FEMININE INTERESTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18620, 16 July 1930, Page 4

FEMININE INTERESTS

PERSONAL AND FASHION NOTES. Royal Party at Palace: The apartments of the King and Queen at Buckingham Palace were a bower of roses in honour of the Queen’s 63rd birthday. "At Sandringham the rose houses were stripped of some of their most beautiful blooms to provide the decoration, and masses of the Queen’s favourite pink blossoms were used for the adornment of the Bow-room, in which the family birthday luncheon was held. Birthday greetings reached Lie Queen from all parts of the world. Many of the Queen’s friends called in person. The Royal Family celebrated the sixty-third birthday by a jolly party, made happier by the fact that the King, in full health, was able to take an active part. Nineteen members of the Royal Family sat down to lunch at the Palace. Among tnem weic the Queen’s four sons, Princess Mary, and the Duchess of York. Among the traditions of a Royal birthday celebration, all of which were faithfully observed, is one that new dresses should be worn for the occasion. The Queen selected a plain grey costume and wore it when she received her guests in the morning room. The Royal chefs prepared a special menu for the luncheon, and they paid particular attention to the making of a strawberry ice pudding, of which the Queen is particularly fond. After the King proposed the Queen’s health, her Majesty opened her birtnday parcels, most of which were piled on a table beside her chair. One, however, was a carved walnut writing desk—the joint gift of the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Gloucester, Prince George, and the Duke and Duchess of York. It was specially made with a triangular back to fit into a corner of the Queen’s boudoir at Sandringham House, and matches the rest of the furniture there. Princess Elizabeth and young Lord Lascelles and Master Gerald Lascelles paid their visit after the meal was finished. They went up to the Royal apartments and joined the party in time to add their gifts to the pile which the Queen was about to begin opening. Lord Lascelles and Master Gerald paid for an enamel box they gave from the accumulated savings oi many weeks of their pocket money. Princess Elizabeth took a bouquet of flowers as well as the suede handbag —her present. The little Princess was a pretty picture in a frilly white dress, with her golden hair bare; the two boys were in grey tweed suits and cans. While the Queen’s grandsons saluted the footmen who admitted them, Princess “Betty” chatted gaily to them about “Grandmother Queen,” and how she hoped she would be pleased with her present. New Fashions in Jewellery: Although only one or two women wear their “fenders” at the opera, we are getting back to the days of heavy jewellery. A well-dressed woman can wear several jewelled bracelets two inches wide, diamond clips on her corsage. her gloves, and even her shoes, and ropes of pearls and other precious stones. A few years ago she would have gone out quite happily with a wrist watch—now taboo for evening wear—a single necklace and a broocn.

In Victorian times a profusion of expensive ornaments, such as women who can afford them wear now, would have been considered vulgarly ostentatious. But. in those days, according to a famous Bond Street jeweller, diamond's—once more fashion’s favourites —were cut so that their surface had the appearance of smashed glass and the light blazed from them in all directions. Nowadays a gem of, say, 15 carats has a more dignified and beautiful appearance, because it can ' ■ '■’ut in long facets, and the angles of these facets are carefully calculated to give the finest reflections of light. The result is a diamond shaped like a slab or “baguette.” Fascinating Fans There is a homely folk-saying to the effect that straws show which way the wind blows, and although the winds of fashion are notoriously variable, rarely setting in the same direction for any length of time, indicative straws have been seen in sufficient numbers to justify the statement that, at the moment, the wind is, quite definitely, blowing fan-ward. Some of the fans for the Courts are exquisite, states a Londoner One example having a tortoiseshell mount, brown-shining, and apparently dappled with honey-yellow, like sunflecked peat water, has falling from it a wide-flung foam of feathers, shading through a wonderful pale clear amber to softly-glowing apricot. When the fan is shut, the long, lovely feathers dispose themselves with the easy perfection that one finds in the movements of flickering flames or running water. Here is very cunning fancraft. Just now, when we are being rather consciously—sometimes even rather self-consciously—picturesque in the matter of frocks and frills, fans undoubtedly provide a valuable detail in the schemes of our personal decorations. A Cool Drawing Room Pale green, with handsome green and silver embroidered silk curtains, make a cool drawing room at the Spanish Embassey. The panels there are filled with paintings by Bayeu, a famous Spanish artist whose pictures were in the “conversation” style. One painting shows a picnic out in the country, with an entire family sitting on the grass. In the long dining room, where tall crimson and gold brocaded chairs match the hangings, are the famous tapestries which belong to the King of Spain and are fine examples of sixteenth and seventeenth century art. Another small drawing room has the couches and chairs in jilks and velvets, in the true Spanish style, with a stone fireplace on which the Royal arms are carved. All White Flowers It was Mile. Chanel, the world-fam-ous Paris dressmaker, who started the vogue of all-white flowers in a house and ornaments of dead white pottery. In her lovely home you come upon great square glass jars filled with lilies, white lilac, and white roses in every conceivable spot. White and beige is her favourite colour scheme for a room. All the hangings and coverings in her house are pale creamy beige, and all the flowers white. The effect is cool, distinguished, and extraordinarily elegant. When a jeweller buys old gems at a saleroom he often recuts them in the modem manner. The added clearness of the stones after this process is very marked. Many women are. afraid to have their heirloom jewels reset, but when the jeweller has a free hand he scraps remorselessly such old-fashion-ed devices as claw settings, and not only resets the stones in platinum in the new sophisticataed manner, but frequently recuts them as well. Diamond bracelets of ten or twenty years ago were often uneven in quality, cut, and setting. In a modern example each stone had been separately chosen, and all of them cut at the same time with long facets. The consequence was a remarkable beauty of line. in the new brooches, rings and clips round diamonds make background for the slab diamonds or beguqttes. Another jeweller, whose firm is an -British, 1 finds that the resetting of old jewels is such an important feature of present-day trade that he has made

