Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-19
LONDON'S GREAT DAY.
The City's Society Show on Its Way
to tho Queens Drawing-Room.
BEAUTY DIHHED By DAYLIGHT
Among the Americans Present Were Some
Prominent PithburgerA
PERSONAL MENTIoN OF THE BIC TOWN

|
CORRESPONDENCE or rHH DrsPArcH.,
LONDON, June 11.-Quite BY accident
ran plump into the Queens drswing-room-
not in Buckingham Palace, for 1t is only by
design and deep-lsid design that one gets II
there-but in the splendid avenue tina
leads to 1t through st. James park. It wa
only day or two after reached Londor
that was exploring In the vicinity Of Ira
falgar Square and st. James Palace. Pal
aces are as thick as bumble-bees round {
honeysuckle vine over here, you know, ant
my curiosity was first idle, then acutely ex-
cited by what seemed to me the extraordi-
nary number of brides for one morning.
Carriages we're dashing about with coach.
men and footmen decorated with bouquets
regular corsage bouquets-as big as din
ner plates, and was looking even NOR,
than ordinarily immobile and s'toplofticaL -
Each OF the carriages were filled with hall
bushel or bushel of flowers, and con-
fused heap of satin or brocade, white arm!
and shoulders; diamonds, elaborate coifFures,
more or less pretty faces, filmy wells and
white feathera
The first of these that I saw, said te
myself: ''There goes bride; good luck 60
with her."
Presently saw second, third. and a
fourth. cts great day for weddings,
thought L
The Town seemed FUN of. Brides.
met five women in, line dragging out Of
the Hotel Metropols yards and yards Of
train, all wearing flmy wells and feathers.
''Dear, dear, surely they can't all be brides
perhaps, some are bridesmaids" con-
cluded Then later making my way through
8. James Park toward Piccadilly came
to long line of carriages. all filed with
my supposed brides-and I suddenly real
lied that had been looking at the dowag-
ers and debutantes Of the English swelldom.
1t was chilly May day, and. a. closely but
toned coat felt very comfortable, but the
women in the carriages sat with the win
dows down and their bare arms and should-
ers fully exposed to the raw, damp air. The
wait was more than an hour for some, but
they never quailed, and never made a move
to draw up their cloaks. Some few indeed
kept themselves snugly wrapped in opera
cloaks, and about half dozen over-modest
behind drawn blinds. 70
The trying light of midday revealed few
very pretty women. Ewes looked dull that
sparkle in the gaslight, cheeks looked pale
that glow in the warmth of luxurious draw
ing rooms, and even the diamonds, of which
there was quite . peck measure full In sight,
looked white and CLASSY in the cruel light.
Crowds swarmed up and down on either
side of the drive inspecting women and
Enthusiastically stopping and peering into
the carriages at the freight of millinery
and beauty, and making audible COM
ments, complimentary and otherwise, in
public rather than stout old monarchy.
Receiving in the Streets.
Every now and then some good-looking
chap with silk hat, or some pretty woman
with lorgnette, would step out from the
crowd OF gazers to speak to some one in the
carriages, for it is quite the thing for ones
friends to come and see one: off, as it were,
when on the way to the drawing room.
While in New York it Is extremely bad
form to go sightseeing on the street or turn
out of ones way to see anything so COM
monplace as q procession-the looking is all
done from behind half-closed blinds-the
people whose manners they initiate here Jog
about most comfortably and see good deal
of the world from the curbstone.
The drawing-rooms here, like the New
the formal opening of the season, and, as
in Washington, the ladies' who appear at
them have functions of their own-recep-
tions and teas-immediately after the
drawing-room is over, so that their costly
court dresses won't 60 to waste entirely
without being duly admired; After each
of the recent drawing-rooms there were in
Vulnerable teas given by the presentees, or
the august mothers, or aunts, or grand
mothers of the presentees, in order to
show off the marvellous gowns and
head-dresses and miles of trains,
and there was such q rushing about from tea
to tea that people fairly ran into each other
in the West End. It's quite the thing also
to be photographed in court dress, and
most of the 600 ladies who kissed the hand
of the Queens substitute and 50 secured the
open sesame to swell functions lowing to
the death of the Duke of Clarence, the
Queen, and the Prince Of Wales and family
absented themselves from the drawing
rooms, and Princess Christiana did duty
Unsteady were driven directly to the photog-
raphers and drew q crowd round the
door that watched them as they went
in and sited to see them reappear.
A Place to See tho Styles.
These drawing-rooms not only open the
season formally, but set the styles to large
extent. The newest wrinkle introduced
this year is the ''shower" of flowers, instead
of the orthodox cabbage-head bouquet.
The flowers are not wired at all, but only
long stemmcd ones are used; and the ar
rangement of them is we'll described by the
name. The flowers, foliage, and ever-trail-
ing vines used in them suggest when carried
q veritable horticultural shower, and reach
from the waist quite to the hem of the dress
The effect is most artistic and unconven-
tional, but it's trying thing to manage.
There were carried with the court costumes
"showers" of lilies of the. valley, sweet
peas, white lilacs. roses, carnations orchids,
and everything that could be put into such
q bouquet
Another thing decided BY the drawing
rooms is that sleeves are essential with de-
collete gowns, and that the shoulder strap
has disappeared tor year at least Many
Of the sleeves reach to the elbow. while few
were seen that did not reach at least half
way to the elbow. A great many Of the
newest evening gowns are low In the neck
and have wrinkled sleeves of chiffon, very
like the arm of mousquetaire glove, reach
ing to the hand-as long, indeed, a. the
pretty Marie Stuart sleeve.
In the charming 600 that advanced to sa-
Lutte Princess Christians hand-one by one
there was goodly showing of Americans,
well gowned and good-looking Mrs Lin
coin presented at the first drawing room,
Mrs William Wayne Belvin, Mrs Catlin,
wife of the United States Consul at
Munich; Mrs. Edward kirkpatrick; Mrs
John Howard McFadden, Mrs. Henry
Phipps, Jr., Miss Phipps, Mrs. Pruyne,
Miss Pruyne, Miss Anderson, Miss Berthe
q