The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-04
Fashion Notes OF
Society, At The
@ a pital
by MARGARET WADE

Houses of Parliament, all part Of its
( well established season may yet have
4 10 lock to Washington for its iaureis
as first place in the sun Of social inn
According to their own Sir Philip
\ Gibbs. the advent Of the labor party
Z IL brought social revolution to Eng
land, which even the gracious accept
ance Of the wives and daughters Of the
labor rulers by royalty cannot sup
2 press.
In Washington we have something
nhin to a social revolution with each
change Of administration, vet those per-
sons who claim there is no stability to
& society Of the national capital are as
unfamiliar with the who L. who" Of
American society as were the me-,
chanics and manual laborers Of the
customs and social usages of London,
when Mr.. Ramsey Mcdonald summon
ed them to help guide the ship Of state
Id Great Britain.
In America and particularly in
Washington, official position has q
recognized place. but even more inn
portant than official position is the
well-defined circle of cultured, gracious,
sometimes wealthy thinking persons,
who make IN society in its broadcast
and best sense with WASHINGTON as its
center from Easter until the end Of
June.
1t is this spring season that gives the
rich and hospitable hosts an opportuni-
ty Of entertaining and being entertain
ed quite regardless of hard and fast
} spxeeedent, and in this year of 1924 the
\ kaLl IL hn pAu 6Vvnlf-
aers. the officials and the newcomers
living far out on Sixteenth street or
Massachusetts avenue are meeting on
"a common ground.
That the American woman can more
Sasfiy adjust herself TO official position
fhan her British sister is shown by the
Way Mrs. Curtis d. Wilbur, wife OF the
Aew Secretary of the Nayy, has taken
h not only the obligations but also
Ne privileges to which she SO recently.
succeeded.
4 Mrs. Wilbur has told her interview
hrs she likes to do her own work and
considers servants great trial. since
her arrival in Washington, she has been
Photographed frying potatoes, icing a
cake and hanging out the family wash
ann mas UGcu lutCEFtCWNU AAAOAC 1850
three weeks than has sany one OF her
araociates Of the cabinet circle in three
wears. Yet, she does not look like a
wornan who did her own work from
rhoice or necessity. When she held
her first at home to all the world of
eociety on Wednesday afternoon, her
house on Jefferson Place, although the
y Hrhsllsst Of all the cabinet houses, was
Ahloom in pink roses sent from the
white House Conservatives. Two
young officers Of the navy in full dress
uniform made the fntroductions and a
section Of the Marine band played
throughout the receiving hours, which
were from 4 to 6.
Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, wife Of the
: Aaniatant Secretary Of the Navy, stood
with Mrs, Wilbur to welcome the hum
dseds OF visitors, while Mrs. Edward
merle, wife of Rear Admiral Eberle,
aAa Mrs. John A. Lejeune, whose hus-
bad is commandment of the marines,
eId the honors Of the tea table.
Iefferson Place was congested with
- brs of every description while call
SS&who came late were Obliged to
- in line ON the side walk for half
~ or more to wait their turn to en-
-. the house.
Mrs. Wilbur, whom the photogra-
pliers show hanging out the wash, in a
pretty muslin blouse and sports skirt,
with patent leather low shoes, wore at
her first at home modish and becom-
ing gown of canton crepe in hydranga
pink, well covered in silver beads
beads being again IN high favor every
hours Of the day.
Mrs. Roosevelt looked young and
charming in a quaint gown of black
{ taffeta made with full round skirt
I gathered to normal waist line. The
fitted bodice opened in front, showing
a narrow jabot of white lace.
Secretary Wilbur has selected Cap
4 tain Walter r.. Gherardi, u. s. NJ, as
his personal aide, which any one who
knows Washington VIII appreciate is a
very distinct social asset to the new
cabinet home. Captain Ghefardi is a
son Of Rear Admiral Bancroft Cher
ardi, and has seen service irf practically
every part of the civilized world. He
was born in Hawaii in 1876 and grad
uated from the Naval Academy in
1891.
He passed part of his boyhood in
Washington and later returned here for
duty and married a reigning belle.
His wife was formerly Neville Tay-
Tor, also of well known naval family
and Identified from her birth with the
Cave Dweller Set of the capital. Cap
tain Gherardi was naval attache in
Berlin in 1914 and for several years en-
joyed great popularity with the
former Kaiser, who stood godfather for
the infant SON of the young American
couple.
Dinner parties are not quite so nu-
merous, or so formal as in the official
season, which always ends with Ash
Wednesday, but dinner gowns are
smart as ever with distinct note of
novelty in line, color or treatment.
which puts any gown of last winter
into the old-fashioned class.
For example, Mrs. Peter Goelet
Gerry, wife Of the senator from Rhode
Islande has new frock Of white satin
ana black lace, which is obviously a
Paris model but so individual In treat
ment that every one meeting Mrs. Gerry
az one Of last weeks dinners received
the impression that the gown was made
to furnish proper background for its
wearer's famous black pearls, a part
of the crown jewels Of Russia for
which Mrs. Gerry is reported to have
paid 100000.
At the same dinner, Mrs. Sylvanus
Stokes, Jr., just back from Egypt via
Paris, wore a black satin dress in the
same round short skirt as MIS-. Gerry's
white and black gown, but with a
totally new establishment of beads