FEMININE INTERESTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18807, 20 February 1931, Page 3

FEMININE INTERESTS.

PERSONAL AND FASHION NOTES. Princess’s Goodnight: The homeliness of the King and Queen was what struck the Right Hon. J. H. Thomas most when he was at Sandringham on New Year’s Eve, as Dominions Secretary, on State business. “I welcomed in the New Year with the King and Queen,” he said, in a speech at Newport, Monmouth. The occasion was a reunion of his old schoolfellows. “What struck me most was that when I was in audience with the K r.g on State matters at about 6 o’clock the Queen entered with little Princess Elizabeth and asked: ‘Would you mind? We want the Princess to wish Grandpa good-night.’ “I have four grandchildren,” added Mr Thomas. “How human, how natural, and how similar it all is. “When the little grandchild comes the King is no longer a king—he is just the same grandfather that I am, with the same love and affection.” Evening Shades: Deep coffee colour is the latest Vionnet evening shade appearing in highly transparent frocks of tulle or lace. Blues menace popularity of white for evening judging by smart Parisiennes. Sky blue and sapphire outrate turquoise. Young bloods at St. Moritz dance in ski costumes so Schiaparelli launches grey-blue slipoflf sweater over grey-blue satin blouse for outdoor and indoor exercise. Maroelle Lely knitted winter sports turban continuingf into ends in black to form its own scarf is liked by smart sportswomen. Lacy evening bonnets hand crotched of fine straw thread will be launched in the summer collection of a famous Paris milliner. Manebocher introduces short-sleev-ed ermine Eton jackets for spring evenings, and sponsors white slippers with black or white evening frocks. Worth’s low-necked and short-sleev-ed blouses of pale satin trimmed with crystal beading in Irish lace patterns to wear with dressy suits for late afternoons are successes. Arithmetic prints are spring textile novelty. Plus and minus signs and quotation marks appear in colour on 1 georgette backgrounds.

St. Valentine’s Day: St. Valentine’s Day, which fell on Saturday last, will be recalled with fragrant memories by many sedate benedicts and confirmed bachelors as a festival which meant much in their romantic youth for the love tokens which it brought from their amorous friends (states a writer in an exchange). It is a moot point whether in these days of “flaming youth” the attempt being made to restore the old custom of sending valentines will meet with any great measure of success. Certainly there is little likelihood of the massive cards which were once popular, coming back into favour. These measured eight inches by four, and were ornamented at each corner with a different coloured ribbon, each bearing such tags as:— If you love some other fellow, Send me back this bow of yellow. If of me you some time think, Send me back this bow of pink. If for me your heart beats true, Send me back this bow of blue. | If for me your love is dead. Send me back this bow of red.

The observance of St. Valentine’s Day by exchanging of gifts between youth and maiden can be traced back as far as 1476 in England, and to 1594 in Scotland. In the seventeenth century, on the eve of St. Valentine the young people met together; the girls’ names were written on slips of paper; every man drew one; the fair owner of the name became his Valentine, and received from him a pair of gloves. The fashion of sending a paper valentine as an anonymous love token came later. The earliest of these consisted of beautiful colour prints, similar to the work of Baxter and Singleton. Even Bartolozzi occasionally designed valentines, and the South Kensington Museum possesses a specimen, dated 1815. A feature of the valentine in the ’so’s and ’6o’s was the lovely little flower paintings, exquisitely fine and delicate. Sentimental verses always found a place, and these were frequently in the beautiful handwriting that was an accomplishment of the Victorians. Occasionally some swain showed a sense of humour, and sent one after this manner:— Gramercy, fayre ladye, ye rose is redde, T’fakins, ye voilet’s blue; Mass, by’re Lady, carnations are sweet, Aye, marry, and so are you. The most striking characteristic was the paper lace of which the valentine was made. Trees, figures of men and maidens, cupids, and flowers, were embossed in intricate designs, and the master of this art was one Kidd, famous in his day. To find his name in the lace-work enhances the value of an old valentine to a collector. The great firm of Rimmel added one more attraction by inventing the perfumed valentine in 1868. During the next ten years it became a tawdry affair of pink satin, highly glazed pictures, and artfiicial flowers, and died unmourned.

