The Personal Librarian

There are multiple references to Belle’s styling and clothes throughout the novel. These descriptions reinforce the evolution of Belle’s gender and class identity as she passes. Belle initially wears modest, restrictive clothing in keeping with her mother’s advice that this will help her avoid detection. When she begins to work for J.P., Belle begins to dress in more colorful clothing, including a “jade green dress” (44) purchased with her generous salary. The ability to buy the green dress represents the greater degree of financial security she gains as a result of working for the Morgans.

Belle’s understanding of clothing as a shield of respectability that protects her from unwanted scrutiny shifts on the night she attends a ball at the Vanderbilt mansion in Chapter 7. Still intent on frugality, Belle only acknowledges the elite nature of this new setting with lace adornments on an “old emerald silk dress” (54) and a striking feathered cap. The lace on her sleaves is “dowdy” (54) in comparison to the opulent, revealing clothing worn by the women in the ballroom, but the cap, which is flamboyant, fits in with the style of this crowd. Belle figures out that dowdy elements like the lace will make her invisible, while flamboyant elements like the cap will make her stand out.