It's unsurprising that Gallico frames Mrs Harris's need for this gown in magical terms. She is enthralled and enchanted by Dior's designs, striving to possess one for herself because of its talismanic power – those layers of tulle and chiffon reminding this mature woman of her own youth, vitality and beauty. Her dress is also literally transformational. Although it might not change her appearance (Gallico is either cruel or honest enough to appraise the vision of her in her chosen gown as one "that worked no miracles except in her soul"), she still achieves her moment of "dreamed-of and longed-for bliss" in Paris – and leaves as a much-altered and enriched woman.
