DUNEDIN.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVIII, Issue XI, 13 March 1897, Page 326

DUNEDIN.

Dear Bee, March 6. On Friday week a large race ball was held in the Choral Hall, and about three hundred people were present. The hall was hung with bunting, and the stage was made into a drawing-room for the chaperones. The floor was perfect, in fact, it was in such good order that I believe several people fell down during some of the dances. The supper was in a room downstairs. The table was decorated with Mr George Mac Lean’s colours (his horse being the winner of the Dunedin cup), viz., red and white. Ices, hock, and claret cup, and tea and coffee were kept going the whole evening. These beverages were most heartily partaken of by all, as it was an exceedingly close night. Yates Bros, played during the evening, and the extras were supplied by Miss Kempthorne, Miss G. Rattray, and Mr Leslie Williams. Two more extras were played at the end of the dance. I must now tell you of some of the dresses which took my fancy most. Mrs Batchelor wore a very stylish black and white gown ; Mrs Ritchie, very bright rose pink chine silk ; Mrs Joachim, black silk trimmed with lace ; Mrs Hockin also wore black ; Mrs Sinclair Thomson, handsome pink brocade ; Mrs Williams, black ; Mrs Stott, pale pink silk ; Mrs Fox, handsome white satin gown with large court train ; Mrs Bothamly, white corded silk with bright blue bows ; Mrs Reid (Clifton), black trimmed with white lace and ribbons ; Mrs Harte, white satin ; Mrs Sise, black brocade trimmed with jet; Mrs Finch, handsome pink surah silk with bunches of violets and passementerie ; Mrs Finker, black costume with blue striped silk bodice ; Mrs Denniston, heliotrope velvet gown, cream lace trimmings on neck of bodice ; Mrs Roberts, white silk, full chiffon sleeves ; Mrs MacMaster, buttercup brocade, handsome diamond necklace ; Mrs Turnbull, pink brocade with bunches of pink roses on the shoulders ; Mrs Jeffcoat, pale blue corded silk ; Mrs Moss, white silk trimmed with scarlet flowers and silk ; Mrs C. Rattray, white satin ; Mrs Boyd, black with yellow chiffon trimmings ; Mrs Dowson (England), blue and pink, large train ; Mrs Scheff (Wanganui), stylish blue silk with roses ; Mrs Baker, black ; Mrs Macassey, black velvet with front of lace ; Mrs Burns, white with pink ; Mrs Edmonds, white duchesse satin ; Mrs Grierson, black brocade with white frilling ; Miss Neill, pink satin with gold passementerie trimmings ; Miss R. Neill, white striped brocade with bunches of flowers ; Miss Batchelor, heliotrope brocade trimmed with cream lace ; her sister. Miss Ethel Batchelor (who made her debut), wore a handsome white satin trimmed with white lace ; Miss Buchanan, pink silk trimmed with white satin ; Miss Webster, handsome yellow brocade ; Miss S. Webster, blue satin trimmed with passementerie ; Miss G. Webster, stylish pink satin made in a simple style without trimmings ; Miss Reid, pale blue corded silk elaborately trimmed with flowers ; Miss C. Reid, pale green satin, bunches of pink roses on bodice ; Miss Sise, pink ; Miss M. Sise, white, with white satin ribbon trimmings ; Miss Shand, white Liberty silk, bodice covered with white chiffon ; Miss Williams, pink silk with velvet trimmings; Miss M. Williams, white chiffon bodice, black satin skirt ; Miss Mac Lean, old rose pink chine silk ; Miss D. Williams (debutante) white silk skirt, white chiffon bodice; Miss Bell, stylish yellow brocade ; Miss Macassey, white striped silk; Miss Chaffey (Oamaru) looked very chic in pink and yellow shot brocade trimmed with green satin and pink roses ; Miss S. Graham, pale pink flowered silk ; Miss G. Roberts, yellow silk trimmed with frills edged with Valenciennes lace; Miss Kempthorne, pale blue with white chiffon ; Miss F. Rattray, black and white gown ; Miss Gilkison, piuk silk ; Mias Gillies (Sydney), also

