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The Ladies’ Paradise takes its readers to the mid-nineteenth century when the development of department stores was revolutionizing business in Paris. Zola uses great detail in describing the departments, business tactics and social life within the…

“On all sides, on every counter, was a stream of white Spanish blonde as light as air, Brussels with its large flowers on a delicate mesh, hand-made point, and Venice point with heavier designs, Alençon point, and Bruges of royal and almost religious…

            “The day when Denise came down wearing a pair of fabric boots for which she had paid five francs, Marguerite and Clara voiced their surprise under their breath, but loud enough to be heard…”  A pair of black silk boots was acquired by the…

“Every article of female linen, all those white under-things that are usually concealed, were here displayed, in a suite of rooms, classed in various departments. The corsets and dress-improvers occupied one counter, there were stitched corsets, the…

 “A Dozen pairs of kid gloves, Paradise gloves, the shop’s specialty.” Zola’s The Ladies’ Paradise highlights both the vast array of ready-made goods available in newly developing department stores and the dramatic manner in which these goods were…

"…to the right and the left, were heaps of mantles, pelisses, and capes, garments of all sizes and materials." One of the most popular ladies' items sold in department stores was the mantle. This garment, being loose fitting over the shoulders,…

In Emil Zola's novel The Ladies’ Paradise, a prominent item sold at the fictional department store was parasols. The parasol was not only an item that could be bought at the Ladies’ Paradise, but it also was used as part of the lavish presentations…