FEMININE INTERESTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18626, 23 July 1930, Page 4

FEMININE INTERESTS.

PERSONAL AND FASHION NOTES Guards’ Chapel Wedding: The Guards’ Chapel at Wellington Barracks looked very lovely, with masses of Madonna lilies against its background of gold and mosaic work, for the wedding of Miss Esolde Grosvenor, elder daughter of the late Lord Arthur Grosvenor and Lady Arthur Grosvenor, and a cousin of the Duke of Westminster, and Mr W. R. West. The weather was not kind, »ut that did not seem to depress anyone, and it was amusing to hear the Duke of Beaufort giving his name as “the Duke of Dillwater” with intense seriousness, which caused the pretty fair-haired Duchess and her sister, Lady Helena Gibbs, who are nieces of the Queen, immense amusement. In fact the Duke’s little joke had such a success that another guest who followed close behind him announced himself as Lord Philanderer. Miss Grosvenor, who is dark, slight, ;.t very vivacious, chose a white wedding. It is said mat sne wastes very little time at her dressmaker’s for she had only one fitting for her wedding gown, which was of heavy ivory satin, delicately embroidered with seed pearls, and suited her admirably. It was moulded to her figure and very long, being draped from the shoulders witn a beautiful shawl of exquisite family lace which hung nearly to the end of her four yards long pearl embroidered satin train.

Her going away frock was in cherry crepe de chene, with a short coat that had a sable collar. The bridesmaids, who included Lady Mary Cambridge, the Quc-en’s greatniece, and Lady Serena James’s little daughter, wore picture Locks of white tulle, and the only colour in the bridal party were the cherry coloured ribbons that encircled the waists of the bridesmaids and their cherry-coloured satin sljoes. Captain Robin Grosvenor gave his' sister away. Lady Arthur Grosvenor the bride's mother wore a coatee ensemble in blue and beige ninon, the coat being trimmed with fox. The wedding was a very ducal affair. Among the guests were Constance Duchess of Westminster, wearing r, yellow straw hat with a black and white ensemble, who brought Lady Mary Grosvenor in a beige coat over a flowered voile frock; Katherine Duchess of Westminster wearing grey, who arrived with Lord and Lady Henry Seymour; Lady Edward Grosvenor, in a white spotted black dress, with Beatrice Grosvenor: Lady Ursula Filmer Sankey, the Duke of Westminster’s nretty elder daughter, and her husband. Lady Shaftesbury, in a flowered chiffon dress, Lady Alington, her eldest daughter, in wine-red georgette. Lord Ashley, and Lady Lettice AshlevCooper. in a navy pin-spotted frock, were together, and Countess Beauchamp, who was in grey and white patterned crepe, brought Lady Dorothy Lvgon. in a rose-colour frock and a hat of ivorv straw. There were, in fact, numerous family parties.

A “Royal Enclosure” at the Derby Ball: At the Derby Ball, the Prince ot Wales danced energetically and seemed to enjoy himself amongst scores of his friends. He danced witn pretty Lady Milbanke, who looked very slim and attractive in black, and who was his supper hostess, and he chatted to Lady Cunard all In white, and Lady Furness who v/as another wearer of white and who wore her wonderful black pearls hanging down her back, as is the present vogue. ' The Prince watched the cabaret from a raised dais at one side of the ballroom which was quickly dubbed the Royal Enclosure; but unlike the real one at Ascot, no curious eyes were focussed on it and the Prince was able to enjoy the atmosphere of a private party all the evening. Is there any other country in the world except England. where the future King could dance and amuse himself without any danger of being mobbed and even apparently unnoticed at a subscription dance?

Many noted beauties were to be seen at the ball. The long glove vogue was exemplified by two girls who wore bright red and green gloves with black and white frocks respectively. Lady Diana Cooper, in flamingo pink and a little gold coatee; Lady Weymouth, looking taller than ever in a black and white patterned chiffon frock; Mrs Ronald Balfour (Deirdre Hart-Davis that was) in an original black frock with a white back to the bodice; Mrs Peter Thursby, in black; Lady Brownlow in a horizontally striped dress of blue, white and yellow mousseline de soie, the skirt quaintly and delicately wired to stand out from her figure—there were but a few of the pretty young women and girls there.

Madame Foch in London: The Prince of Wales can always be relied upon to say the right thing at the right time, and it was generally felt at the unveiling of the Foch Memorial, that it was noble of him to congratulate Mrs le Blond, when she was presented to him, on having such a fine day for the ceremony so near her heart. He also talked to Madame Foch, and it was noticed that he held her hand while he spoke to her. He seemed to be speaking tenderly and intimately of the great French Field Marshal, for Madame Foch was evidently much moved.

The Prince was in the uniform of the Scots Guards, which is not exactly hot weather wear.

Madame Foch had not much time to herself during her short stay in London with her two widowed daughters. There was a small dinner in her honour at the Forum Club where she stayed, and where she received something she will cherish all her life, so she said—a letter from Queen Mary, a charming and kindly letter, written with her own hand.