Music Recital in Melbourne: The beautiful music-room at Raveloe, South Yarra, Melbourne, is an ideal setting for an evening party, and it has never looked more lovely than on February 2, when Mrs Harry Emmerton generously lent her home to Mr Edward Cahill, the well-known Queensland pianist, for a short piano recital. Great jars of hydrangeas and brilliant gladioli from Mr and Mrs Norton Grimwade’s Macedon home made vivid masses of colour against carved wood and gleaming brass, and fantastic Chinese lanterns glowed from their high dragon pedestals. His Excellency the Governor (Lord Somers), and the Lieutenant-Governor (Sir William Irvine) and Lady Irvifie, were present was presented with a bouquet of flowers. At the close of the programme Mrs Emmerton entertained all present at supper in the billiard room, where the table was decorated with a marvellous colour scheme in water lilies, dahlias, and gladioli, mingled with soft greenery. In a charming little speech Mr Cahill thanked Mrs Emmerton for her great kindness in allowing the recital to take place at Raveloe, and said how much it meant to him to see so many old Melbourne friends gathered at this, his first public appearance since the death of his partner and colleague (Mr George Brooke). Raveloe held many associations for him, as it was here that he and Mr Brooke had given one of their last Melbourne recitals together.

Lady Irvine wore a gown of black satin and lace, with a black velvet wrap fringed with silk. Mrs Emmerton wore a white satin coat, embroidered in black, with an Eastern design in peacock feathers, and her gown was of black crepe satin. Her daughter (Mrs Norman Brookes), came in an ivory lace frock, worn with a short brocade jacket in delphinium blue, and Miss Mary Emmerton’s georgette frock was in the tint of deepest Parm_; violets. Old and Interesting: Believed to the oldest woman in England, Mrs Peary, Alnwick, celebrated her 108th birthday on December 10th. She has the extraordinary record of having lived in the time of seven Dukes of Northumberland, and she and her husband were employed by some of them. As a girl she worked in Hulne Park —the duke’s home farm and pleasure grounds. She was then 10 years old. “We came home as large as life with our 4d wages at the end of each day,” said Mrs Peary. “That is nearly a hundred years since, when money bought much more than it does now.” Mrs Peary was born in the old manor of Canongate, one of the oldest and most picturesque suburbs of Alnwick, which has been wholly reconstructed into a charming quarter of Alnwick by successive dukes. Until three years ago Mrs Peary did knitting and hearthrug making, and exhibited at Alnwick Shows. Mrs Peary spoke of the time when her family made their own candles and lit their fires with flint and steel out of the tinder box. She recalled the cholera epidemic in Alnwick in 1830, when the dead were collected and taken by the cart load for burial in Alnwick Parish Church Yard. She remembered in more recent years a local man who made his own coffin and used it as a table till he died. Mrs Peary had four sisters and three brothers, all of whom attained extraordinary ages. Her sisters, Mrs Bissett and Mrs Spratt, who were twins, reached 93 and 83 years respectively, and the youngest sister died bordering on 80 years. All the three brothers were considerably past 70 years when they died. Mrs Peary had no family of her own, but she has two nieces, three nephews, three greatnieces, one great-great-niece, and three great-great nephews. Mrs Peary's husband died 54 years ago.

Brooches to the Fore: Brooches, which for a time were not worn by many women, are acquiring popularity again, and these, too, are obtainable in a great variety of modes. There are enamelled flower brooches in which glowing colours are mingled with delightful results, and make a striking dash of colour if worn on a dark coloured gown or jumper. Then there are replicas of dogs, rabbits, ducks, cats, and numerous other animals, studded with diamante, which make charming hat ornaments or brooches, while the “basket of flowers” design, too, is smart and pretty. Gold brooches and silver brooches are popular, and often pearls or stones are cleverly introduced to give added attraction. A neat silver brooch seen recently was in the form of a spray of mistletoe, the berries being represented by tiny pearls.

Cameo brooches, too, are returning to favour, and are to be had with rings tcx match; while “bar” brooches, con-

sisting of a strip of metal, studded with stones, are very pretty and handy, too, because, unlike some of the more elaborate designs, they do not “catch” in other things.