NOTES FOR WOMEN.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 293, 10 September 1910, Page 6

NOTES FOR WOMEN.

[" Patricia " will be pleased to give advice to readers on all matters concerning dress, house-keeping, etiquette and the toilet. Write, giving pseudonym, care of this office.] Wellington, Friday Night. Dear Isobel,— Although no big entertainment has taken place since I wrote last week, there have been a great number of "At Homes," and one or two small dances, and a big fancy dre3s party for children. Mrs Yung Liang Hwang, the popular wife of the Resident Chinese Consul, gave a delightful tea in her pretty home last week. The rooms in which tea was served were beautifully decorated with spring flowers, whose sweet scent mingled with the peculiar Oriental perfume that Chinese hangings and embroideries always seem to retain, while a string band, stationed halfway up stairs, played softly during the afternoon. Mrs Hwang, who always wears the national dress, received her guests in a lovely kimona of pale blue brocade with the under dress of dark blue satin. She is a charming little lady to talk to, and has become very popular in the short time she has been with us. She speaks perfect English with a marked American accent, probably the result of their long residence in the States. Among the numerous visitors I noticed Lady Ward and Miss E. Ward, Mrs Seddon, Mrs (Justice) Cooper, and Mrs Newman. Next day Mrs Collins gave a large tea in her beautiful house in Hobson street, where she and Dr Collins have gathered together so many art treasures, the result of their wanderings in foreign parts. Mrs Collins received in a handsome gown of dark blue spotted foulard with white lace yoke and under sleeves. Her daughter, who has recently won the golf championship, received many congratulations during the afternoon. Madame Calve gave her first concert here in the Town Hall on Saturday evening. It was a lovely starlight night, and the big hall was packed with a brilliant gathering of wellknown people, all anxiou3 to show their welcome and appreciation of the great prima donna. Her singing, to anyone who has not heard Melba, seems perfect, but for myself, I can never admit that anyone can be better than the latter after hearing her sing "Si Mes Vers." Calve wore a clinging gown of green glittering material, almost snake like in its long gleaming folds, with this she wore a high tiara of emeralds and a soft scarf of amber coloured silk heavily worked with gold, which she exchanged later in the evening for one of black charmouse. Among many well-known people there were Sir Joseph and Lady "Ward with Miss Ward, Lady Beatrice and Mr Kerr-Clark, (private secretary to Lord Islington), Captain McGill Maitland, A.D.C., Miss Ruby Seddon and Mr Tom Seddon, Mrs Abbott, Dr and Mrs Findlay, the Mayor and Mrs Wilford, and many others too numerous to mention. On Saturday afternoon Miss Johnstone gave a Japanese dance for children in the Goring street hall, which was prettily decorated with peach blossoms, arum lillies and gayly coloured paper lanterns. All the little people came in Japanese kimonas with their hair "done up" for the occasion, and it was quite a picture to see the solemn wee mites dancing round in their quaint dress. I have lately seen two costumes made from satin charmouse, and [ am glad women are beginning to realise what a delightful coat and skirt it makes. One, worn by a "woman noted for her smartness, was black with the übiquitous, long coat untrimmed save for the large cut jet buttons that fastened it a little to one side of the front. With this was worn a big hat the exact colour of ripe corn which had big loops of black tulle in front and a drooping bunch of yellow and black corn coming from the front and falling into the edge of the brim at the back. The other was in that peculiar shade as "dead rose" and had collar and cuff facings of black satin. The coat was cut out in large inverted scollope down the front and fastened with jet buttons. A hat of darker rose velvet with a long shaded plume was worn with this distinctly stylish costume. I promised last week to give you some hint on renovating your last newest summer dresses for this year. The deep hems which I see on all the newest summer frocks are so useful in levelling a dress that has "washed up," and with a spotted or striped cotton dress I can imagine nothing prettier than a knee-deep hem or facing of a plain dark material. The blouse could either be done up with collar and cuffs to the same, or made with a Magyar yoke and sleeves in one (of the dark stuff) only the lower half of the blouse being of the original etuff, A flowered silk dress ,can be

made quite fresh by the addition of a chiffon over-blouse, cut all in one piece and absolutely plain. The skirt could be covered with a loosely-drawn overskirt of the chiffon reaching to the knees, where it is drawn into a thick cording of dark or contrasting satin. For evening wear, if you don't intend to get a new dress, I would advise you to get one of the new Resille net tunics that are so very fashionable just now (I counted seven at a recent dance and wear it over a black or coloured slip—which can be a last season's gown, too shabby to alter. A black net with some gold in it looks lovely especially if you get one with some gold in the fringe, but for over a white or black dress nothing looks so smart or wears so well as one all-black with jet beads. I saw directions for making the Resille net in a paper the other day, but I hardly think anyone will venture much beyond a collar or perhaps a corsage trimming for evening wear with silk crochet and probably jewles or sequins. I noticed at Calve's concert that nearly all the women had their hair dressed over little turban frames, and really the style is most becoming to some faces, but, like most things that have the charm of novelty, it is likely to be very much over-done. For people who have shortish hair it is quite a convenient mode, as it is very quickly arranged over the little frame and pinned in place. A wreath of the fashionable gold or silver leaves for the evening or a simple bandeau of velvet for day wear makes a nice finish. For thos ; who don't care for the rather peculiar outline it gives to the head, there are the ever popular curls. This year I think they will be worn rather higher on the head and probably fixed with a big Spanish comb, giving quite a suggestion of the first Empire when .seen in profile, which rather appeals to me. I was at a private show of the new hats the other day, and the only rule about them that I noticed was that the hats were smartest all had linings of either black or white. This lining was varied according to the style and nature of the hat, but was usually of either straw, ninon, silk or lace, softly gathered into a two or threeinch band of straw to match the hat or a plain band of Liberty satin at the edge of the brim. A lot of the hats had long dyed grasses and different colours of corn and wheat instead of feathers, but at the same time I saw no indications that feathers were going out. Patent leather belts will be very much worn this year with tub-frocks and with shoes to match, and nice open-work stockings have a very chic appearance, especially if the dress is pure white. If you want a really gruesome book, calculated to give even the most strong-minded the "creeps," you should certainly get Somerset Maughan's novel "The Magician." Yours Faithfully, PATRICIA.