New Britain herald., 1930-10-25

starts the social wheels turning, for it ushers in the brief, dazzling, can- dle-lit season. when the butterfly reigns supreme
 Parties and dances and dinners. luncheons and teas and plays and then come the New Years bells which sound the knell of the debu- tante's reign.
 The season which opens tonight will see the debut of number of maids whose names carry interna- tional interest. There is, among them, Grace Roosevelt, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, governor of Porto Rico, Florence T. Baker. granddaughter of the banker, George T. Baker; and Doris Duke, daughter of James B. Duke, whose fortune was founded in the tobacco industry.
 Many festivities, marked by music and costly decorations will be held in their honor; but one thing, long associated with debutante gaieties will be absent this winter. The fashionable deb" no longer wears a corsage bouquet. The flowers wilt and the modern maiden's costume is so carefully assembled that the blos- sons might spoil her color scheme, anyway.
 And so. she dances sans flowers. Only if she is guest of honor at a dance does she carry bouquet. She selects the one sent by her favorite beau and the rest are arranged on a screen behind her receiving party.
 While this years butterflies begin the winters gaieties, a number of last years debutantes have gone to work - and not for charity either. A half dozen of them have banded together and are working as sales women in a debut shop" in one of New York's department stores.
 They are acting as mannequins. making sales and advising the "debs" of this season, want to buy and wear at luncheons, teas. dances and what-not. Miss Happy Shannon. Mary Howell and Antoinette Fris- sell are among them.
 Meanwhile the grown-ups in the social ranks have been making mer- ry in their own fashion. Friday aft ernoon and evening they journeyed to the home of Mrs. Lewis Stuyve- sant Chanler for an Oriental fete and bazaar, held to raise funds for the establishment of permanent head quarters for the new history society.
 Abdul Rahman, Hindu magician, Margaret Agniel an Oriental dancer, and Leila Gardner, soprano, enter tained the guests in the rooms deck ed with trappings of the Orient. Aft CT the program, they made the rounds of the booths, displaying the wares of Persia and India, supped a bit and fitted on to the next gaiety.
 The clear sunshine of the country side drew many of them to Red Bank recently for the Monmouth County steeplechase. A big tent was stretched on the estate of Amory L. Haskell, where the steeplechase was held, and at noon the fashionables gathered under the canvas marquis for clam chowder, hot dogs and chicken salad,
 Pink hunting coats, white breech- es and the shining riding boots of the riders mingled with the smart tweeds of spectators as the crowd strollcd out to the field, and many an interesting fashion note was re- corded.
 Mrs. Thomas Wells Durant chose a hunters green suit and hat as her spectator costume; Miss Dorothy Davis wore a brown broadtail jack ct with a green wool frock and knit ted jersey cap, while Miss Marion Wickes appeared in crimson suede jacket over a tweed frock of the same shade. Many of the women wore short fur jackets, and the nipping wind caused them to snug gle into them gratefully as they watched the steeplechase.