“When You Come to the End of a Perfect Day,” by Dorothy Parker, was originally published in the November 1917 issue of Vogue. For more of the best from Vogue’ s archive, sign up for our Nostalgia newsletter here . It all started when I crossed the French gray threshold of Mme.
Claudine, beauty specialist. Up to that time, I have always considered myself happy. My life was singularly free from care and sorrow, and I knew nothing of the bitterness of labour.
But that is all over now. I will never be the innocent girl that I was before Mme. Claudine, beauty specialist.
came into my life. I may pet over it, but I shall never be the same. You see, I have always had a longing to be beautiful.
It was a veritable obsession with me. As a result of having people say to me, in early youth. "Don't you care—handsome is as handsome does," or "Never you mind.
dear, it isn't always a pretty face that attracts the men," I grew quite bitter about the thing. I took every pretty woman as a personal affront, and every time some unusually dazzling creature passed me, I murmured, resentfully, "'There, but for the grace of God, go I!" But, though I longed with all my heart to be beautiful, I never took any action about it. I didn't know exactly what to do.
I realized that there were far too many beautiful women in this world for beauty to be a mere gift of nature, but I had no idea how it was attained,—that is, I had no idea until I went to see Mme. Claudine. Mme.
Claudine's mauve and Fren.