A MAID IN MAYFAIR.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 231, 29 September 1928, Page 4 (Supplement)

A MAID IN MAYFAIR.

LONDON ENTERTAINS..

HISTORIC TREE.

(Prom Our London Lady Correspondent.)

Here is a perfectly true story of the Queen. She had had new and wonderful gowns made for affairs of State, Rova! Courts, and public aortal functions. Many of them were heavily embroidered with jewels, adorned with gold and silver tissue, and mounted on elaborate foundations. Before some of them had been ■worn even once Her Majesty sent for ai favourite court dressmaker. "Will you make me something soft and simple ■that I can wear in my own room—a kind of home frock that is not a bit grand?" she asked. And out of some beautiful old lace which had been in the Queen's possession for many years, the dressmaker fashioned a softly-drape*' evening gown. The Royal wearer was de lighted with it, and profuse in her thanks. She touched pentlv some of the lace which had been used to trim the gown. "That belonged to my mother." she said, "I am so glad you were able tr use it."

Diplomatic Hostesses. Wives of ambassadors and minister? bf foreign countries have been giving dmart parties in London lately for those of their countrymen and countrywomen who are here on visits. Baroness Palm stiema, the wife of the Swedish minister had a very busy time while Princess Ingrid was in town, and Madame de fleuriau, the wife of the French Ambassador, has just given a most interesting series of parties. Madame de Fleuriau is one of the most popular women in the Diplomatic Circle, and a very clever hostess. She adores her native Paris, and slips away there a? often as opportunity occurs, but she al ways spends the season in London, an' 1 is noted for her chic entertaining. The Duke and Duchess of York were guest at one of her earliest dinner parties thi c year, and she has also entertained Prin cess Marv and Lord Lascelles. She ha® one daughter, a pretty dark-haired jrir" of nineteen, who helps her to entertain Gladys Cooper's Wedding. As the wife of Sir Neville Pearson Miss Gladys Cooper will be able to in dulge her fondness for sport to the full Her husband is not only a good golfer but is keen on lawn tennis and cricket and is a very good shot. He is blesses with more than the average share oi good looks, though, being one of for tune's darlings, he lias not thrown him self into public affairs with the ardou that caused Mr. Joseph Chamberlain t< nickname his father "the champioi hustler." But Sir Neville has seen i> good deal of the world, for his fathei sent him off to the States to get an.in sight into American business method? It is more likely that Gladys Cooper wil' now retire from the stage than that her husband himself will ever enter "th< profession," but if they were billed t< appear together, they would make onr of the handsomest pairs ever seen in the limelight. The Tennis Stars. The tennis visitors were overwhelmed with hospitality. All kinds of partie. were arranged for them, and for Miss Helen Wills. The visitor themselves saicL that they felt rather lik debutantes with so many gilt-edged in vitation cards. One of the little informa functions which they enjoyed the mos was the gathering which Lord and Lad 1 d'Abernon. gave in their honour at Esher Place. Lord d'Abernon is a tennis en thusiast—he was president of the Lawi Tennis Association last year—and ha; watched tournaments all over the Con tinent, so that he knows the players pretty well. He gave some of the womei stars quite a good game afteY a delight ful lunch at Esher, and Miss Wills de clared that his grass courts were thbest she had played on in this country A Political Hostess.

Lady Linlithgow, who entertained Mr. Baldwin at Hopetoun House, Linlithgow, was brought up in such an atmosphere of politics that a political house party, which included the Prime Minister, has no terrors for her. She is the eldest daughter of one of the most charming of men, Sir Frederick Milner, who belongs to the courtly, i oldworld school, and represented a Not-, tinghamshire constituency for great many years. Lady Linlithgow is tall, very fair, and extremely pretty. She has twin sons, who are at Eton, and three charming little with whom she spends a great deal of time, nt Hopetoun House. She went out to India last year while Lord Linlithgow was there as chairman of the Royal Commission inquiring into agricultural conditions, nnd she has just welcomed her husband home again from India after his second visit there. Lifay "Pan." Children who play in Kensington Gardens love to gather round the Peter Par. statue to hear a eweet-faced, silvery-haired woman talk 'to them' about animals and nature subjects. They call her "Lady Pan"; she is really Ladv Farren, widow of Gen. Sir Richard 1 I'arren, nnd she loves flowers as much ' as animals. There are four bits of church land in London which she tends devotedly. One is a rock garden at 1 Brompton Parish Church, the others are ' at Church House, Westminster. "Fig!' Tree Border" is among the latter; it is ' called after its fig tree, a descendant ' of the last of the trees in Westminster * Abbey's ancient fig garden. It was 1 Lady Farren who reared the young 1 tree from the old one and it grows on ' the spot where, four centuries ago, Cardinal Pole, planted a fig tree. j Pictorial Gloves. Glove manufacturers will welcome the j .nival of long gloves for evening wear. In white and in dainty pastel shades to tone with the gowns, three-quarter length gloves are seen in every ball and drawing room just now. Everyone agrees that the modern girl's arms look all the better for this kindly camou-; flage, for artificial lights often prove j unkind to sun-tanned skin. Some gloves are hand painted, some are embroidered; others have simulated bracelets carried out in glittering 1 sequins. But the newest gloves of all! Loast portraits in miniature of their j •wners or their owners' dearest friends. Hand-painting, by the way, whether it) be on chiffon for the modern dress, orj on kid for the modern glove, is providing quite a substantial increase of r income to » many girls with artistic tendencies. r