THE LADIES COLUMN EDITED BY EVA

Observer, Volume 1, Issue 9, 13 November 1880, Page 71

EDITED BY EVA

EVA

Mdlle. Charbonnet was the favourite with the French officers at the Molbourne ball. The kiltings on dresses are going out of fashion and giving place to box-pleatinga. Print hats to match the pompadour costume are now being worn. Dress sleeves are now worn plain, without trimming, and fit tightly on the arm. Dresses are now worn buttoned at the back instead of at the front, as formerly. " It is not the price of the goods, bvit of the dressmaker, that tells," says " Truth." . The fawn costume doesn't suit everyone, but is seen to great advantage on a young lady, who oc.casionally patronises Queen-street on a sunny afternoon. Don't buy the imitation coral jewellery. Anybody can tell it's sham, and the earrings are not pretty. The idol of Webb's female lambs meditates a visit to Sydney in a new yacht now building at the North Shore, and his admirers are inconsolable. At the birthday party in the Temperance Hall, Miss F , the hostess, wore a very pretty dress of black and cardinal. Hemus and Hanna appear to have obtained a contract for taking photo 3of ladies in Fancy Ball costume. Their cases contain between twenty and thirty samples. Lady Anne Isabella Blunt, granddaughter of Lord Byron and sister of Baron Wentworth, has just been converted to Roman Catholicism. The Empress Augusta, of Germany, has a mania for wearing black silk dresses, holding that no lady beyond middle age should wear light colours. A dress of black merino, trimmed with black and white brocaded silk, and rink hat to match, forms a capital walking costume, and is especially becoming when worn by the charming Miss B . The windows of our millinery establishments, are now gaily decorated with straw wreaths for hattrimming. AH, the somebodies and nobodies in the place will be wearing them before long. The reception given by the ladies to the Zulu helmet, has induced the leaders of fashion to launch on the market a "pamela hat " of the same description. It will soon give the Zulu the slide. 7 A very pleasant birthday party was given by an Auckland belle on Thursday evening last in the Temperance Hall. There were about one hundred couples present, and a very pleasent evening was spent. The young lady who purchased a packet of "crackers" from the shop of Ah Kew, on the sth instant, seemed to enjoy letting them off in a quiet corner of the garden. A later hat than the " beef-eater" is the "bullfighter's" hat. The brim is rolled up around the pyramidal crown, and the only trimmings are two little clusters of raveled silk placed on left the side. Lawn tennis aprons are made with coloured borders eighteen inches deep and embroidered with sprays of flowers. The pocket and bib are similarly embroidered. Miss Frances Evelyn Maynard, the beautiful young English heiress, to whom Prince Leopold was at one time reported to be engaged, is shortly to be married to Lord Brooke, heir to the historic Earldom of Warwick. The young woman who is going to many the son of the Prince Imperial of Germany, is not much to be envied, notwithstanding the superior grandeur of hia family. His left arm is paralyzed, and always will be, and waltzing is his only accomplishment. I gather from a recent issue of the "Cape Times" that before Sir Bartle Frere left for England, the ladies of Cape Town presented Lady Frere and the Miss Freres with a beautiful illuminated address, containing many expressions of regard and aifection. Another London firm which has always a marvellous assortment of new artistic fabrics on hand is, Liberty and Co., Regent-street. Auckland ladies who want something soft, silky and novel, should send for samples of his cashmeres and other strange materials. Slang is on the increase in the "hupper suckles." Two nicely dressed girls, well known in good society, were looking at some pictures in "Wayte's window on Thursday last, when one of them was overheard to remark : " Oh Lizzie, golly what a mouth I " The projected marriage between a gentleman and lady (assistants at a large drapery establishment), is considered "off." According to report, the lady has been listening to some wicked rumours re her swain being already a "Benedict." It is a great shame to make mischief in such cases. Peacock green, which has been such a fashionable colour in the artistic and {esthetic circles of London society for the past three year 3, is at last coming into vogue in Auckland. After many ineffectual attempts to introduce it, the milliners have at length been successf til, and several peacock green dresses may now be seen in town. A very pretty and not at all common costume worn by a young lady of Parnell, has attracted my notice. It consists of a black silk princess-robe, with very handsome trimming at the bottom of the skirt. The principal feature, however, is a neatly worked pinafore of black silk. It is altogether very tasteful and becoming. It's no fun for a hungry person to dine with Queen Victoria. It is not etiquette to eat of anything af ber she has finished with it, and, as her Majesty eats very little, the courses are hurried over. As it is cheaper to feed one person than fifty or sixty, and as the Queon is known to be economical, we can't help wondering if she doesn't take a lunch before dining that would make a half-starved tramp stare. Ladies who wish to startle Auckland society with dresses of the newest and most artistic colours, should send to Heilbronner's, Regent-street, London, for patterns, enclosing a small sum to pay the postage. Heilbronner is t/ie man now for new colours and materials, and all the costumes made up for Mrs. "Wheeler, Mrs. Cornwallis "West and Miss Ellen Terry arc got from him by Elise and Mdine. Devy. As showing how far some young ladies will go in the foolish custom of tight-lacing, I will relate a story which has just come under my notice. A young lady (who shall be nameless) entered a dressmaking establishment in this city, with the view of being fitted with a new dress. The head dressmaker, after the customary remarks as to the state of weather, &c., proceeded to work with tape and pins. First the tape was passed round the lady's waist, and the dressmaker took a pencil to write down the figures. " How many inches did you say?" asked the ypung lady. "Twenty-four," said the dressmaker, smilingly, "and that's the very least you'll be comfortable in." "Oh dearJ" replied Miss Blank, " just make it twenty-two inches, and I'll guarantee to get into it." It was no use the dressmaker arguing farther, or else she would have lost her customer. So the dress was made as specified and the young lady did get into it, but looks terribly uncomfortable. The prettiest and most artistic costume worn at the show on Monday last was that of a lady whose name, I am told, was once Miss Webb. She was an Auckland belle then, but is now married. The dress was of some light material, probably tapestry, adorned with two encircling bands of floral embroidery, the flowers being worked upon a black ground. The cuffs were trimmed in the same way, while from the bock of the waist the embroidery extended in two bands diagonally to the skirt. The Lady wore as jewellery bracelets of massive gold links, with necklet to match The hat was daintily garnished with flowers, and flowers also were artistically worked upon the parasol, which was of black satin. Among both sexes the lady was the observed of all observers; for, deny it as they may, men's eyes are caught, and. their admiration enhanced by a neat and fanciful dress,

