THE LADIES’ WORLD.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2649, 3 November 1909, Page 3

THE LADIES’ WORLD.

QUEENS’ WARDROBES,

Probably the Continental queen who troubles least about her wardrobe is Queen Helena, ot Italy. Though always well dressed, this royal lady wears hei v clothes longer, and buys new ones more sparingly, than any of her sister queens. Queen. Helena puts on her clothes with a sort of careless grace and charm, and knows just what is becoming to her dark beauty. Some of her Court dresare very lovely. ■ , The sum of £3OOO is roughly about what the Tsaritsa expends each year on dress and millinery. Unlike most queens the Empress is not limited to a certain sum per annum. But she almost invariably appears in black or dark colors when away from Court. Her dresses and hats probably last* far longer than do those of most of her contemporaries, Most of ber annual expenditure of' £3OOO goes to pay for the surperb dresses which are deemed necessary for State functions m Russia, I and no European queen has anything j like the magnificent attire wine** toe Russian Empress wears on theta occasions. Equally economical—as great queens go—is the German Empress, who seldom spends more that the £2OOO a year which the Kaiser allows her for dress. Her predilection is for dark, serviceable colors rather than light hues,, and she is very fond of tailor-made costumes. Curiously enough she never goes to Paris to buy her clothes, being the only European queen who leaves the French capital severely alone. When Berlin and German dressmakers and milliners cannot supply what she wants the German pays a visit to Vienna, and generally finds there all she requires. When' the present Queen Dowager of Italy was the first lady in the land she spent, as a rule, at least £3OOO a year on her clothes from her own private purse, in addition to the amount allowed her. All her life Queen Margherita has been very fond, of CO§t!y and jrare lace ymd delicate crochet work, and as she would buy these only when hand made, she has spent quite a fortune on them at one time or another. Since the late King’s death the Queen has lived in retirement, and of course her dress bills have been very much smaller. She now' rarely appears at Court or State functions.

The Queen of Holland is probably the European queen who spends most money a year on her clothes. Indeed her expenditure on dress may be almost set down as extragagant, when one takes into account the size of her kingdom, her annual income, and the comparatively small number of great Court functions held in the Netherlands. Most of Her Majesty’s dresses and hats come from Paris. She has n great liking for bright colors, and is fond of wearing ostrich plumes and other costly feathers. Her favorite colors are blue, green, and orange, but she more often than anything wears white. Scarlet and all variations of it she abhors. Her dress bill, according to report, runs to close on £4OOO per annum.

Our own Queen Alevandra is said to keep her dress expenses -well below £2OOO per annum, and her favorite color is certainly mauve, or some variation of it, though just recently Her Majesty has shown a decided liking for a 'kind of deep cream shade in her dresses and hats. She makes it a rule never to appear twice in the same gown at any two great Court functions. Many of Queen Alexandra’s most beautiful dresses come from Paris, but many equally lovely gowns are supplied by well-known London firms. After the gowns have been worn twice, many are entirely remodelled under Her Majesty's own directions, and they are then worn as everyday evening costumes. Every season , Queen Alexandra orders a number of hats, and these, after being worn two or three times at important affairs, are also remade and newly trimmed, and put in an appearance again at smaller functions.

A ROYAL ROMANCE

Count Herman Charles Ostheim, elder son of Prince William of SaxeWeimar, who is cousin and heir-pre-sumptive of the reigning Grand Duke of Sax-e-Weimar, was married very quietly at the registry office of St. George’s Hanover Square, London, to a lady who signed her name as Wanda Paola Lottero. Count Herman, it will be remembered, renounced a month ago his membership of the grand ducal family and his right of succession. The reigning duke is a widower of, 33. The

Count and his bride had both been staying for some days at Hyde Park Hotel the lady being known as Countess Neustadt, which is one of the grand ducal titles. They drove up to the office of the registrar in Buckingham- Palace Road in a, taxicab. The ladv was dressed in a grey costume, with hat to match. The register was signed “Herman Charles Ostheim, age 25, bachelor, count of the German Emnire.” His father’s name was given as “William Saxe-Weimar, Highness and Prince of Saxe-Weimar.” The bride’s name was given as “Wandla Paola Lottero, aged 25,. spinster,” and her father’s name' as “Jean Baptiste Lottero (deceased), captain in the merchant service.” The witnesses were Mr. A. St. Gebrge Caulfield, solicitor, and Mr. Thomas K. Lockington, his clerk. The newly-married pair did not return to the hotel, but after quietly lunching in the West End left for Paris.

EVOLUTION OF THE DAINTY GIRL.

She wasn’t dainty, a year ago. Far from it. Buttons were off her gloves. Her shoes were unpolished for weeks, and once run down at the heels, they stayed run down. Her clothes were seldom brushed. Her room reflected the - same untidiness.

But somebody gave her a pretty bureau set, a china brush and comb tray, hair receiver, puff-box and other what-nots. She was delighted, for she had the innate girlish love for pretty things. She arranged them carefully on her bureau, and then she noticed the linen cover was soiled-. A fresh one was installed, and then the dust-cover-ed knick-knacks about her bureau became suddenly oppressive. Before she realised it, her bureau was shining and spotless. ' " The next morning she' left a bureau drawer carelessly open, as was a frequent habit. The spotless neatness of the top oF her bureau was a reproach to the confusion that reigned within. The drawers were tidied. Her eyes somewhat sharpened, clothes that were hanging-over the chair went into the closet, shoes under the bed went into the shoe-box, and the room was like a new abode in its fresh, orderly daintiness.

