THE WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 43, 16 March 1909, Page 4

THE WOMAN'S WORLD.

AGE OF LUXURY. " COSTLY SLMPLIUm'" IN FRANCE. Jn the matter of extravagance and ever-increasing luxury among wealthy and middle classes Paris is in advance of Berlin (says the Daily -Mail). Paris practices the art of refinement in simplicity, and there is no more costly a"t. The extravagance of an up-to-date Parisian dinner no longer lies in the number of its courses or the variety of the wines, but rather in the exquisite refinement of its surroundings. The dinner itself is short, never longe- than forty-live minutes to an hour. There are three or'four courses at the most, and never more than two or three kinds of wine, indeed, it is now the fashion to drink mineral water rather than wine. But on the table is a light and delicate display of the rarest (lowers, for the setting and supply of which the llouist charges from £2 to £5 a day. No heavy silver-ware is on the taole, only the most exquisitely chased and carved Louis Seize silver of the lightest kind but of great beauty.

The best-known silversmith in Paris informed me the other day that iu future centuries the present age would be looked back upon as the. real Louis Seize age, for never has the style been brought to such perfection. " For one customer who formerly spent £SO on table ware," he said, "there are. now twenty.'' So, too, it is with regard to table iincii. Table-cloths with real Venetian or other real lace insertions, costing from £2O to £3O, are now common in the houses of the well-to-do middle classes. Ordinary small napkins for tea are exhibited in the best, Paris shops at 120s and more a dozen.

One of the most striking signs of the luxury of the age in vans is the lashion in jewellery. As it has become " bad form" to wear many rings, and worse still to wear on the same band stones of varigated colours, it is the custom for those women who can afford it to wear one or at most two rings at a time. But these rings contain either diamonds or other precious stones worth hundreds of pounds. The wealthy woman will now display a single diamond ring of the utmost purity and brilliance, and leave the well-to-do tradesman's wife to adorn each of her lingers with rings ot different colored precious stones. The revolution that has recently taken place in woman's attire has necessitated a complete change in the outfit of every follower of fashion. A lady recently paid .ClliO to her dress-maker for one of the newest gowns, ana spent an additional £7O in lingerie,, hosiery, and boots to enable her to wear the new dress. Tile " R'chclicu" boots which, women now wear to match the rest of their attire are frequently made with real pearl and real gold as well as silver gilt buckles. I was yesterday shown a pair of such shoes the buckles alone of which had cost £ls. There lias been a vast increase in the number of expensive tea-rooms. Hundreds of women in Paris daily spend from 8s to 10s on afternoon tea. Tne same -tendency towards extravagance has spread to every class of French society. If. Gabriel Hanotaux, the cx-Ministcr of Foreign Affairs, commenting on 'the universal spread of luxury, says'that it is due to the ever-growing wish to enjoy life as much as possible. The desire to obtain as much repose as possible after every day's labour, coupled with the accompanying desire of spending money, is becoming universal among the laborious and hitherto thrifty French.

On a "first night" at one of London's lending theatres yon get as much entertainment from the " riousc." as you do from the stage (writes a London correspondent.) The Gaiety opened its season last Saturday with "Our Hiss ("Wilis" a delightful' musical comedy which should Inter on enjoy good runs in Australia, h'arly morning found the queues forming for the pit and the gallery ; at. li.lili in the evening all the standing room in the unreserved portion of the house was occupied. For an hour the closely-packed crowd compared their long vigils in the street. Then they engaged in "tlaiely" reminiscences, and displaysi remarkable acquaintance with Loudon's favourite actors and actresses. They show you that they take their playhouse seriously. It stands for a big thing in their lives. Suddenly there is a burst of cheering and clapping. The first owner of n seat in the stalls has arrived. He comes alone, a, fat, ponderous, middle-aged man. and is greeted as n hero. They applaud him wildly in the highest of good humours. But his appreciation is feeble. He stands dumbfounded, unable to grasp it, and looks towards the curtained stage and around the empty seats and boxes. Then it strikes him. he blushes like a girl and glances at the exit, contemplating retreat. But he decides to stay, and, amidst another storm of cheers he blunders with painful self-consciousness to his seat, lie will never be first man into the stalls on opening night again. Next a man with a lady. Renewed demonstration. But this fellow has a sense of humour and a command of the situation. He turns, lifts his tall hat, and bows with fine mock serenity. They cheer ; he bows again, and goes his way in peace. So it continues until the stalls are well sprinkled with rich dresses, and the house is taking on a first night appearance. For awhile they come in ungreeted, and then there is a spontaneous outbreak from gods and pit, and you see a charming little lady, attended by a stout, bald-headed man, making their along one of the passage ways. Not at nil disconcerted, she looks down into the pit and up into the gods, and gaily laughs her acknowledgements, laughs and waves her hands as they continue the applause. Buzzing through the crowd goes the name of a well-known young musical comedy actress. And before the curtain rises this sort of welcome is repealed half a dozen times as | favourites, old and new, disengaged for j the night, make their way to stalls and | boxes, but these later ones fail to respond with the pretty, spoiled cheekincss of our first little celebrity. Kipially well do the gods recognise social notabilities, and famous names ily freely until the curtain rises.