Perhaps is my past with VB but

my $label_formatting = $window->title( 'foo' )
                              ->child->border( 20 )
                              ->child->font_style;
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Makes a huge amount of sense. You want to set the windows title, grab its kid, set its border, grab the kids kid, and get its font_style. While I wouldn't recommend grouping the getter with all the rest, I think its a fine style, if its what is needed. Sometimes you don't want tons of variables when a simple call like that will work. Just as long as the documentation makes it obvious what the methods do I don't see why anyone should complain. To each his own style, if you don't like it, don't use it. If you are going to recommend agianst it, I for one would like you to back it up with more than this.