it his special interest for many years Valuable diamonds, he said, used to oe set in silver, and a necklace worth £2,000 may have a seeing worth at the most £3. Now they have to be remounted in a manner more worthy of their value. A heavy and cumbrous Victorian necklace has just been remodelled by this firm. Some of the diamonds were cut in baguette shapes, others were left round as a contrast. They were mounted on hinged platinum, and from this circle were hung large pear-shaped emeralds. The necklace can now be worn with modern bracelets and a diamond and emerald ring.

A modern ruby necklace had 456 ruby beads in four strands, arranged round the front of the neck only and finishing on the shoulders in triangular diamond plaques, two ruby strands, finishing in a diamond pendant, being looped down the centre of the back. These rubies took nearly foil years to match. Very few brooches are being made T clips, in triangular squareoblong. and other shapes, mostly of diamonds, are designed to meet the demand for an ornament that can be placed on hats, lapels, evening dress decolletages. glove-gauntlets, belts, rn f#*;t anywhere from the hat to the Court shoe.

A watch measuring just over a quarter of an inch was set in baton diamonds and sapphires. The wristlet was of silk cord, with a diamond clasp. A Paris jeweller who recently exhibited in London uses a great deal of platinum, places differently coloured golds in interesting juxtaposition, makes startling contrasts with white and black lacauer, and adds curiously coloured and little-known stones. His designs are abstract, he has a horror of merely copying natural forms, though he never falls into the mistake of merely straining after novelty. His work has evolved gradually and naturally in harmony with the age in which we live, and appears, for all its undoubted originality, to be as inevitably a part of our lives and requirements as a car or « gramophone. Generous Book Lover: Sir Alfred Yarrow, the shipping magnate, is one of those pleasant people who delight in present-giving. He has a unique form of generosity. Among other things, he posessees wonderful library containing books of every description, many of them highpriced volumes. Favoured guests are bidden to select any book that appeals to them as a gift. One person said she greatly valued several that had been presented to her in this charming manner. Sir Alfred Is very fond of intellectual company, and his favourite way of entertaining is to give breakfast parties. But most of all this famous ship-building magnate adores entertaining his goodly company of grandchildren and their little friends. He provides them with wonderful toys to play with on these occasions, roaring lions, elephants and other exciting things. The forbidden pastime of playing with matches is a game Sir Alfred superintends himself, and it is really an instructive exhibition that interests old as well as young. He illustrates a bush fire and how it is stopped in its fierce career in Australia and countries where they are prevalent. In a large tray of sand he plants wooden matches to represent trees. But he also makes roads in the sand intersecting this ‘ittle f rest. Then he lights one of the match tops thus setting one small tree on fire, and gently blows, his breath representing the wind that plays havoc in the bush. Immediately the near matches take fire and spread from row to row, until they reach the path in the sand, where the blaze is automatically arrested.

