FEMININE INTERESTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18555, 30 April 1930, Page 3

FEMININE INTERESTS.

PERSONAL AND FASHION NOTES. Lady Hermione Lytton’s Wedding Plans Lady Hermione Lytton. with her Seventeen bridesmaids, will on hex wedding day walk under a covered way across a meadow from her father’s house at Knebworth, Hertfordshire, to the little church where she will be married to Mr Cameron (“Kim”) Cobbold, a young banker. The ceremony will be a picturesque sequel to Lady Hermione’s dash to Murren, Switzerland some two months ago. to ask the consent of her father, the Earl of Lytton, ( to the marriage. The workpeople and tenants will be seated on either side of the covered way right across the meadow. The church which stands in Knebworth

••k, holds only 200 people, and those who cannot be accommodated w'ill be invited to the reception after the wedding. Lady Davidema Lytton, the bride’s sister, will be the only grown-up bridesmaid. She will be followed by eight little girls partnered by eight little boys. The boys will include David ana Jonathan, Mrs Cory-Wrighfs twin sons; Matthew Ridley, son of Viscountess Ridley; and Hugo Charteris and Jeremy Benson, sons of Lady Violet Benson. Lady Rose Paget, the tiny daughter of the Marquis of Anglesey; Miss Virginia Adams; Lady Gillian Clive, the daughter of the Earl and Countess of Plymouth; and Sonia Peake will be among the maids. Lady Hermione has been very busy trousseau buying. She has not yet. however, settled on her wedding gown, but it will probably be of satin, in Italian picture design. The bride’s pretty sister, Lad> Davidema, visited Diana Furze’s dress show, for which Lady (Webb) Gillman had lent her house in Eaton place. Lady Davidema, dressed all in brown from head to heels, was considering the bridesmaids’ frocks. The model which met with her approval was of deep cream, almost yellow, chiffon, made in Italian stvle. which will probably fit in very well with the gown that the bride is considering.

Plenty of Colour: Certain of the American delegates' wives have been heard to exclaim at the drab exterior of London houses in Mayfair and elsewhere. They should make a point of going to see the new house that the Hon Mrs Lionel Guest has just finished decorating in Stanhope place, which is a glorious riot of butter-yellow, Wedgwood blue, jade green, several shades of pink and pale grey. The grey is what is technically called a “cement on the outside picked out with bright blue. In a yellow basement yard stand jade green dustbins and in the ground floor bay window of the dining room, behind plain net curtains, stands a bowl of pink tulips. Mrs Guest is a great believer in the soothing and peacemaking influence of pale-blue, so this colour adorns nearly 311 her ceilings—though the decorator had to change it five times to get the right shade. In the tiny blue and yellow hall one gets a glimpse of the pantry beyond—though this green room with pink curtains does not look like a pantry, and on the little bit of blank wall between the two windows the Hon Mrs Gordon-Ives, is going to paint an orchard scene of apple and wistaria blossom in the same manner in which she painted the blank outside wall at Colonel Dodge’s house nearby, with ordinary paint varnished over to protect it from the weather.

More colour is provided all over the little house by the Bristol glass door knobs that Mrs Guest has in green, blue and red, and which she says have taken her years to collect. Her own sitting-room, wherp live two bullfinches left to her by Princess Hatzfieldt, is painted in that icy shade of Russian Ballet pink and her bedrom is deep crushed strawberry, where, by the way, she has a dressing-table that is also a bookcase and a chest of drawers. Swedenborg flanks toilet scents and brushes and combs.

Mrs Guest is a great believer In labour-saving, and has devoted quite as much attention to the servants’ quarters as to the rest of the house, with the result that they are quite the brightest and most compact in London. One of her ideas is to have a dustpan and brush hidden away somewhere in each room, so that extra dusting can be done by the mistress of the house when she sees a speck of dirt about, fn Mr Guest’s work room—where he constructed a telescope that is kept down at Ferring, their country home—there is one tied to the work table. The real pride of Mrs Guest’s heart, and that of her pretty Danish cook, is the Danish anthracite-stove in the hall that will burn for a whole week-end without being stoked or attended to. Five Minutes as a Millionairess: Few woman can boast of having a 6ingle-stoned diamond ring worm £50,000 on their finger. bufc says a London rorrespondent, I had- one given to me the other day—not to keep, alas —but just to try on. It was at the Jean Phillippe dress salon where the mannequins displaying the lovely summer models walked nonchalantly about wearing magnificent diamonds, emeralds, and ruby ornaments worth thousands of pounds. The jewels were from Captain William Ogden’s show rooms in St. James’s.

The diamond ring which made me feel a millionairess for five minutes, was I was told, set with the largest stone known apart from the Crown jewels. Another wonderful pipce of the British jeweller’s art was a diamond and emerald necklace worth £25,000. and impossible as it may seem, I hear that there is no lack of demand for these ornaments, which are sold almost as soon as they are made.

