Jottings of a Lady About Town

NZ Truth, Issue 1197, 8 November 1928, Page 19

Jottings of a Lady About Town

Arts and Crafts JUST what can be " done with New. Zealand woods— beautifully stained a/nd polished to. a glaze as ■ fine as lhat.of china— will be shown by a peep into the -window where Mrs. McGregor, •leader of the Lyceum Club art circle, stores her wares. .'-.'... Since beforeher marriage, Mrs. McGregor has made her living from "arts andj crafts" and at the DUnedin and South Seas Exhibition, she sent, in three samples of her work, two of •\vhi£h came home with first-prize tags attached. \ - She is Very proud of a kauri yass, stained deeply blue and designed with vivid- little, Eastern scenes. .A : .big pewter tray is designed :n faithful copy of an ancient. Egyptian plaque, even the wavering lines of age being 1 carefully reproduced. • Mrs. McGregor has a bold and vivid sense of design, and adds to this the faithful work of a good craftsman. Some of the tiny, gleaming bits of colored wood have ; . taken - hours to polish. The leather must be carefully treated before it becomes the soft,' flexible article.

Mi's.' McGregor's -work— or some samples'.of it— are shown proudly In a cabinet at the dainty rooms of the Wellington Lyceum Club.

She has handed on' her knowledge to the art circle there for two years, and now /and again, her pupils give small exhibitions at which!, their ewe lambs are> proudly produced. - ' •

She .believes that the .'.'art and craff way.': of •. life holds, besides commercial profit,- -every element, of interest and help for women, and that once a pupil has begun, she very rarely wants td leave off.

ThriUs In Frills THE oft- repeated statement that stage ! finery would not be. half so fine without the footlights to help it along hardly > applies to the' trunks, of Paris hats and gowns, all packed up m soft folds of tissue paper, which Margaret Banherman has brought to town. Gleams of silver, and the, delicate pleating of fine materials, show forth when the boxes are opened. Margaret changes her . frock as often as. a chameleon changes its color. It's easy 1 , enough, however, to pop out of one , -^own and into another when one- ha~s a wardrobe mistress as capable as Mrs. H. Myers, whom Miss Bannerman brought over from Melbourne. Mrs. Myers has a young daughter with her and both are staunch admirers of their "pretty lady." "Over; . ..in- V. Melbourne," ' said Mrs. Myer ;^. f Miss Bainnerman did everything possible ,fqr ( the disabled soldiers. She sold photographs and collected cigarettiiitiorffyetnr and presented the limbless fipeii"Mith a ; ; splendid phonograph. And ;Sh|i^Mfls always ready/ to help peopfe\whjissame';to see her— interested m wha^e^Kthey thought and did." ■ But ; .;. to . those ■ trunks. Startijig;'^|th Vthe hats^— Margiar^et -has only>.fpuri^%; any/ one of them -would be enough':. to ; give Lambton Quay a permanent crick m its neck if she; wore^them-abroad;- ;, . :^'

She wears -nothing but- toques, light and close-fitting. A green one, which makes its. debut. f in the., last .act* 6t "Other.^M^ifs^l^es/V is of a. v< flSt^-linaia^.tb^;represe^;.Vtt^ir; : -;-.^t' brariojies. out •ln % tp': l ':a-'-mul.dtud.e.vfpf,^J I fti^r.. curls/ahd can'tj. \jreigh 'tnore thati^ •threes or four; ounces^ ':■''';[■"■ -■■•:/,^?v.'-

Thiis^iS wdrri with a cyclamen and green "^crebe-de-chine dress of four draped flounces. — and Margaret's flounces always, fall softly and gracefully,; never keeping to any stiff or conventional line. : •

Tou -should see the "shoes to match" — size 2, green lizard skin, and. .altogether the neatest things m .footwear that have (ever tapped pointed toes behind the Wellington footlights. vj

The evening dresses are . very "special,"' too. - There'sv. an all-silver one, betrained and worn with .•silver shoes and brocaded silver handbag,, for the second act of "Our Betters." In "Other Men's Wives" a frock of palest rose taffeta shows intricate silver beading on the shoulder and a fan - Bhap«4 draped effect of tiny " pleats over one hip. • . ;

. A lovely tea-gown, worn m "Diplomacy," Is. ofr shell- pink georgette, the etralgrht frock, fashioned m "tiny-French pleats^and yoked with gold tinsel' lace, being/worn with a gold- edged coat of. the same filmy material, which is cut with ;deep bell sleeves. ■ "'■:

' , While. ; we're among the informal thing's,- we mustn't forget the pale blue crepe-de-chine pyjamas with which Margaret thrilled her audience m '^Qther Men's Wives." They, have rows of .. tiny, glistening buttons- down the legs, and a pocketed tunic is worn ,beneath the long-sleeved coat. ;

Another, boudoir brighten er is a wonderful,, coat of white ninon, bordered with white fur and weighed down with deep '■ embroideries of ' silver beading.