FEMININE INTERESTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18651, 21 August 1930, Page 4

FEMININE INTERESTS.

PERSONAL AND FASHION NOTES. Tea Chat With The Queen*. Work in City offices ceased and the roar of the London traffic was hushed while crowds on the pavements, and the girl clerks and typists at the windows, cheered a lovely Princess from Japan, who at once Won all hearts. She was driving with her husband, Prince Takamatsu, brother of the Emperor of Japan. Their scarlet and gold carriage was escorted by Life Guards. The Prince and his bride were on their way to the Mansion House, where the Lord Mayor entertaineu them to luncheon. The pageantry of the Life Guards, and brilliantly uniformed postillions, provided a gorgeous spectacle for the City in its luncheon hour, but all eyes were On the Princess. She smiled shyly and charmingly from beneath a dainty, widebrimmed hat in response to cheers of welcome. This as well as her gossamer dress were of the colour of cherry blososm, one of the glories of Japan. At the Mansion House everyone was in levee dress. The heavy gold plate of the City, brought from the vaults, with masses of gay flowers, formed « gorgeous setting for the distinguished company. On their return from the Mansion House great crowds again lined the route of the royal visitors. The Lord Mayor, Sir William Waterlow. proposing the Prince’s health, said: “In the realm of sport I know some of your countrymen are among the finest lawn tennis players, and I am told that Rugby football has become most popular in Japan, and that in other directions the Japanese are keen sportsmen and succeed in most things they undertake.” Prince Takamatsu, in reply said: “We have already been captivated by the charms of the English countryside, and profoundly impressed by the old —but ever new—City of London, with marks of youthful vigour and progress evident on all hands. Our lives will be made richer for having been in your wonderful City.” Before leaving the City Prince Takamatsu conferred upon the Lord Mayor the Collar of the Rising Sun and upon the Sheriffs the Order of the Sacred Treasure.

The Princess presented two gifts to the Queen for her dolls’ house—a small Japanese jewel-box, in the form of a chest of drawers about eight inches high, lacquered in gold on black enamel, and a miniature Japanese tea service in silver set out on a tiny dresser with a small gold screen. Her Majesty was especially pleased with the tea service, the pieces of which, although perfect in every detail. are so small that a microscope is needed to rveal their beauty. The Princess, who speaks excellent English, explaining to the Queen how tea was taken in Japan, said that instead of a tea-cosy a screen was used to keep the tea hot. As soon as the Princess learned that she was visiting England she took steps to discover the Queen’s tastes, and was told about her Majesty’s dolls’ house, her collection of Japanese and Chinese lacquer, work and her fondness for miniatures. The finest craftsmen in Japan spent many months in making the gifts.

Victory of the Short Skirt: Good sense has triumphed in the battle of the skirt length. Dresses that sweep i.he ground, according to the best Paris couturiers, will not be seen, except for theatre wear. Dance frocks will have even hems of ankle length. Afternoon gowns and tailleurs will just cover the calves. Sports suits will de finitely remain short —almost to the knees.

During luncheon at the hotel where chic Paris gathers, a correspondent took a census of skirt lengths. Only two women—and they were Americans —out of some 300 wore skirts that swept the ground. The rest favoured the length, which according to the designers, will dominate the winter collections, and which for want of a better expression is termed “calflength/ '

When the collections are shown it is probable That final good-byes will have to be said to: Hip-length coats (alas!). Boldly printed silks of all kinds: short shoulder-capes; very loosely woven tweeds; the “natural” waistline—Empire waists are indicated; uneven hems (thanks goodness).

One famous designer was using a good deal of voile lame for evening gowns—in soft greys especially. He was making a knee-length coat of velvet as a substitute for the popular hip-length that had such a sweeping success during the summer. Another designer effects a winter compromise with this mode by creating an Empire coat that almost touches the ground at the back and is cut away to hiplength in front. Long evening coats are made to show a double finger width of the dress beneath. A belted tunic blouse of knee length takes the place of the bolero jacket at one house.

Instead of very loose tweeds, firmer weaves are being made up in many salons. A woollen material that is much favoured has a rough texture reminiscent of camel-hair. The favourite colours for day wear this winter will be, it is prophesied, dark brown and dark violet, and some tortoiseshell jewellery has been seen. Meanwhile Paris is definitely rejecting the “cartwheel” hat. The majority of smart women have skull caps wltn jewelled ornaments, the material varying from tricot straw to satin, black being chosen in nine cases out of ten. A final word in furs—perhaps the most important note of the winter collections. The lavish use of pelts seen last whiter has had its day. A few blue, silver or red fox ties were hung in one famous designer’s room, but most of the pelts ready to be applied to the new coats were of breitschwanz gaillac, and the other flat-coated types. Black ermine is a novelty, seen only or.ee or twice last year, which will be a feature of several of this winter’s shows. A lovely knee-lengch coat, dipping to a V-point at the back, was made of these exquisitely soft little pelts and trimmed with black fox, a stole of six strands of alternating black and white ermine being another effective use of this fur.