Coloured waistcoats were pretty and novel features cf many of the tailored suits, both in silk and crepe-de-chine. In some cases waistcoats of bright red or yellow were worn over white blouses, giving the effect of a jockey in racing kit. All the evening frocks were very long and many of the models designed for Ascot reached to the heels. Honours were divided between widebrimmed hats and brimless models. The latter, in nearly every case, were made of the same material as the suit or frock they accompanied. Quite a lot of floral trimming was used. One closefitting black straw model was ornamented with a posy of pink flowers which matched that pinned to the centre front of the black silk coat worn with it.

Winsdor Castle Surprises: From time to time (here are wonderful finds in the storerooms and cupboards of Windsor Castle.

In quite recent times there were found a number of priceless Bellinis, delight of the Prince Consort, which had not been to the taste, however, of another generation, and had been stored away in consequence in cupboards. Again, numerous pieces of beautiful old furniture have been brought to light. Not long ago the Queen made an interesting discovery of toys of all sorts that had belonged to the King> grqat-grand-mother, the Duchess of Kent. Flower Welcome to the King: When the King and Queen went to Windsor Castle at the end of last month they found a wonderful display of daffodils in the grounds below the Royal apartments. As a result of the mild winter the flowers are further forward than usual and they are expected to be at their best by the time the Court arrives. The Queen’s boudoir has just been redecorated in a pale shade of blue, and most of the other rooms in this part of the Castle have been repapered since the Court was last at Windsor. It has not been possible to complete in time the installation of the new lift to the top of the Victoria Tower.

Skating Cabaret: Roller-skating, incidentally, formed the chief item of a cabaret at a famous Strand restaurant, recently, and a number of beautiful and interesting women were enjoying the marvellous feeis of a pair of very daring skaters. Lady Barbara Bevan was dancing with her husband. She looked very well, and wore a becoming close-fitting red georgette dress. Many women wore black, among them Miss Valerie French, who, so she now says, is definitely not engaged to Mr Bradley Martin. Her sister, Mrs Vivian Drury, who had just returned from Spain, said she found that country most disappointing. There were only olive trees to look at, the hotels were uncomfortable, and she only saw one good-looking man. Cecily Courtneidge' in a silver cloak collared with white fox was enjoying an ice, and Mrs Lockhart-Mummerv. the tall and beautiful wife of the wellknown surgeon, a large party and looked very attractive in jade green with long earrings and wearing some wonderful orchids. Mrs Anthony Eden, another’devotee of black lace, danced indefatigably.

Gladys Cooper’s Curls: Much has been said recently as to whether women are growing their hair or not, so it is interesting to know that two famous English beauties have been growing theirs for several weeks. Out is Lady Diana Cooper and the other is Lady Neville Pearson (Gladys Cooper). The latter, who never puts on her hat directly after a visit to her hairdresser, now* wears her hair in curls.

Over each temple there are two “movements”—it is very unsmart to speak of waves nowadays—and the hair at the back js turned into one large curl running vertically from the nape to the crown. This is flanked by smaller curls in straight lines all lying flat to the head. The top is kept flat. Lady Diana Cooper has her hair dressed with long pieces at the side with a “movement” at the extreme tip only. The back of the head is a mass of flat but lightly combed-out curls. The Duchess of Rutland is so delighted with her daughter's new coiffuiv that she accompanies her to the hairdresser’s, sits opposite her and makes sketches of Lady Diana emerging from the dryer and having the last curl flicked in place. The Prince’s Letters: Queen Mary is keenly alive to the interest which the Prince of Wales’s letters must have for posterity, especially as he has just been engaged in a | private tour, of which no official record is kept, states a London writer. Before he left, England she wrung a promise from the Rrince that he would write to her once a week, and these letters an* being carefully preserved. He wrote by very mail also a year ago, when he travelled through part of Africa with his brother, the Duke of Gloucester. The Prince is a good correspondent, and has a gift of describing people, scenes, and incidents quite simply, but as vividly as they appear to him. In spite of all that he nas seen and done, he is still capable of being thrilled by fresh experiences. Some of the domestic touches and allusions which crop up in these letters from time to time are never likely to see the light of publicity. Occasionally, however, they are very amusing. Queen Mary, who is also a good and regular letter-writer, has now several bundles from the Prince of Wales during his tours abroad. Memories: The Victorians were very fond of chintz covers commemorating great events, and their descendants are finding very amusing chintzes depicting the Prince Consort —a dashing, slim figure on a horse—in uniform amid blue, red and white flowers. All the victories of Nelson ar& brought into the design of another chintz, and a Rosa Bonheur sketch of horses is still being sold for curtains and covers.