Life — April 3, 1931 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page contains a humorous letter exchange about a clothing swap gone wrong. Miss Mary O'Laughlin of Pasadena exchanged a garment at an "Entre Nous Valentine dance" at the Shakespeare Club, but it didn't match her wardrobe—the buttons were on the wrong side and the lining didn't suit her outfit. Jack Cluett's response is tongue-in-cheek: he suggests she simply move the buttons rather than complain, jokes about worse fashion mishaps (stains, mismatched wardrobes), and proposes they meet for lunch to resolve things. The cartoons illustrate the mild social embarrassment of the mix-up. The satire gently mocks both the fussiness of fashion-conscious socialites and the casual dismissiveness of someone unbothered by wardrobe coordination—typical of Life magazine's mild social commentary on upper-class etiquette.