PRETTY AND FANCY

WHEN I read Dorothy Wordsworth's journal, I was intrigued to find out that sometimes she made her own shoes. 

Another shoemaker, fictional this time, is Perrine from En Famille, a popular children's book written by Hector Malot in 1893.

Orphaned Perrine has to live alone in a cabin in the woods for a while, and it is during that time she has to make her own pair of shoes. The book describes in detail the way Perinne constructs the soles from reeds, and then sews the body of the shoe using thick cloth she buys from the town millinery.

As a child I was impressed by Perrine's adventures, and read the book several times. I still love En Famille. Even then, however, I disagreed with the way the book treated fashion and pretty clothes.

En Famille follows the favorite 19th century stereotype that love of finery, lace and ribbons was evidence of a flawed character. Perrine passes an important moral test when she discards fancy clothes and materials to buy the plainest and cheapest clothes in the store.

As I said, even as a child, I was piqued at this! Eventually I wrote my PhD on a woman's right to beauty and fashion.

Given the chance, I would buy pretty clothes and shoes. When I can't afford expensive (i.e. most of the time) I buy pretty and fancy. In short, I would certainly fail the moral test in En Famille!