Le ridicule ne tue pas....les Parisiennes de Mumsnet

[AuldAlliance]

New thread for those hoping to add a bit of Parisian je ne sais quoi and je m'en fous to their style.

yay, well done banana, you must have looked ace!

there's a comptoir in Bath if that's any good for the SW?

Do any of you have a tip on where to get cropped trousers with a vent at the front? (that slit in the hem, not some random gap in the thigh or whatever!). Nothing on Zara.com and I was counting on them though I do like their asymmetric hem trousers - problem is their lengths are always for 5 ft 10 and I am a modest 5ft 3 so I would lose the entire benefit of it! annoying they don't do any petites.

All this talk of hot bananas is making me reminisce for Bananas Foster Well done on impressing the Parisians though, banana!

Flo, I was mildly disappointed the thing named after you weren't some amazing universally flattering high waisted cropped wide legs. The pricing is a bit odd on NP, I think. Some of it very reasonable and in line with what I expect for a company with such ethics but then there are some really highly priced items, a jersey dress that's only marginally less than a giant oversized cashmere sweater dress struck me as a touch odd.

Jackie

merci bien, that's just what I was after. Always forget Mango exists

Yay bo finally! yes please for the link. I actually had one arrive yesterday a black pure woo lAustin reed one. Sadly even at a size 8 the boob area is looking like it needs filling ( not by me obviously unless with socks) so I will see if I can find a seamstress who who won't charge a fortune to extend the darts.
It actually gives me a waist though and my teens didn't wrinkle up their noses in disgust when I tried it on.

Quite pleased I ran out of my Simple moisturiser (forward planning fail) while away - took the opportunity to read some of the skincare threads and visit the pharmacie today for some La Roche Posay/Vichy. The Simple was doing pretty much nothing anyway, it was an emergency buy when I ran out of something else.

Not sure I've seen many Parisiennes so far!

Really want to try something culotte-ish now but I can't see when I'd ever wear them or what with. I tried out some pointy toed shoes recently but they made my feet look about a metre long, so it's back to the drawing board there.

bananafish I love the sound of that outfit! Compliments always put a spring in my step!

I did order the items I linked from Uniqlo and the denim jacket in cream too. I’ll see how I get on. I suspect that a good bit of it will go back.

botemp oooh those Utereque ones look great. Nice and fitted through the waist. I may well order those tomorrow.

I tried Arquet, but no joy there. Trousers all too short and I don’t need more merino jumpers! Also they were out of lovely cashmere socks!

I did get a pair of boyfriend jeans which I’m pleased with. A departure from my usual. I tried on very oversized ones, but I feel like it may be a look that works better if you’re more petite? I think boyfriend style but fitted over the bottom might be better on me.

bananafish your outfit sounds great. Très chic.

I have a charity shop find alert! This morning I dropped a bag of clothes off to our local, rather scruffy charity shop and picked up an amazing navy Hermes shirt dress for $50 (about £25). It's a bit squeezy around the rib cage, but as I'm dropping weight at the moment anyway, I figured for that price I may as well give it a shot.

Reharding culottes, they seem to be a strangely controversial clothing item on here. I wear mine all the time, the wide leg silhouette means they can be dressed down (tucked in t-shirt, white trainers) or up (shirt or silk top, derbies or strappy sandals). I do the ankle boot with a flash of bare calf thing in winter. I do live in a suburb full of ridiculous fashion people though, so my culottes are usually the least adventurous thing on the street.

Great find cactus! I do find these first two or three of months of the year are the best time for charity shopping. Everyone has a clearout - even me! So far I've picked up that Savile Row men's raincoat I mentioned, a John Smedley merino jumper, a Max Mara L/S T shirt, some 7-for-all-Mankind flares (about 8 feet long and may not survive massive shortening but worth a punt), Cos dress (typical Cos - looks bizarre till you put in on) a Costume National men's shirt (Valentine's day present for husband) and a Pringle men's jumper (for me). And walked away from an Issa dress - the print drowned me - and a Burberry wool dress - too short.

Lest you think I'm a smug, jammy bastard - which admittedly I am - I only do well because I do a circuit once a week. The good stuff doesn't hang around for long.

Wow cactus! Great thrift shop score; one couldn't hope to find the like in Devon or Cornwall, and I still miss NY charity and vintage shops.

I used to have some lovely culottes (in the 1990s) but they got a bit sad and were recycled; I'd like them back, please.

cactus sorry that looks like dreadful one-up-manship now I've read it back I've just been looking at the Hermes resort collection - that's an amazing find.

Wow cactusbutt that's an amazing find. II have to admit that I don't have time to trawl charity shops, but I really don't think that you get quality pieces like that where I live for a few reasons. This country has only recently (in relative terms) become wealthy so I don't think there are large amounts of designer clothes floating around. Secondly, although we have some great designers I don't think that in general there's a culture of investing in clothes. For the most part fast fashion seems to reign supreme. I suspect the novelty will wear off in another decade.

Dries military / safari jacket arrived this morning. It's very in line with some of the current fashion referencing that safari jacket feel. It's slightly big around the waist, but a minor adjustment should sort that.

