Judge — January 10, 1914 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "LA MODE" - Fashion Satire This cartoon satirizes the cost and impracticality of fashionable women's clothing. The dialogue reveals the joke: a well-dressed woman claims her gown costs little because "the less material used in my gown the more it costs," while her companion responds that expensive illusion justifies the price. The sketch mocks the fashion industry's paradox—haute couture charges premium prices for minimal fabric, creating an "illusion" of luxury rather than substance. The figures show the contrast between elaborate, expensive gowns and simpler dress, critiquing how fashion consumers pay inflated prices for designs that use fewer materials. This reflects early 20th-century anxieties about conspicuous consumption and the absurdity of high fashion economics.