"The Gentlemen always pay according to their Dress, from half a Crown to two Guineas; and yet those Hussies make nothing of bilking of me..." (Gay 51).
Social commentary: Mrs. Trapes discusses clothing in terms of economic exchange in this scene. The dress itself is a means through which her prostitutes gain monetary value.
The dress itself allows agency for the women, though it is owned by Mrs. Trapes. In later lines she mentions Mrs. Coaxer, one of her prostitutes cheating her from money. Mrs. Trapes takes the dress, leaving her in just a shift, unable to work since the dress attracts customers. The use of the dress illustrates how women are created and taken apart based on the clothes on their back.
Yet John Gay was also taking a stand in the culture of the opera, and how the theatre represents the social classes: "Seeking to master a "heterogenous world of high, low, and commercial art" that emerged in place of the Court, John Gay cobbled his play together out of genres ranging from Grub Street's criminal biographies to the operas that entranced the English elite" (Newman 265). The play cannot be viewed as simply vulgar entrances of thieves and prostitutes; Gay's social commentary provides valuable insight as to the status and everyday habits of both the rich and the poor.
Other Clothing References: "In the mean time, Wife, rip out the Coronets and Marks of these dozen of Cambric handkerchiefs, for I can dispose of them this Afternoon to a Chap in the City" (Gay 10).
"To Mrs. Diana Trapes, the Tally-woman, and she will make a good Hand on't in Shoes and Slippers, to trick out young Ladies, upon their going into Keeping" (Gay 54).