FEMININE INTERESTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18498, 20 February 1930, Page 3

FEMININE INTERESTS

PERSONAL AND FASHION NOTES

New Year in Paris: The New Year was a very gay one in Paris, for every evening was filled to overflowing. One of the most amusiii& shows was the new Scheherazade. This was not a ballet, but a garage turned into an Eastern palace, with red velvet and silver cords and mysterious lamps, and the air thick with perfumes. The guests had caviare and turkey "tuffed with chestnuts and samovars and salted almonds, all in the interests of the remains of the Imperial Guard, vbo had taken refuge in Paris. The visitors were served by ex-naval cadets —Russian of course—in Oriental and Cossack dress, and looking thoroughly out, kill. Grandees, who are dressmakers and lace-sellers, and perfume makers were there in masses, and one pressman thought he recognised a taxidriver he had engaged the night before. The fete ended with the sale of two water colours by auction. They were painted by the Grand Duchess Olga, the sister of Nicholas 11., who now lives near Copenhagen. Everybody expected the runners-up to be American, but as a matter of fact the final buyer was a Frenchman, M. Berry, who brought Mme. Suze Prim with him. Russians are still very much in vogue here though the original rufugees must have long since worn out the Cossack uniforms, in which they were alleged to arrive. However, it is easy in Paris to help oneself in these sartorial matters. Serge Zarine sang rather beautifully ot a show given by the Prince and Princess Christian of Hesse at the Hotel Crillon—where they still show you the room of Loy Shorges—in other words Lloyd George—at the Peace Conference. The main body of guests were shepherded into the big salon, while, in the little one. thev could gaze upon the Infanta Eulalie drinking tea. Seeking Smaller Houses: There was a regular epidemic of house removing during the last few weeks before Christmas, most people being anxious to get settled in their new homes for Christmas. Green street. Park-lane, for example, saw at least three removals. Marjorie Lady Nunburnholme sold 41, Berkeley square, and moved into a smaller residence in Green street, the necessary alterations to be carried out while she wintered in Vernet-les-Bains. The problem which so many householders have to face nowadays—that of fitting their belongings into a smaller nouse—was settled by Lady Nunbun> hplrne by warehousing her largest pieces of furniture. A warehousing expert said that his depositories were packed with large furniture owned bv people who have moved into smaller houses, some pieces having been in his care for as long as twenty years. It is packed in expanding dustproof cubicles, and valuable antiques are kept in a, strong room. A regular inspection is made at a small additional cost, and pianos are kept readily accessible for tuning purposes. One of the largest of the new Park Lane flats was recently decorated for Sir Percy and Lady Newson in shaded colours. The walls and ceiling of the room are scumbled in autumnal tints, the colour of the ceiling deepening at the edges and the walls becomr* darker near the floor. The woodwo’ is painted to tone and the room furnished in dull walnut. Mauve, green, and ivory-to-primose are the colour schemes of the lounge and two of the bedrooms. An Egyptian freize, the design carried out in black, strikes an effective note in one of the ivory-tiled and painted bathrooms. Popular Piccadilly: Piccadily seemed to rival Bond street some days as a Christmas shopping centre. One well-know#. showroom that specialises in attache and suit cases—very popular as gifts—was simply crowded with people making their Christmas purchases. One among the crowd, however, was very likely not thinking of Christhmas presents. It was the Governor-General of New Zealand, Lord Bledisloe. busy buying .suitcases of the expanding type, and hatboxes, too, evidently preparatory to his departure. One very admirable case was in crocodile skin bearing Lady Bledisloe’s monogram in delicate ivory. The inside was tastefully fitted with a complete ivory toilet set.

