This rarely seen example of the 1930s gold-digger film, embodying the subgenre's usual quotient of sex, conspicuous consumption, and wisecracks, presents three enterprising adventuresses: tough, brassy, and vulnerable. (Ina Claire, Joan Blondell, and Madge Evans, respectively.) Unlike their cinematic sisters, these fortune hunters have Coco Chanel creations to sweeten their allure to sugar daddies. Possibly to sidestep censorship, exhibitors were encouraged to promote the film from the fashion angle over the sexual content, and were provided with photographs, slogans, and ideas for tie-ins with local merchants. Chanel, already designing clothes for two decades, pioneered simplicity and ease at a time when ornamentation and detail ran riot. By 1931 the fashion world had caught up with Chanel, but Hollywood hadn't. After working on three films with mixed satisfaction, she returned to her couture house, occasionally designing for French cinema. For this film she had a free hand, resulting in the smartest-dressed gold diggers the Depression ever saw.-Lee Amazonas