Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet - Thread part deux

[TossDaily]

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

Just spotted my youngest's curly mop in shot .

Forgot to add, am normally 10/12 and Maxmara are 12 and MIH jeans are 29- they might be a squeeze but generally drop half a stone each spring (and put it back on each winter!) so hopefully can get in them soon.

Might need to think more about French eating habits as although I have a good diet 85% of the time, when I do indulge I am awful at moderation so tend to eat a full box of chocolates (or whatever) rather than just a couple. Generally this means I just don't have any other than at weekend but over Christmas this all goes out of the window.

Looking good Methen! Particularly like it with your scarf and bag. It all goes really well together.

I'm joining you in the red polish painting. Trying to decide between proper red red (Essie forever Yummy) or Essie Knee High Life Which is a wine burgandy colour or a dark black cherry red (Bordeaux). 🤔

banana I'm 5ft 6 so not tall but long length ones are perfect. No cold ankles.

But I might not suit the edginess.
Unfortunately I don't think I do either Bloomed but it only cost £6 - I think whoever priced it also mistook it for a gilet from Joules - so not the end of the world. I didn't even bother trying it on and felt slightly guilty at the price until I got it home and thought 'Hmm'.

I bet we can make it work. Have you found a pic of it online at all?

Comme ça, Flo? Probably not the same thing at all but I just really like the picture.

Although any more talk of RO at bargain prices and MNHQ will have to put a trigger warning on this thread for me. I wouldn't say my collection is vast but it's substantial enough for me to be really upset by the fact it's all too big now and far too difficult to alter and I haven't found replacement pieces . Do you have a pic of the RO/Joules love child?

Enid, I think at its base 1 cup of water and 1 tbsp of ACV (multiply with more hair) should do fine. I'm not really sure the nettle and rosemary add anything, rosemary is supposed to be good for scalp health and growing hair but I'm rather sceptical about those claims in a DIY concoction. It was part of a two-step ACV and clay 'detox' more nonsense mask and then the ACV rinse at the end. Didn't like the clay mask much but did really like the rinse so I've just kept the recipe unaltered ever since.

ilovecherries, was it HOF? I've heard nothing but terrible things about them on MN lately. The Chanel is fab though, glad it's working for you, I really don't need another red lipstick but that red packaging is doing things to me...

Methen, you look great, and the little mop of hair too! MIH comes in slightly small on me, it depends on the model though and how stretchy it is but I usually wear a size larger than normal.

Banana, I'm the same it's 1 euro per shirt here and 7 for 5. I don't think I can wash or iron anything for that price. Sheets too, it's not worth my time at those prices and I love the sensation of crisp ironed bedding. We have an iron but I can't remember the last time it was used , but I do have a Fridja steamer which is great and sorts all thin cottons, silks, linen, etc. quicker than any iron would.

I'll see if I can find a pic although it might be later or tomorrow.

Love that pic bo!

Hmm. Have just tried on a white shirt of DH's. And a fine knit grey merino jumper(also of his). They work rather well...

Yes, it was HoF. They have been terrible recently. A few weeks back they held onto £150 for 30 days because their server had a blip and took two payment 0.5 of a second apart. Then in store last week the assistant cancelled a payment as she said the till had blinked and she wasn't sure if it had gone through or not. Except it showed in my pending transactions for 10 days. And now missing lipstick which will probably take a month to get a refund for. The Chanel is lovely though. :)

Methen you look spectacular! I would be looking at you in the street thinking how much I'd love to be able to look as chic as you

I have coat and bag envy. I cannot for the life of me manage the small chic cross body bags that look so swish - I just about manage it in the summer but still feel utterly bereft due to all the stuff I've had to leave out in pursuit of looking chic but in the winter it's a biggish bag minimum. I do wear my bag cross body, but it's much less petite and feels dumpier in comparison. I feel it looks a bit rich bitch to carry in the crook of my arm, but maybe not?

I long to be a teeny bag type person, but reducing down to my current bag (from an enormous Mulberry Roxanne satchel to a Rebecca Minkoff regan satchel) was a massive undertaking. I still have wallet, umbrella, gloves, small purse with medications, makeup bits, iPhone lipstick charger, tiny fold up hairbrush, headphones, folded up fabric tote for putting shopping in, ,keys and travel card etc. I can't go any smaller!

I often wonder if fashion bloggers who wander about artfully with coats draped open to show off their outfits with delicate little cross body bags actually have a proper bag with actual STUFF, that they use when not posing for their instaperfect shot. And do up their coat so they don't freeze their tits off?

I also get my sheets done too bo. Freshly crisp ironed bedding is heaven - I can't drink, so getting shirts and sheets washed and ironed is equivalent to a couple of bottles of wine, and a worthy investment, I reckon!!

DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24

DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24

ultra noir

No, no, it's not when in doubt wear black day. When a Parisienne wears black she means business, she is not covering up that extra roll from the Christmas binge, or seeking to meld into the background. It's about as daring as they get because once you remove colour it's all down to proportions, material, light (or lack thereof) and shadows. There's nowhere to hide and displays quite firmly all your know-how. It's practically showing off how well one can dress.

Then there's part two to black, Film Noir. Harking back to the dark melodrama of Paris in the 1930s but even before that in the roman noir of Victor Hugo’s, Honoré de Balzac, and Eugène Sue that chronicled the back alleys and dark streets of Paris. With a certain romance that is uniquely Parisian, seedy yet gripping. The backdrop of the urban environment still exists today, so it's unsurprising that it still inspires this dark undercurrent which hints at this nostalgia where black plays a pivotal role.

