MacNicol’s grandfather was a master tailor and she was interested in dress from a young age. It appeared that the artist was more interested in the textures and shapes that extravagant outfits could add to her paintings than she was in capturing the latest fashions. Because of this she often painted young women dressed in styles from the past with frills, fans and crinolines (a stiff fabric worn under a long skirt to make it stand out). The inclusion of a chair and mirror in Three Ladies of Fashion implies that the setting could be a clothes shop.