Mrs. Harris

Mrs. Ada Harris is the main character in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. Mrs. Harris is an English charwoman whose life revolves around cleaning for her clients, cultivating flowers, and spending time with her friend Mrs. Butterfield. Her life is upended when she sees a custom Dior dress for the first time, and she becomes preoccupied with wanting to own a designer dress. She becomes singularly focused on saving money for the gown and planning a trip to the House of Christian Dior in Paris. Mrs. Harris rations her money, places bets at the racetrack, and converts her earnings into American dollars over the course of two years in order to buy a designer gown.

When Mrs. Harris travels to Paris, she is skeptical of French people and resolute on making her trip as swift as possible. While her blunt and middle-class demeanor is incongruous with the...