Well of all the charity shop finds. They're still crap here but there have been a few new consignment shops popping up that don't just sell Chanel type suits, worn out shoes, and pristine hats. I'm finding them a bit expensive though, may be down to the bargains I found in Antwerp and Paris but I feel they're overasking. Saw a nice Dries fine knit in good condition but they still wanted a 150 euros for it and it wasn't extremely special or in mint condition.

cactus, I think culottes are one of those things that has many definitions, like the wide leg or skinny jeans. The first generation that were around a few years back were really difficult to wear by most body types, they're more varied now so it's easier to find a flattering version but I still maintain for the most part I'm just a touch too short for it and my upper body isn't long enough to balance it out. My IM Steve trousers are just a unicorn in that regard.

Elle, I've completely forgotten what the jacket looked like, was it navy or a beige/khaki Glad to hear it worked out well though, twas bargainous IIRC.

*fine knit jumper

Random plugging and productivity disturber of the day as I keep forgetting to mention it on here. Came across a Spanish jewellery brand with lots of fine minimal jewellery, ideal for layering/stacking. More on the affordable side too and free shipping over 60 euros:

www.bylia.es/

Wow, lots of good charity shop finds. I don't go in weekly, but from time to time, flo. I'm resigned to sometimes finding gems and sometimes nothing. I will probably go next week when the dcs are back at school and I can browse in peace.

I went shopping with dd1, and in an attempt to show her I wasn't spending £50 on a hoodie in a surf shop, we went to tkmaxx. We found a much more reasonable hoodie (£20) and I tried on some straight, dark jeans. A diesel pair that were too big, and just showed me that high rise was not flattering on me, a g-star pair that had some weird pale writing on and we're too small, but came away with a polo Ralph Lauren pair that were slim, straight, cropped (ankle length) for £35. I have a pair of their skinny chinos from tkmaxx too, that are lovely. The security tags were all just below the waistband on the hip, which was very painful and annoying, when you're checking how well they fit!

I don't like a high rise either on straight leg or skinny - it just doubles the size of my arse. I think it needs a wide leg.

That sounds like a good TK Maxx trip. I've almost given up on them as the local branch has really lost it, as has H&M. I feel ridiculously sad about as they were my two favourite shops for a long time. I won't buy either online because the sizes are too random and I resent having to pay out for 2 or 3 of everything and then wait for a refund.

I've found a glorious wee second hand shop close to my Pilates class (in fact, that is what it is called, "Glorious"). It has a great selection of cashmere jumpers from £15 to £25. Only problem is that I'm in my cycling gear and don't have any money when I go in - but at least it means I can browse on a weekly basis and I'll only try on if something is really fabulous and I'll then ask if they can put it to one side until I can get back with some money.

I'm keeping an eye out for some larger grey cashmeres (either v-necks or polo) to wear in a slightly slouchy way with my jeans. Might even try the half-tucked in technique that I've not yet dared to do.

Oh, prettybird, they sound like a steal , providing they are lovely. Grey, slouchy cashmere sounds gorgeous.

flo it was a good tkmaxx trip! The diesel jeans were weird, straight but with a very high, stiff waist. They waist was too big, uncomfortable and made me look more straight up and down than I am, probably why they were cheap in tkmaxx! The polo Ralph Lauren jeans are lovely, though, super flattering and high percent cotton .

I've just bumped into a friend who told me how much she liked my faux LL, she was wearing a very nice leather skirt herself.

great charity shop finds. I have found it is getting harder to find a bargain as the charity shops seem to cream off the good stuff and sell it online.
Going round London today- I so wanted to spend the entire day in all the amazing clothes shops in Regent's street but had kids with me.

I did spend a lot of time seeing what people were wearing and what struck me was the trouser length. Everything was just above the ankle, everything, wide, skinny, even the mens' stuff. Then I got to wondering what all these people will do when the ankle length drops again.

I never try to be chick in London as I get the rage with huge groups of tourists and need to stampede off as fast as possible!

The second hand shop around the corner from Glorious is a bit more hit and miss (more charity shop in its stock - along the lines of its name "Retro") and is often shut anyway but at the moment has a glorious gents herringbone tweed coat in the window. When I saw it, I mused to myself how good you stylish ladies would look in it!

Thanks everyone! This particular charity shop is a bit of an anomaly as the staff and volunteers honestly have no interest in designer labels.

As I was paying for the Hermes dress I remarked on what a great find it was. The cashier replied "oh, it that a good brand, is it?"

Flo not one upmanship at all! That sounds like a brilliant haul, I really miss UK charity shops (Pimlico in particular has some beauties). Here in Australia designer pieces are much thinner on the ground. There used to be a big vintage scene here but it seems to have dropped off in the time I lived abroad.

I had a brief work visit last week and left my normal B.B. cream at home. In a panic I found this https://www.bourjois.fr/idees-cadeaux/1-2-3-perfect-cc-cream.html and it is bloody marvellous. Not expensive but it really does do a proper colour correct and evened out my skin tone. Went to quite a posh dinner, and no one would believe I was 50. (The subject came up when talking of gall bladders of all things). I might have to do a bulk order. 

I might be wrong, Gibbons but I thought Bourjois makeup was made by the some company as Chanel, so considered a good buy. It's great to know it's good.

And not much time for shopping but my colleague did talk me into a silk scarf and some very old fashioned (but I still love it) Ysatis at lunchtime. I have far too many scarves but can't make my mind up if I really like it or not. It does go well with my current coat which is an Italian wool mix of blues.