It's therefore not all that strange that the pack of fashion editors all wear black (let's all feel really sorry for the one who decided on the white top that day). Intimidating enough on their own, but like a pack they're unmissable.

Carine Roitfield may very well have laid the groundwork, especially in her various collaborations (true ones, rather than the commercial bastardisations they are today) with Tom Ford at Gucci in the 90s and early 2000s and brought it some much-needed sex appeal.

However, the crown for dressing en noir really has fallen atop Emanuelle Alt's head for making it absolutely wearable.

Effortlessly, when it so isn't, she shows how to mix and match, layer, play with proportions and volume without a lick of colour. Always interesting, always somehow different, always with a legible level of taste.

Shine plays an important part, whether it be (faux) fur, patent leather, glossy leather, suede or washed leather, they all have their place alongside, silks, wools, linens and cotton. All with their unique finish and quality which work in black in a way that would detract with other colours.

And, yes, I'm very much aware that not everyone feels black brings out their best. That it washes out, the contrast is too high, but there is something about tackling that and mastering it regardless, adding a touch of another colour like a hint of navy (the jumper) or that sliver of white in order to achieve that. And if all else fails? Feck it, just get some killer black sunglasses out instead.

DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24 - DAY 24

Banana - thank you for lovely message-you made my night. I should say that small bag was on account of nipping out minus 4 kids for a couple of hours so bag literally contained: purse, phone, lipbalm& sunglasses.

On a work day I have a HUGE maroon leather bucket bag that has a planners/pencil case/ mini make up bag etc etc. In fact my Christmas present from hubby is a huge bag for days off with kids (I only work 3 days) but my 'day off' bags normally have all the above plus snacks/ beakers and a change of clothes for DD, who has decided after being potty trained for about18 months, that she actually quite likes doing the dirty in her own pants with no sense of remorse, in fact, she likes to tell me possible punishments too ("I've done a poo in my pants. You probably shouldn't read my bedtime story tonight.") Certainly not tres chic!

I'm off to the panto tomorrow and trying to decide what to wear. It's pretty cold here but often toasty hot in the theatre.

You deserve a medal, Bo, have loved the last 24 days. Plus it's really made me think about what's in my wardrobe, and how to wear it better.

Tiny bag only works if you use a tiny card holder instead of a wallet (I never really carry cash on me, have never found it an issue), don't have too many keys, and a reasonably sized phone (so not a fablet) and an ultra slim emergency battey, SH mentioned one the other week that's also a compact with LED lighting, was very much taken by that. Very compact fold-up bag and sometimes I can squeeze my sunglasses in a soft leather case in. A hat/beanie for the rain, and you just have to keep it on al the time, gloves in coat pockets. Even then it won't fit in the eeniest teeniest one they sell (I always presume for spoiled kids who want a play bag , actually not presume, I've seen whiny kids given those in high-end shops like that plenty of times). The seemingly small ones with several compartments (like the Marni Trunk or Celine Trio) are more spacious than you'd think though.

And, yes, bloggers never seem to feel the cold (the coat on the shoulders only must have been the stupidest thing ever, try it for a laugh you won't even get five steps in) and have nothing in their bags and probably have a private chauffeur to help them navigate that puddle going by their footwear...

This has been an absolute pleasure of a thread to read. Thank you Bo and everyone else.

I've taken so many screenshots and notes, ready to swing into a stylish 2018 x

Methen, ehm... does your DD have access to the internet? I think we've found the poo troll.

Cross post Bo- apologies that talk of my DD's toilet habits lowered the tone of the thread momentarily.

I rarely wear black (often opting for navy instead) but I do have a couple of black cashmere jumpers that I love with all-black.

It's an interesting point about contrast as I have a few pairs of black shoes but my absolute favourite are a pair of suede Zara pointed shoes with a high sheen plastic heel. They really seem to tick the box of plain yet interesting so I feel like they really bring something to an outfit. Much in the same way as a plain black pony hair bag I have. Thinking about it, the thing that all three have in common is they are very tactile.

Tactile is good unless it involves poo

^I think I've just proven myself less mature than your DD It's the post advent calendar rush I tell, you, honest.

Gorgeous stuff bo and it won't help my RO lust, so much black and so many textures. I've made the mistake of losing my nerve and adding a white shirt to an otherwise striking black ensemble. Need to work on my commitment. Sad to see this end. Can't you do the 12 days of Christmas to take us to Epiphany? On the first day of Christmas my (fictional) true love gave to me ... a black Rick Owens gilet.

Quelle horreur! Is that the last of the advent calendar? That thought hadn't occurred to me.

Can we keep it going under some sort of New Year themed thing? I've gotten so much from thsee thread.

I was going to ask you more knowledgeable lot: which fabrics would you go for/avoid.

I know as much as to look natural/authentic materials i. e. 100% cotton/ cashmere/ leather/ silk etc but that's about it. Is there ever a time when a bit of man made is good (i'm thinking for a bit of stretch/cling)? I really feel this is an area I need to scrub up my knowledge to push to buy higher quality items.

I know you mentioned earlier Bo that some cashmere was poor quality, is there an easy way of knowing? I've only been able to tell by seeing which items stand the test of time well.