Highland Festivities: The Highland Ball, says the Scottish correspondent of a London journal, was a great success and a host of celebrities of the North gathered in the Edinburgh Assembly rooms. Lady MacGregor of Macgregor was there looking very well in white, ant. Lady Cromartie was talking to Miss Joy Verney, who wore a lovely dress of blue lace which suited her to perfection. Another keen dancer was i nrd Fincastle, who is also very fond of skating. It is said he is shortly sailing for New York. The Duke and Duchess of Montrose brought their daughter, Lady Mary Graham, with them and other pretty young girls were Lady Grants daughter Evelyn. Miss Pamela Balfour, Miss Jean Kemble and Miss Ursula Maxwell. The celebrated Mrs Logan played for the reels —she is much in demand at all the social gatherings in the North - and has for many years undertaken this job which must indeed be a hard one It is said she knows everyone, and, what is more, all about them. Belgian’s Lead: M. Paul Hymans, the Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs, has just appointed a brilliant young woman barrister, Marcelle Renson, to the official delegation to the first conference for the codification of International Law, which the League of Nations has called for March 13 next at the Hague. Belgium is the first country to appoint a woman lawyer, as ivcommended by the League Assembly in 1928. M. Hymans has made the appointment on the ground that one of the questions to be discussed is that of Nationality, with which the interests of women arc so closelv concerned. Women all over Europe are very pleased by this appointment.

Roval Interest in Horticulture: The King and Queen and Princess Mary have now added autographed sheets to,the Golden Book of -he Royal Horticultural Society. His Majesty, when asked to select his favourite flower, found difficulty in deciding between his preference for carnations and gardenias, and accordingly a painting of these two flowers was made by Mr A. E. Bowles, and was duly autographed by the King. The Queen unhesitatingly selected roses, and for the same purpose a painting was executed by Mr Frank Galsworthv. A nicture of sweet peas was painted by Sir Herbert Maxwell to present Princess Mary’s choice, and all three paintings have now been eutograohed and placed among the treasures of the society. Picturesque Country House:

One of the most beautiful country houses in England belongs to Lord Clenepp and is named Cawston House. It is close to Rugby. His town house in Culross street, Mayfair, is also luxuriously appointed, and has a most amusing “bar,” where cocktails are dispensed before lunch or dinner. The walls are of rough white marble; the steel-handled bar is sheeted with black glass, and the chairs are covered with shiny vermilion oilcloth. The curtains a:e made of transparent red and black checked oilcloth, and there is a huge mirror which reflects the painted decoration of one wall. This picture shows an impressionist cocktail-party where very slim, top-hatted niggers shake cocktails for a very slim, hennafigured lady.

Women’s Bank: A most interesting venture has recently been started by the Dutch women in Amsterdam. They have have opened their own bank, with the joint intention of educating the rank and file of women in financial matters and of helping them to make the wisest use of their money. The bank, which is run entirely by a feminine staff, caters for women clients only. It is particularly concerned in looking after the affairs of single women and widows, and the members of the staff, all financial experts, are ready to proffer advice on income tax intracacies and stock exchange transactions. The women in Holland have welcomed this new venture with enthusiasm. Not in Amsterdam only but also in other Dutch towns, women are showing active interest in financial matters. The Rotterdam Bank Association has opened a branch near its chief office, and this is run by an expert woman financier. Mme. Myers, and an eminent woman lawyer, Mme. Kleniten. At Rotterdam, again, none but women work on the staff. At the Hague, another woman, Mme. Reinhardt-Crietee, has been at the head of a branch of the Hamburgers’ Bank since 1921. This office is not exclusively devoted to women’s business, but it is hoped that the Amsterdam venture will prove sc successful in winning the confidence of clients that it will spread throughout the counu . Mme. Meyers, who is at the head of the whole movement, has cherished tne idea ever since the woman’s exhibition in Amsterdam some 15 years ago. She has worked extremely hard in face of a great many obstacles, and hers is a reputation of such high integrity and marvellous business ability that she should achieve the further and wider success at which she aims.

Christening Ceremony: When James George Alexander Bannerman Carnegie was borne to his rbrictenlngr at the Guards’ Chapel, Wellington Barracks, it was observed that he took no part in the pomps and u* Lie modern babe, but appeared in public on this important occasion wrapped in the plainest of woollen shawls. Under this was a plain short frock of cream silk, and, because there was a decided nip in the air, he wore a plain woollen bonnet with a frill. His mother, Lady Maud Carnegie, remarks the writer, looking ridiculously young in her pretty blue velvet and grey ensemble, is very like her baby son. They have the same innocently inquiring expression, the same tiptilted nose. The first guest to arrive was the Hon. Lady Carnegie, who stood sponsor for Lady Scone. She brought with her a tiny golden chalice engraved “from Great-Aunt Marion” and filled with Jordan water that she had brought specially from Palestine. Princess Victoria made one of her rare appearances at her great-nephew’s christening. She was dressed in a long coat of royal blue velvet trimmed with chinchilla, and a draped black velvet hat. Living in the country seems to have done her a great deal of good. She looked well and vigorous. With her was Princess Arthur of Connaught, the baby’s aunt, looking very charming in a mink coat and brown hat. Last of all came the Prince of Wales representing the King. He drove up in a maroon-coloured saloon car with a scarlet stripe, and wore a thick blue reefer overcoat which seemed to make his hair look yellower than ever. Before the company took their places at the font the Prince had a good look at the newcomer and gave him an approving pat on the cheek.

