London Gossip

Southland Times, Issue 20147, 6 April 1927, Page 13

London Gossip

(From Our Correspondent.) London. Lady May Cambridge, who is such a favourite niece of Queen Mary, is coming to England shortly, and will be spending the greater part of the summer in this country. Last year, when Lady May came over from South Africa to be “presented,’’ her mother was unable to accompany her, but this year Princess Alice is coming with her daughter. Lord Athlone, the GovernorGeneral, will no* be able to get away. With her father’s stature and her mother’s looks, Lady May is a bright, jolly girl, with a great love for outdoor life. She thoroughly enjoys living at Capetown, where various young friends from England have paid visits to Government House. But since Lady Maj’ is of marriageable age and a most eligible joung Royal lady, people are naturally making “plans matrimonial” in connection with her coming visits Should the most probable of these plans mature into truth, it will mean a most interesting Royal wedding, but not in London.

One of the most talented painters “of the peerage’’ is Ladj’ Darnley, who is arranging to have an exhibition of her pictures at a West-end gallery this spring. This Australian-born countess has painted for many j-ears, but since the war she has become especially devoted to her art. She does a lot of water-colour w’ork, and with the money’ coming from the sale of her pictures helps various charities. Another peeress-painter who does likewise is the Duchess of Buckingham and Chandos.

Are young people really less keen on dancing than they were a couple of years ago? One sees far more young people sitting out dances now than formerly, and some girls who used to dance right through the programme are now content with dancing one in three. I hear, too, that some dance teachers are finding things less rosy than they did during the great rush.

“Idea parties” are sharing popularity with dance entertainments, and some folk are finding new hope for modern youth in the desire for brain work expressed at some of these parties. The Three Topic party is among the recent brain waves, when a hostess gave her guests three subjects for conversation and insisted upon their “keeping to the triple points.” Another idea which is already an established party notion is the five-minute party, at which each guest gives “a little talk” for five minutes. Some hostesses provide the subject; others are more merciful and leave the choice open.

“A symphony in red,” I heard someone remark at the first night, when the curtain rose on the first act of Lord Lathom’s new play. “Tuppence Coloured.” Furniture, carpet, hangings, and even candles were all of that peculiarly rich red shade which is neither orange, scarlet nor rust-red, but something blended of and between the three shades. The effect of this redness is not in the least glaring, but creates a delightfully “warm” atmosphere in furnishing. On the stage Marie Lohr’s simple black frock stood out in striking contrast against the rich “symphonic’’ background, and the scheme u likely to create a new crate in furnishing.