Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet - Thread part deux

914 replies

TossDaily · 02/12/2017 21:33

New thread for those of us who would like to let a little je ne sais quoi into our lives...

OP posts:
Thread gallery
253
IfyouseeRitaMoreno · 18/12/2017 14:52

Toss that sounds all very chic but I’m Confused about the red dot! I think I need to RTFT to find out ...

Have a great time Wink

TossDaily · 18/12/2017 14:53

So was I but it really works!

OP posts:
TossDaily · 18/12/2017 14:53

And thank you!

OP posts:
MyNewHobbyIsGin · 18/12/2017 16:04

Bo How do you have the capacity to know so much stuff - I've always planned to read those skincare threads but get lost in the science. My skin is dehydrated too, and I didn't know it wasn't so much about drinking water! Although I do drink lots and feel better for it.

And days after feeling weird about the results I was getting on body shape calculators, I've decided I'm not truly a pear. 90% of the indicators just aren't me. I also don't understand why none of them ask for an actual shoulder measurement. As already said we females have a lot going on re hormones/where we gain and store weight etc going - how can that be the decider and not actual bone structure?? I know I'm not expressing that very well....

quirkychick · 18/12/2017 16:38

I'm sure when I did the dressipi/now Joy of Clothes website I had to put in shoulder measurements, it was a long time ago. I think that's how I came up with inverted triangle. I'm short in the body but long-limbed. MyNewHobbyIsGin I'm sure that most people are somewhere between these archetypes, it's just a guidance to help find flattering shapes.

Dp takes lots of photos, and sometimes it's interesting to look back and take note of what is and isn't flattering. It does mean I often end up with quite a few similar things, but if they work, why not. I have lots of drapey tops, lots of navy, grey, burgundy, slub by tees.

LazyDailyMailJournos · 18/12/2017 16:43

Bo which sunscreen are you using? I really liked Biore watery essence and am so annoyed that you can't buy it in this country. I've ordered from the Rose Rose eBay shop before who are very good though.

At the moment I am relying upon Clinque City Block SPF40.

MyNewHobbyIsGin · 18/12/2017 16:51

Quirky I will have a look at that one - and yes I agree that it's a guide, I'm really not sure why it threw me so much!!

Auldspinster · 18/12/2017 17:56

I was amazed to find a beret that fits my massive head, in Primark of all places.

I happen to be wearing a breton top today so all I'm missing is a bicycle and a string of onions to complete the comedy French person outfit.

Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet - Thread part deux
Bloomed · 18/12/2017 19:48

Looks great. I need to get my fringe cut back in

quirkychick · 18/12/2017 20:46

Auldspinster looking tres francaise! (Someone tell me how to do accents). Sometimes men's departments have larger hats, I have quite a big head too, although it might just be lots of hair Smile.

Auldspinster · 18/12/2017 21:55

I've got lots of hair as well as the huge head. I'm like the scientists in the 80s Tefal ads.Grin

I had to buy a sun hat from Australia to get one to fit. I also have a Barbour waxed bucket hat in xxl but it's pretty snug.

LesserSpottedLurker · 18/12/2017 22:34

@botemp

Your welcome. I love pattern browsing at the moment, trying to work on pulling together a capsule wardrobe of handmade items in nicer fabrics than the high street (no polyester!).

I'm not sure what your shorts issue is, but both the following two patterns are going down a storm on IG:

megannielsen.com/collections/all-products/products/flint

shop.truebias.com/product/lander-pant-short

I was surprised at the measurements for the Flint pants not going down as small as you may need, but I do know some very slim sewists have made some great versions.

The lander pants sizing is also interesting, the size 0 actually reads larger than the smallest sizes of the orageuse patterns.

From what I've learnt so far, knowing your measurements and then looking at the finished garment sizes are the best bets for getting a good fit. Every pattern house sizes slightly differently, and then it's just a case of tweaking seam allowance etc when needed.

botemp · 18/12/2017 23:02

DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19

Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet - Thread part deux
botemp · 18/12/2017 23:03

DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19

etre blanc comme un cachet d'aspirine

White appears to be an essential colour in many a Parisian wardrobe, certain pieces, like the mid-winter skinny jean, the ajour cotton dresses, white tuxedo blazer, the 'perfect' white tee, are easily recognised, but white equally plays a far more subtle role, albeit a pivotal one.

Its use is almost entirely functional, it's where the hand of the wearer is actually most legible. It's almost a technical intervention, to lift drab tones or make a highly contrasting one subtler on the complexion. It can be just a sliver, a white t-shirt neckline peeping out underneath a grey jumper, suddenly not so boring any longer, the equally white shoes simply finish it off and brings top and bottom together. Whereas in the second picture a pair of white sneakers elevating an all-black outfit from the ground, successfully highlighting it and stops it from being mundane. That iconic crisp white shirt is far less a solo star but a companion piece that makes that slouch all the more wearable and emphasises the soft and fluid nature of knitwear.

Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet - Thread part deux
Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet - Thread part deux
Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet - Thread part deux
botemp · 18/12/2017 23:04

Where elsewhere white often serves as the base it's worn in the opposite way, a touch to break up the bulky silhouette of a denim jacket, playing with light rather than the expected shadow, creating interest rather than illusion. Sartorial highlighter, if you will.