It is no longer considered indispensable at a nuptial ceremony that the bride's mother should be clad ma dress of sombre gray. This dreary tradition is passing away, leaving the greatest latitude to mammas in the choice of colors, although for the moment white Boxin soems to be de rigum- where brides are concerned. At a recent wedding of a celebrated blonde beauty in raxia, the wedding dress of satin was ornamented with long wreaths of orange flowers. A tulle veil enveloped toe whole figure and extended to the end of the train. lno bride s mother was in black satin trimmed with gold lace, with a bonnet of the same material, embroidered in gold, and decorated with gold-coloured feathers.

— ( The fashionable costume in London just n ow* writes a friend, "is the Langtry Jersey, which all the ladies declare 'too sweet for any, thing — perfectly divine.' The garment is simply a ready-made dress-waist, without seams, buttons or lappels. It is knitted like a silk glove. In fact, the whole waist is a sort of gigantic glove drawn over the bust instead of over the hands. Its beauty and simplicity consists in its destroying all the old seams and wrinkles. It fits around the arm a3 a silk glove fits around the thumb. It preserves the outlines of the plump female form, and gives a voluptuous look that ruffles, wrinkles and seams destroy. A woman with a Jersey waist looks like a walking statue. Whitewash a beautiful woman in a Jersey and you would have the Venus de Medici. The garment is pulled on over the head like a gentleman's merino shirt, the hole in the top for the head being very small.