one long caper devoted to the feeling

Gallico's book, later re-titled Mrs 'Arris Goes to Paris, is one long caper devoted to the feeling of "IT!!" induced by the perfect item of clothing. The story is a simple one. The titular Ada Harris, a widowed cleaning lady living in 1950s London, finds herself bewitched by one of her clients' couture Dior gowns. It grips her to the point of obsession. She "want[s] it dreadfully…