It frames and sets the tone, yet it doesn't dominate. Pairing it with black is tricky, the cater waiter look never far away, but adapting it in less conventional ways brings it together and allows the other garments to shine.

And, well, if you've got white hair, you're set without much effort when cut this graphically. Graphic is mostly what white functions as in the Parisian wardrobe, the moulding that brings it all together without ever noticeably being present.

DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19 - DAY 19

Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet - Thread part deux
Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet - Thread part deux
Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet - Thread part deux
botemp · 18/12/2017 23:08

Thanks, Lesser, I'll take a look in the morning and respond to all others then too Xmas Smile.

LesserSpottedLurker · 18/12/2017 23:42

@TossDaily
Have a fab evening Xmas Grin

quirkychick · 19/12/2017 06:31

Ooh, I like that way of wearing white under something. I think that's very wearable, and much as I love the winter white on white look, it's not that practical for my lifestyle much as I'd like to be able to swan around in all white. I do really like that optic white, it's a very good colour on me, and layering it like that is a great way to wear it. I think I may have put all my white clothes away for the winter, though.

botemp · 19/12/2017 11:31

Toss, hope you had a nice night out. If it was proper French you should probably still be asleep Xmas Wink

cuir I'm a STOTT Pilates devotee too! Evangelical as well, but I do always warn it's expensive and you get the best results by going twice a week on the machinery for an hour each time, especially when starting. I hadn't heard of it impacting the ribcage before, mostly the spine. I grew about a 1.5cm when I first started, didn't actually stretch myself to a new height, it was just from stimulating the muscles in between the spine and improving posture. I think those that are top heavy benefit from it as there's an inclination to pull the shoulders in and hunch over a bit.

Gin, I'm a nerdy control freak who gets really frustrated if I can't figure something out and impacting me. Still annoyed at the PCOS and its many many variables and it, therefore, ruling me and my choices in life. I basically just want to control things that affect me.

I think body shape really is a thing of bone structure only if you carry no extra weight. Most will be an in-between shape, in my bones, I'm an hourglass shape, it's quite obvious now that my hips and shoulders will never be narrower than they are now, I also happen to gain weight like an hourglass but I'm pretty sure that at some point I'd go the route of apple over a certain weight point. Your own assessment just by eyes is still key.

Lazy, I'm currently using up a Swiss one but I wouldn't recommend it unless you can't tolerate emulsifiers. If you want something like the Biore but available easily in the UK I'd get the Body Shop Skin defence Multi-Protection Essence SPF50. It's similar and with the 40% off they usually have going it's not too far off price-wise. It is a commuter/indoor sunscreen though, just like the Biore, so not the best choice for high summer.

Lesser, it's the waist measurement that's the issue mostly (which if you're making yourself is easily fixed). With normal trousers it's not such an issue, the extra length is taken out at the bottom but with shorts, you usually don't have that margin and I need the bit of extra fabric for the hips/bum area. I used to just buy a size smaller and wear it low but that's no longer an option, and taking in just the waist doesn't seem to work well either as it gets a bit of an A-line fit because of it and that cuts my short legs in two quite unflatteringly.

TossDaily · 19/12/2017 11:55

Merci, all!

Home by ten, up by six thirty! So not quite proper French.

I did feel pretty fab though, I have to say.

I wore my invisible heels, and that extra inch or two made a lot of difference, without the pain of heels.

OP posts:
ilovecherries · 19/12/2017 13:08

What I'm loving about this thread is that it's demonstrating how to be stylish with what I have (e.g. White tee shirts and grey jumpers, trainers etc). I actually have very few clothes just now because of weight loss, and it's giving me ideas of how to create outfits from the ground up, rather than randomly buying things because they might fit, which was my criteria in the past.

Having pulled together my outfit from today's prompts, I'm now scanning the road anxiously for the courier with my rouge geisha to finish me off nicely. Lips are primed and ready to go Grin. I tried it yesterday, but though they had a sample in HoF, they didn't have one in stock but I ordered it for next day home delivery. I am SO ready for this. Xmas Grin

Asitgoes · 19/12/2017 13:52

Full of a virus and giving Rudolf a run for his money, but have finally settled on a red lipstick.
I've gone for, suitably enough, Parisian Red by Bobbi Brown. It may even match my nose Xmas Wink

quirkychick · 19/12/2017 14:47

Get better soon, Asitgoes.

ilovecherries I agree about using what you already have. Congratulations on the weight loss btw. I had already bought my red lipstick months ago, but hadn't really got round to using it, the same with my grey fedora I bought last winter, wearing both today and felt very french going for an espresso while Christmas shopping Xmas Smile.

TheOtherGirl · 19/12/2017 16:55

Went for our Xmas lunch at a posh pub today.

Wore black, long sleeved, high neck, embroidered dress from Zara, with black opaques and dark red, patent ankle boots + Ruby Woo. My (much younger) colleagues were very impressed by my dress.

Might have had one too many gin & elderflower tonics (hic)

mathanxiety · 19/12/2017 20:04

No red lippy for me. It makes me look the opposite of fabuleuse.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.