Abstract
This article explores the thematic relationship between Machado de Assis' Quincas Borba and the fashion part of A Estação. The Brazilian author turns into fiction the aspirations of his readers by portraying “changing society” (Gledson), in which individuals crave European goods, imitate the habits of the elite to acquire status or to climb the social ladder or to avoid a downfall. The articles shows that the author knew his readers very well and took advantage of this fact to write a novel that would appeal to the subscribers of A Estação, but one that was also ironic.