Misses MacDonald, Morris, G. Rattray, Stephenson, R. Stephenson, Menlove, V. Menlove, Reynolds, V. Reynolds; Miss Elworthy (Titnaru), stylish white gown, and Messrs Denniston, Neill, Sievewright, Ponsonby, Elworthy, G. Sise, H. and C. Teschemaker, Chaffey, Reid, C. Williams, E Webster, Armitage (England), Scbeff, (Wanganui), Roll (Oamaru), Reid, Mac Master (Toka-vahi), D. Crawford, C. J. and C. Morris. Orbell, Harvey, Law, Dick, MacDonald, Hunter J. C. Marshall, Maitland, Finch, Gully, Kettle, J. Kettle. Finker, Drs. Batchelor, Roberts, and Jeffcoat, Messrs Hislop, Matheson, Nicol, R. Turnbull (Linnburn), Macßean.G. Ritchie, etc., etc. Last Friday evening. Dr. and Mrs Batchelor gave a large POWDER AND PATCHES BALL. The house was exquisitely decorated with greenery and flowers of all descriptions. The gasaliers had shades of scarlet on all of them, which produced a very becoming effect on the ladies. Powder and patches seem most becoming to everyone. In fact, the ballroom with the oldfashioned head dresses, dimmed lights, etc., was an exceedingly pretty and quaint sight. Several rooms had been set apart for sitting out, and most comfortable chairs were placed in all of them, which added greatly to the success of the dance. Supper was an immense success; the room looked perfectly charming. As there were no programmes, everybody had plenty of time to partake of delicious sweetmeats, beverages, etc. The ballroom was decorated in a floral manner. One of the mantelpieces was of scarlet and white dahlias ; the other was covered with sweet peas; the perfume from them was most refreshing. On many small tables scattered .about the rooms tiny dishes of sweets were placed. Tea, coffee, claret cup, champagne cup, etc., were kept going all the evening. The supper-table was decorated with white and yellow flowers, and the mantelpiece was finished in the same manner. The pillars in the centre of the room were decorated with yellow crinkled paper, whilst perry winkle creepers, which hung from the ceiling down the pillars, gave the room a very decorated appearance. On the table were placed handsome silver candelabras, also numbers of silver candlesticks. All the candles had dainty yellow shades on them. Mrs Batchelor received her guests in the ball, looking extremely nice in a becoming gown of black satin, the bodice trimmed with white satin, sleeves also of white satin, heavily frilled white lace went round the neck of the bodice ; Miss Batchelor was attired in a handsome heliotrope brocade, the bodice very prettily trimmed with cream silk and Maltese lace ; Miss E. Batchelor wore her coming-out dress, which is a handsome cream satin trimmed with lace ; Mrs Baker was in black satin, cream Spanish lace scarf round the shoulders; Mrs Ritchie, yellow brocade trimmed with yellow chiffon ; Mrs Ring, black corded silk, wings of guipure lace over the top of the sleeves; Mrs Roberts, yellow merveilleux, sleeves completely composed of ruchings of white chiffon; Mrs Sise, black satin, the bodice elaborately trimmed with lace and jet ; Mrs Fenwick, cream broche ; Mrs Hills, cream, chiffon on the bodice ; Mrs Allen, black satin, the bodice relieved with bunches of red poppies ; Mrs Rattray, white satin ; Mr Napier Bell, black saiin trimmed with black lace ; Mrs Butterworth, pale pink corded silk, swathed belt of gray silk, dainty sleeves of pink chiffon over grey silk ; Mrs Hartle, black satin trimmed with bright blue satin, and black lace ; Mrs Bathgate, black brocade, black lace fichu ; Mrs Fulton, black velveteen, bands of jet on the bodice ; Mrs Edmonds, pale blue corded silk trimmed with pearl passementerie and accordion pleated chiffon ; Miss Buchanan (Akaroa), pale pink silk, the bodice covered with pink chiffon ; Miss Russell (Hawke’s Bay), white merveilleux ; Miss Mills, bright pink brocade trimmed with roses of the same colour ; Miss G. Mills, white bengaline, white chiffon fichu with ends reaching almost to the foot of the skirt; Miss Webster, black brocade, the bodice prettily trimmed with gold passementerie ; Miss G. Webster, black surah silk, dainty fichu of cream lace, posy of red poppies in her hair and on the bodice; Miss Reynolds, white broche trimmed with pearl passementerie ; Miss Coleridge (Wellington), white corded silk ; Miss Ulrich, black surah silk, cream net and lace fichu ; Miss Shand, white merveilleux trimmed with white chiffon ; Miss Elworthy (Timaru), grey satin, sleeves of yellow satin ; Miss Roberts, yellow silk, the bodice covered with chiffon and Valenciennes lace ; Miss Le Cren, heliotrope brocade trimmed with green satin ; Miss Williams, white and heliotrope striped muslin ; Miss D. Williams, cream silk trimmed with cream chiffon ; Miss Napier Bell, cream corded silk, bands of pink roses over the shoulders ; Miss Rattray, pale blue bengaline, large white satin sleeves covered with white chiffon ; Miss Sise, white silk, berthe of white lace ; Miss Graham, black satin trimmed with jet; Miss Neill, pink brocade; Miss Bartieman, white merveilleux ; Miss Morris, pink crepon, satin sleeves. Messrs Batchelor, Hosking, Law, Ritchie, Black, Dick, Cheeseman, Ponsonby, Lintott, Hughes, Webster. Baldwin. Fisher, W. Ussher, Roberts, Ulrich, Hogg, Sleigh, Sise, Hay, Fulton, Baker, etc., were amongst the gentlemen present.

Aileen.