alias Tempest, for she emulates “Alice in Wonderland” to the extent of “running hard and staying where she is” from the point of view of age —and that is a permanent and exquisite 40, even though she makes no secret

of the fact that as regards actual years (and what do they matter?) she is just over (10. \A e have had with us

from time to time elderly actresses and celebrities who claim perpetual youth, hut I have never yet met one personally who convinced me after a “ close up.” They made the mistake of being too painfully “ flapperish.” But Alarie Tempest makes no claims: she just goes on—or, rather, she doesn't go on! During the past month she has had a very anxious time on account of the health of her husband, Air Graham Browne, who withdrew' from the cast of the Haymarket play owing to serious illness. He is convalescent now, and Aliss Tempest is taking a well-earned holiday with him until Boxing Dav, when she will resume her part. Meantime it is being taken by Aliss Zena Dare—in private life the Hon. Airs Alauriee Brett, wife of the second son of \ iscount Esher—who returned to this country last Alay from a highly successful tour in South Africa, in the course of which she played in “ The Highroad,’ I he Trial of Alary Dugan.” and other London " winners.” As many of het contemporaries have done. Aliss Dare retired from the stage to marry into society at the zenith of a musical comedy career, subsequently to return to the world of the theatre in what is known as “ straight stuff.” People who come back meet with varying degrees of success; but there is no doubt about the success of Zena Dare, because she has not lost the art of taking her job seriously.

The Street of Adventure. I'irst of all —and please don't listen if you are not interested in the Kentish countryside, or don't know anybody who is! —I want to draw your attention to a charming book by ‘ Donald Maxwell called “ A Detective in Kent,” w herein the author applies the science of unravelling crime by means of observation and deduction to the rediscovery of Unknown Kent. Obviously Air Alaxwell is a specialist in the matter of Kent, and equally obviously this is a hook for the chosen few; but ‘it is worth knowing about. And then for everybody who likes a thoroughly good tale about the country house life of the really great, as seen through the eyes of a governess with small beginnings and literary inspirations, let me recommend “ Aliss Welby at Steen,” by Archibald Marshall. It all goes rather “according to plan”; but is none the worse for that. Anyhow I can guarantee that it is refreshing!v free from psycho-analysis; and it might be useful for anybody who, like Aliss Welby, has been brought up in tin tradition that the pudding spoon and fork should be placed along the top of the plate! At best it is a good storv, and at its lowest point it is “ Etiquette made Easy”!

Try This. This being the season of Christmas puddings—with the inevitable aftermath of vari-coloured animals walking over nursery beds!—it may interest you to know of a good recipe for a very light, but nevertheless convincing, version of a plum pudding, which, when set alight, runs a close second to the richer kind. Alix four ounces of bread crumbs, three ounces of finely chopped suet, four ounces of sultana raisins, two ounces of moist sugar, two well-beaten eggs, one tablespoonful of milk, a pinch Of salt and some nutmeg. Alix well; allow to stand three hours: stir, and boil in buttered basin for three hours.

Proceedings in the Auckland Supreme Court the other day were delayed for over an hour owing to the non-appearance of a man charged with the theft of two cows at Drury. Owing to difficulty with counsel it was impossible to proceed with other cases. Mr Justice Herdman gave instructions for the issue of a warrant for the arrest of the accused, but the man arrived at the court before its execution.