Brilliant Newmarket Assembly: feunny weather made the second day of the July meeting at Newmarket very enjoyable. A breeze blew over the Heath, and the coppice where the horses were paraded was always cool and shady.

™ T £ e i. Ki ? g mot °red from the Jockey Club headquarters in time to lunch at the course, and Princess Mary end Lord Harewood, Lord and Lady Lonsdale. Lord and Lady Derby, and I ord anu Lady Zetland were also cailv arrivals. J

Princess Mary came down from the stand alone before the Duke of Cambridge Handicap, looking very charming in a pale rose pink patterned frock of Lancashire voile, with a coat to match, and a cream Bangkok hat. She joined Mrs Sofer Whitburn, who was very smart in black and white and they watched the parade together. Lord and Lady Manton, the latter very attractive in a water-green frock and hat, were wit hMrs Fitzalan Howard, whose navy and white patterned frock was worn with a dark blue hat. Both Lady Manton and Mrs Fitzalan Howard had striking necklaces of huge coloured beads.

Lady Derby, in a black and white frock, was walking under the t* ees with Lady Digby, very charming in marron brown with faint touches of rose colour. Lady Stanley was Lord Derby’s companion most of the afternoon.

The Duchess of Newcastle, with a beige sunshade to tone with her beige anu brown dress and hat, was carrying a very large beige leather hand-

bag. and Lady Irene Cubitt had a fat black pochette with two white stripes to match her magpie ensemble. Lady Rosebery, whose husband was a steward of this meeting, was a pretty figure in a delicate creamy beige frock with which she wore a rope of amber beads, her beige hat being trimmed with amber ribbons.

The Hon. Evelyn Fitz Gerald was walking with Lady Moira Lyttelton, whose flared frock of harebell blue was patterned with white. Lady Kitty Lambton wore a black and white scarf with a black crepe suit, and Lady Blandford was in georgette tweed. Lady Curzon of Kedleston. in white georgette, a wide-brimmed white hat. and white slippers, was talking to Lord Lonsdale and Sir Mathen Wilson Lord Ludlow, who was in residence at Warren Towers for the meeting, was in a coat and frock of exquisite duckegg blue. Lady Alwynne Compton Vyner and her son and daughter-in-law—Com-mander and Lady Doris Vyner—were together. Lady Doris in beige crepe powdered with tiny flowers. Lady Linlithgow wore a beige coat and a patterned ninon frock, and Mrs Croker Bulteel was in black and white. Independence Day at American Embassy : Independence Day was kept at the American Embassy in London. The old Vanderbilt house in Prince’s Gate was full of flowers- roses and lilies, sweet peas and pale-pink peonies—and silken star-and-stripe emblems hung about the staircase and in the hall. The Ambassador and Mrs Dawes received hundreds of American guests. At one time a queue stretched from the front door right through the hall to the garden entrance, and cars v ere waiting for half a mile beyond the carriage drive.

There was sunshine all the afternoon, and Mrs Dawes, wearing a long gown of very soft ninon patterned with flowers, passed her guests on to the garden • immediately she had greeted them. Lady Lister-Kaye. dressed in grey chiflon and a long blue coat, found many friends among the guests sitting in the garden listening to American airs played by the band of the Irish Guards. Mr Ray Atherton, the American Charge d’Affaires. and Mrs Alberton, tall and slender in flowered crepe and a shady hat, helped to entertain; and other well-known Americans present included Lady Gainsborough in a graceful frock of fine black lace and a flower-trimmed black hat, Elizabeth Lady Cbeylesmore, who wore soft rose pink and a hat wreathed with pink flowers, and Mrs Wesley Watson with a beautiful camellia pinned to her black coat.

Touches of Crimson: Touches of crimson everywhere testified to the presence of the Queen recently at Dudley House, one of the finest of the older Park Lane mansions, where she dined with Lady Ward and a few guests, in accordance with her custom of dining out on Derby night, writes an Englishwoman. The red carpet at Dudley House made the fact of the Royal visit known to an interesting crowd. Indoors two crimson crassulas stood either side of the doors leading from the beautiful hall, with its old fireplace, to the main staircase, which was swathed with crimson ramblers. On the dinner tables crimson roses were arranged. Preparations for the dance, to which Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught, ex-King Manuel and Queen Victoria of Portugal came, were not completed until a late hour in the afternoon, workmen being busy installing the pigeonholes for the hats of the men guests and laying the red carpet.

The massed ferns and pink hydrangeas on the balcony gave guests privacy from the interesting gaze of onlookers, while enabling them to enjoy the air and fine view as the lights came out and day faded over the park.

Dame Nellie: Singers come and singers go, but Dame Nellie Melba goes on for ever! Her voice is as wonderful to-day as it has ever been, and people worship her more than ever. When she gave her concert at the Park Lane Hotel a little while ago, writes one who knows, all the duchesses and society girls in London seemed to be present—to say nothing of the large collection of musicians, writers and artists. Among the vast audience were the Duchess of Rutland, the Duchess of Abercorn, Lady Maud Warrender, Lady Florence Willoughby, and Lady Alexandra Haig -—all obviously enthralled. Music—real music—is becoming much more popular these days, and many hostesses have given musical parties this season.