Popular Needlework! It is interesting to learn that both Princess Mary and Lord Harewood do petit point, which resembles tapestry and is immensely popular in England just now, and have examples of their work at Chesterfield House and Goldsborough. After a full day’s hunting the Princess and her husband often settle down on either side of a huge log fire in her comfortaole “blue” boudoir to work at panels for footstools, a screen or a chair seat. The Duchess of York, who, by the way. is said to have cancelled all her summer engagements, on the other hand, prefers quite plain sewing. Little linen rompers which Princess Elizabeth wears in her nursery are made by her mother, and sewn with the daintiest of stitches, and it is said that the Duchess prefers the finest of darning to any other form of needlework. Among the younger generation the Duchess of Westminster is perhaps one of the most industrious and ambitious of ’broiderers. In her mother’s rooms at Sir Frederick Ponsonby’s official residence at Marlborough Gate, there are lovely embroideries which are the work of her hands. But it is at the family’s country home in Surrey, Great Tangley Manor, that the Duchess’s affection for her needle is best illustrated. There hang several beautiful pieces of tapestry which she has copied from famous designs, and in nearly all the rooms either curtains or hangings have been embellished by her in some artistic way. The Duchess of Westminster. who was formerly Miss Leolia Ponsonby, is an extremely popular and therefore very busy young woman and she must have unbounded energy and enthusiasm if she Still finds time for her beloved needlework. And some people still labour under the delusion that “ladies of the land” lead idle lives! Women in Russia: The Soviet Government has voted £60,000 as a fund to help emancipate women and make them independent, especially in those regions of the country where, due to prevailing religious traditions, women are still enslaved to the will of their husbands.

The fund will be managed by the All-Soviet Committee to Improve Conditions of Women. This commitee, which is an official Government institution, is now sending out so-called women brigades to inspect all the districts, in order to establish whether women get their equal chances in receiving appointment to higher executive offices or not.

“It is the decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party that women be pushed in the Government offices toward higher positions, and we are certainly going to see to it that this decision be carried out properly,” one of the leaders of the All-Soviet Committee stated. He complained that in the Department of Finances only four women occupy re'nsible positions, working there as instructors.

“This, of course, is too small a prooortion when compared with the number of capable women this department has on its staff doing just technical work.” he asserted, “and our inspection will undoubtedly lead toward a number of promotions for those who can be utilised for higher and more qualified work than typing or stencilling.” A New Colour:

There was great excitement in London West End salons, where the finishing touches were put to the lovely gowns that were designed and made for the recent Court.

As the last pin, says the writer was slipped in place and the last tacking sticth removed Madame bade an almost tearful goodbye to her cherished masterpiece before it was settled in its muslin bag and delivered by hand to some house in Mayfair where a similar if more restrained atmosphere prevailed. An amount of pink is featured in the gowns. Foamy lace dresses in flesh pink, blush pink and rose-beige were worn, and several satin ones of a colour called palest blush-oyster. Among the debutantes’ dresses, that of Lady Joan Child Villiers stood out. It was of pale leaf green cut on modern lines, with a bolero effect. The train was of- gold woven lame lined with flesh-pink chiffon and edged with narrow gold lacev

Every Woman: Every woman has at least one black I dress for evening wear, and black silk j stockings in the finest weave possible re correct to accompany the black frock, the shoes being of black satin I and brocade. For daytime wear hose is I darker than formerly. Mole, mist, grey, prune, dark beige, and crystal beige | tone best with the dahlia shades.! Woodland browns are worn with brown i shoes and dark matching brown. Flesh ; colour and pinkish tones are not j worn for daytime. Although skirts have lengthened, women wear dainty and attractive hose in the finest of texture. Clox are still the vogue. Off the Stage: I have seen so many stage stars din-. ing out lately, and it is always in- { teresting to observe how they dress 1 “off” the stage, and if they are very different, remarks a Londoner. I ; supped next to Dorothy Dickson at the Savoy the other night—she has exact- ! ly the same persoanlity on either side of the footlights. I like her “pixie”; smile and the careless way in which , she dresses her hair which, strictly i speaking, isn’t “dressed” at all. At another well-known restaurant I saw Lady Inverclyde (June) with her husband and a party of friends. All the women in the party, including June herself, were wearing long gloves with their evening gowns, but they had all! slipped their hands out and tuckedi that part of the glove inside. _ ,