Before the unveiling ceremony Commander de l’Hopital, who was one of Fcich’s A.D.C.’s took her for a walk in Hyde Park; she then went to the Anglo-French Luncheon Club’s lunch for Gabriel Pierne, the famous conductor of the Colonne orchestra; and afterwards to a tea party given for her by the Mayoress of Westminster. The luncheon brought together a wonderful collection military and musical celebrities. At one table was General de Montmorency, with a long row of medals, who had been on the Western Front from 1914 onwards; General Clive, who proposed the health of Madame Foch and General Wey.gand, and General Despres; among the musicians were Mr Eugene Goossens in the chair—he speaks wonderful Trench Sir Landon Ronald, Adrian Boult, Mr Mark Hambourg, Sir Henry Wood and that last of the Bohemians, the musical critic. Mr Edwin Evans. Lady Malcolm looked the best-dress-ed woman in the room in her black crepe de chene ensemble flecked with wnite, a large leghorn hat tied with black, a big white buttonhole and an amusing little tab of the silk at the back finished with a diamond clasp She told a new story of Foch. Years before the war he was staying at the Grosvenor Hotel, and he heard martial music; gomg to the window be saw a detachment of the Guards mF-crbing to Buckingham Palace to relieve the Guard, and understood from a bvstander that it was the British Army “They look very beautiful,” he said critically, “but there* «re not ntarlv enough of them, even if you have a navy.” Frock Parade: The Lord Mayor of London, walking along the streets of the Royal Agricultural Hall, where he opened the Drapery Exhibition, was more in the picture than his predecessors have been for some years past, states the “Manchester Guardian.” He and the Sheriffs who accompanied him were not the only people whose gowns near-

ly touched the floor, for many of the * mannequins returning from the parade wore frocks that covered their ankles. Visitors who resent the long-skirt fashion, even for evening wear, when •so many people consider it legitimate, found some consolation in watching the discomfort of the pretty girls as they tried to prevent their laces and flowered chiffons from sweeping the stairs on their way down to the hall. The dressmakers seem tired of the uneven line which was so popular * hen women first lengthened their evening frocks. Some skirts btill dip at the back, but one dressmaker said that all her evening gowns were of even ltngtii, her afternoon frocks for special occasions were of ankle length, and the fashion would laft she thought, till the autumn. By that time women \ culd probably be tired of them, but she expected long evening frocks to retain their popularity for at least another year. She said frankly that she thought them much less attractive than the short, smart frocks, but (hat a drastic change like *his from time to time was desirable. One noticed that many of the diaphanous frocks were ,vorn over very short and flimsy petticoats with an X-ray effect, but that may have been due to an oversight on the exhibitors' part. The critics who have complained so loudly about skirts that’ r» v°aled the knees would be more declamatory, if they saw these long AS* ot Locks worn so guilelessly in the sunshine of the paddock. Clare Sheridan's Arab Life: Having finally turned her back on Western civilisation, and adopted Arab ways and clothes, Mrs Clare Sheridan" the author, sculptor and traveller, has decided to ive permanently in the house she has built at Biskra on the green fringe on the Sahara, states British nited Press. Desert craftsmen nave r.uilt her luxurious dwelling in native style and although its walls are of mud, it is the envy of tribal sheiks, containing treasures which cannot be found in many other places on the sand dunes. Wandering Arabs, specially commissioned to search for rare treasures have brought back gorgeous ornaments anu trinkets, rare lugs and blankets, and metal ware. Mrs Sheridan observes the Arab feasts and fasts, including the rigorous Ramadan, a forty-day fast during which one is forbidden to take food or water while the sun is above the. horizon. She admits, however, that there is a very important reason for keeping Ramadan,- for she finds the forty-day fast excellent for preserving her figure. Mrs Sheridan, who is a cousin of Mr Winston Churchill, has lived in Biskra much of the time since her husband was killed in the war. If Romney were Alive: If Romney were alive to-day he would be amused and interested to see the original home and architect’s studio that Major Clough WilliamsEllis has made out of his house in Hampstead, writes a Londoner. It was a derelict music-hall, where Marie Lloyd had appeared before she made her name, when Major WilliamsEllis turned it into a Italian country house in London. What Mrs Williams-Ellis, the authoress, likes best about it is her study on the roof, secure from telephones, children and domestics.

There are sound-proof walls between the nurseries and the othei bedrooms, and bathrooms gay with “sponged” walls, where several different paints have been slapped on light-heartedly with a painter’s Mg sponge. Major Williams-Ellis’ own studio, which was also Romney’s, there is a winding marble stair and walls and ceiling of Italian sky-blue. All the reception rooms have high ceilings and walls, on which this clever artist-architect has painted draperies in shades of golden brown, yellow and grape-purple. Bound For Home: Before long, Swedish newspapers, and. latter a book, will ring with the praises of Australia and New Zealand After three years’ wandering in Australia and New Zealand. Miss Karin Warnholz, a young Swedish journalist, left Sydney by the Trianon last month for her home, Malino. South Sweden, to write about the Antipodes in book and article form, states an exchange. She is a plucky creature. She had to earn her living as she wandered, so spent most of her time in Australia doing various kinds of domestic work in the country—from governessing and “lady helping” to cooking and housekeeping Thus she acquired an unusually clear insight into rural conditions (she stayed for some on a farm 80 miles from Walgett during the drought season), and thinks that nowhere in the world is there a more hard-working or courageous soul than the country-woman. How she stands up to the life of solitude, year after year, is more than this visitor can fathom. She thinks, too. . that the Country Women’s Association in Australia is a wonderful organisation. Miss Warnholz was in New Zealand for a year or so before going to Australia. She was in Wellington for some time, but most of her visit was spent in the East Coast district. Yacht Furniture:

The furnishing of Lord and Lady Strathcona’s new yacht was just completed in time for the Whitsun holiday, which her owners will spend at Colonsay, their Island home off the coast of Argyllshire. Linen curtains of that lovely terracotta shade reminiscent of the sails of Breton fishing boats nave been hung in the bedroom. They harmonise perfectly with the furniture, made in Queensland silky oak by a Knightsbridge woman designer. The Duchess of York was partially responsible for the appearance of this Empire wood in England. Her Royal Highness noticed it on her Australian tour and mentioned it to a furniture maker on ner return. It is a pale cigar colour, with a curious silky pattern like a water-mark, and is now being used fairly extensively over here.