A FANCY DRESS BALL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 215, 5 June 1919, Page 2

A FANCY DRESS BALL

BIG GATHERING AT TOWN HALL. A fancy dress ball is always tt more flu less pretty sight to watch, and that of last night, which was. organised by Miss Borlase, and held in tho big chamber of the Town Hall, was quite one of the most successful of its. kind that has hech 'held for a. long time. Full of vivid colouring, with a great variety of well-thought-out dresses, a very pretty scone presented itsejf to the onlookers, to which added eifec't was given by tho decorations. The.so were very, light and- pretty, aud woro carried" out with coloured ribbons carried from the gasoliors to the gallery, to which balloons were added «ngly and in clusters. 'Underneath tho gallery flags and striped awnings divided the space into sitting-out compartments, one end opposite the. stage; being reserved, cor the •6upper robin' and separated .from the rest of the floor .by ',a : trellis' work..covurcd with Homers and.lycopodium. Tho.i'iont of tho .stage was "also decorateckiii,'.the. same'way, tho'snac'o above being "reserved for the orchestra and tho chaperones. Among these, wero. Mrs. Russell, Mrs. Bruce, Mrs. Earle, Mrs. Coull, Mrs. Clayton, Mrs. Chatfiejd, Mrs. Delautour, Mrs. Fulton, Mrs. Go«', Mrs. Hawkins, Mrs. Matthews.

Some S-eally beautiful dresses wero worn, and probably nearly every nation was represented at the dance. Greeks, Italians, Russians, Dutch, Japanese, Indians, Spaniards, etc., all' were thorc, a 8 well as all periods, times, ,ind seasons. A very ingenious dress was that representing a bird cage, \tho iceurcr having on a frook of grey silk and on her head the top part of a cage, with tho hahdlc, to which wore attached crimson streamers whiph in turn were fastened to the l'eui of the skirt. Plcturesquo was a Gainsborough lady in whito miislih with a daintily frilled fichu and a wido sv.-cep-ing Gainsborough hat. Several early Victorians were to be seen, and, curiously enough altogether different from each other although quite in the period.: "Night" was ropreseiited in various ■ giiises; one in a soft dull- blue with golden stars and a half-moon above her forehead, and another in black, powdered with stars. Charming Dresden Thina shepherdesses, light-hearted "Carnivals," Columbines, PieretteS, a Welsh girl, a very winsome "hunting girl," all in white, a "Spall' ish lady in black lace over coral pink and a black laco mantilla, the Union Jack, and the Tricolour were only some of the many characters represented, and' tho judges of the best fniicy dresses (the chaperones) had not by any an cans an easy task in choosing the prize-winners. Finally, «fter much deliberation, the following decisions ware arrived at:—Jliss •P.-Ward,-an "Early Victorian Lady," 1; Miss J. Tully, "Carnival," 2; Miss Meadowcroft, "a" Xampshade," 3; and -Miss Valerie. .Hall-Thompson, a "Tunisian Lady," 4. Tho dress worn by Miss Ward was very charming indeed, and to see her was to realise how extraordinarily appealing the women of that time must have been, and ako how easily that charm comes to a certain typo of girl. Miss Ward's frook was of white muslin worn ever a crinoline, with a'tight little bodice of-pink satin trimmed with pink rosebuds. Miss Joan Tully, as "Carnival," was a very vivid littlo figure in her short black dress the skirt of which ' was covered with Kaily-coloured circles and bodice glitter, ing With irridiscent effects, while on her head was a tricorno, also alight with glittering colours. Miss Meadowcroft's dress was well carried out to represent a yellow lampshade, the head-dross of .follow silk with a beaded fringe being most effective. Miss Valerie. HallThompson, as a Tunisian lady, wore a beautiful dress. ■ Over tho full white trousers was worn a .draped scarf of blue | and • white eilk filigree, a high j h'ead-dress, almost a helmet of I wrought silver, from which fell a beau-tifully-embroidered silken scarf or, handkerchief at the back. Tho yashmak; though thore, was not worn. Of very much interest wero tho tno dances, one given by Mrs. Malcolm and Mr. Theo Tresizo (an Oriental tango), and the other a jazz danco by Miss. Coull and Mr. Trosize. In the, former both were striking figures in their Eastom dresses, that, of Mr. Tresizo being, tho spectators wore told, at least .2000 years old. Shaded lights were used, and the effect of the gaily-dressed onlookers, who formed'n wide circle around tho two dancers, was peculiarly effectivo and interesting. Naturally, Mr. Tresizo's dress was the subject of much interest, the long Persian coat or roho being of indoscribablo blues and greens and golds, all worked by hand. Full Eastern trousers wero worn, and in the headdress were two peacock feathers. Mrs. Malcolm was also a very striking figure in keeping with her partner. With Miss Coull as his partner in tho next dance, it was ft case of tho meeting of tho East and West, she being a. dainty littlo figuro in a -flowered dross of early Victorian period* Following these two performances ordinary dancing was resnmed. ...',,. '„ , . Tho committee assisting Miss liorlasc comprised tho Misses Bricn, Bellinger, Cross Craoroft, Grace,'. Hawkins, funnear, "'Mead, E. Matthews, Russell, Starford, Turton, Ritchie, and Staple.