A Gracious Act: To the very last moment of her stay in the Dominion, Lady Alice Fergusson’s thoughts were for others. It is not very generally known that Lady Alice was so distressed for the pitfalls that lie ahead of young girls leaving the Borstal Institution that she founded the Association which interests itself in the future of the girls. Lady Alice was a constant visitor to the institution at Point Halswell, Wellington. She knew every inmate and all about her and the girls looked forward eagerly to the visits of their gentle benefactress. Just before her departure, Lady Alice wrote personally to the Lady Superintendent, Miss Escott, and asked that the girls should be allowed to go down to the point of the Massey Memorial to wave her their last farewells. On the day of her departure Lady Alice sent a large envelope with another personal letter to Miss Escott. The large envelope contained a number of smaller envelopes, each of which was addressed by Lady Alice to one of the girls and contained a pretty little handkerchief. A very charming and gracious action on the part of the Borstal Association’s first president. Of course, the Superintendent and her staff and all the girls assembled in force on the hillside to wave their farewells, and Lady Alice was clearly seen as she waved in return.

Winter Garden “At Home.” At the Winter Garden, Christchurch, on Tuesday evening, the president of the British Medical Association (New Zealand Branch), Dr T. Mill, and Mrs Mill entertained fully five hundred guests at a delightful “at home,” given in honour of the members of the medical profession who are visiting Christchurch for the annual conference and their wives and friends. The ballroom and stage were decorated with large bowls of blue and pink hydrangeas, while the lounge, where the guests were received by Dr and Mrs Mill, was gay with dahlias, and the bowls of mixed flowers were used with good decorative effect on the supper tables. Mrs Mill wore a graceful Parisian frock of black lace and georgette, and her sister-in-law, Miss Agnes Mill, wore a frock of ivory georgette, lightly beaded, and an effective cape of cherry red crepella trimmed with self-coloured fur. Mrs J. S. Elliott (Wellington), wife of the retiring president, wore a distinctive frock of black georgette almost entirely covered with heavy embroidery of steel, black and white beads. Her daughter, Miss Elliott, wore a pretty frock of cameo pink georgette, with two tiered skirt falling long at one side, and a spray of georgette flowers on the shoulder, Lady Ferguson (Dunedin), wore a striking frock of japonica pink faconne, hemmed with plain georgette, and a handsome wrap of silver and pink shot lame. Mrs Arthur Thomson, wife of the secretary of the conference, wore an embossed georgette frock in navy, rose-pink, and ciel blue. Mrs Silberberg (Melbourne), wore a white georgette frock beaded with chalk and crystal beads.

Good News for Women Resentment at a sudden change in fashions from short skirts to long has led a number of New York society women. lnekding Mrs Vanderbilt Churcn and Princess Chavchavadze, to form a Fashion League, which will organise resistance to reactionary modes, and recommend alternatives to women. The feeling of hostility to “dirt-sweep-lug long sairts” is intense, and they are denounced as destroying all the progress in health and freedom in dress which the women’s movement has achieved in the last ten years. Women complain that they were “tricked” into 'Wearing long frocks for outdoors, but now find that in Europe short frocks are still worn in daytime. M. Worth, the Paris designer, describes himself as “amazed” to find American wnr-e- wearing long draperies ‘that trail r bout their ankles,” and declares: “This is an altogether exaggerated

notion of the Paris modes.” The new Fashion League means that women, angry at this discovery, have revoltea against dictation by dress designers, and are determined to decree their own fashions. Twenty society leaders will meet monthly, and after consultation with artists, dressmakers, ana manufacturers, will decide on the modes to be recommended to women. They will give film stars advice in aavance as to coming fashions, so that they can make the chosen fashions popular through their pictures.