Then it was she woke up to the de-fects-in Herself. The mirror over /that shining bureau seemed td enhance the untidiness of her .hair and reflect shamedly the soiled neck wear..

When hair was shining and neckwear spotless, the dust showed with tenfold force on her clothes. Gloves, shoes, skirt bindings, all in time, claimed her attention, anu it wasn’t long before a sweet, dainty girl replaced the untidy, unattractive one of a short time before. - . /, . ~ . If you aren’t dainty, if you heel it is almost a hopeless task to acquii e dainty habits, begin with a bemeopathic dose. Just 'the- matter of always havinip- fresh, pretty neckwear will gradually work the cure, or polished shoes, or some other little thing of the toilet. Set yourself this ouo tusk and perform it. Unconsciously the othei things will add themselves. The evolution of daintiness is not go difficult it you will make the start.

A QRANDE DAME

Lady Lansdowne is a sister of the Duchess of Bucclouch, and, like her, one of the loading and most exclusive of London hostesses. Her parties at Lansdowne House, one of the most celebrated of London’s many stately homes, are renowned for tlieir brilliancy, while her political receptions. are never the dull affairs that such functions often are. 1 A typical “grand dame,” charming, gracious, dignifiled, « dark-haired, small-featured, and exceedingly graceful, lookings at her it is difficult to imagine that very nearly 40 years have elapsed since the marriage of Lady Maude Hamilton, as she then was, to:the Marquess of Lansdowne was celebrated in .Westminster Abbey. lhe wedding, which was naturally a much-talked-of affair, was a double one, for the marriage of Lady Lansdowne s elder sister to the late Duke of Marlborough, then Marquess of Blandrord. took place at the same time.

SHAMPOO FOR OILY HAIR

A young woman who has tried all sorts of remedies to keep the oil out of her hair says she gets best results from using a shampoo made from pure olive, oil soap, in which a pinch of soda has been mixed. Cut a cake of soap into a quart or bailing water to make a thick jelly when cold. This is bottled and kept for future us£. _ 1 , Before shampooing take a couple ol spoonfuls of the jelly, mix. it. with a pinch of soda—do net get lavish with the soda, a pinch is rub it well into the scalp, which has first been wet with hot water.

Another way to apply the shampoo mixture to the scalp is to part the hair ‘in strands, and- rub it on with., a tooth brush or nail brush. ArTer the scalp and long hair lias been well' washed, it/should be rubbed vigorously with finger ends and thoroughly rinsed.

TESTED RECIPES

To Clean Enamel Pots. —To dealt enamel tea and coffee pots use a heaping teaspoonful of baking soda, put m boiling water, boil a few minutes, 'remove from stove, wash, rinse, and dry. To Improve Boiled Potatoes. —Put on to boil in cold water. Do not salt till nearly done.' (When done drain well, then open kitchen door or window and shake well in cold air. Your potatoes will be white and mealy. Pork Chops or Steaks. —Wine chops or steak, sprinkle with salt and pepper, dredge 'lightly with flour, and place in a well greased hot frying pan, brown richly, turning often; then reduce heat, cover, and let cool* slowly until tender. Servo on hot platter surrounded with fried apples. Egg Biscuit.—One quart flour, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder, pinch of salt, one-third cupful sugar, piece of butter size of an egg, mix with one cupful of milk to a dough, add two well beatt'ii eggs, mix and roll out and cut in small biscuits. Bake in a quick oven.

Nice Hands. —To keep the hands white and smooth while doing .your own housework always wash them well with a good mild soap. After drying apply a few drops of glycerine and lemon juice mixed. Get about two ounces of glycerine and put into that the juice of half a lemon, then shake it well. Be sure to 'rub it well into the skin, and you will be pleased with the result.

For Unstable Furniture. —If a piece of furniture which ought to stand squarely on four castors really rests on only three and tips and wabbles at one corner under pressure, it can easily bo made firm, without the unsightly block or cup under the short castor, whether the fault be an uneven door, a short leg, or the difference of a rug. Remove the castor and ship over the long iron one or more washers made of sole leather, linoleum, or plumbers’ sheet .packing. Determine by trial how many washers ,are needed; they will not be noticeable and will not interfere with the natural service of the castor.

Sulphur Preserves Fruit. —Peel peaches, cut in halves ancl remove seeds; arrange in wcoden tub, leaving a hole in centre for vessel that is to contain sulphur. If four gallons of fruit is desired pare enough fruit for six gallons as this allows for shrinkage. AVhen fruit is in tub place sulphur at the rate'of one teaspooiilul to each gallon of fruit used, in vessel in centre of tub. ignite it and cover the whole tub closely for four hours. Remove fruit and place in stone jars; cover pvith a cloth. Fruit preserved in this way keeps fine all winter and tastes like fresh fruit. Apples, pears, or tomatoes are delicious prepared this way.