This thread is about as French as a Sainsbury's baguette

[AuldAlliance]

But we'll still enjoy it...

DIFFERent

I liked that scarf too.

I bought my cream Toteme trousers from Yoox (an online outlet), Peregrane, I'm pretty sure the cream was last year's colour.

I do sometimes wonder who dress their children in Bonpoint beyond a special occasion. I only ever see Asian (who I assume are tourists) walk out of there with bags filled and I'm guessing it's more prestigious gifting than shopping for their own children. The Belgian upper middle classes are the only ones I really know to dress their children that formally but they tend to be loyal to Belgian brands like Bellerose and Scapa. A lot of Ralph Lauren as well.

I thought children's lines were moving into unisex territory again, I know locally HEMA (they're in the UK too, I think, a bit like a Dutch Muji is the closest description I can come up with) announced they were only offering unisex clothing, although it's not really sexless, it's just all hung together

Hope the Phillip Lim top fits well, Elle🤞

Ahem, I think I must check out this Dior version, Sophie, I have a bit of a habit of buying the same colour over and over again

Aren't we all related to Charlemagne purely on a statistical basis if you're even vaguely European? Think that was on QI once. By that logic we're probably all related to French royalty too.

I think they're different shops, Le Bon Marche is a smaller luxury department store in St Germain, it's owned by the LVMH group. I'm not sure what it is in the UK but I'm pretty sure from descriptions I've seen on here it's a completely different shop.

botemp I’d read that so I checked Yoox first!
I am in awe of your knowledge (and reflectiveness). I was going to mention Bellerose as a small contribution to this thread and here you go. I am not Belgian but I bought two jumpers from them last year (in the sale :)) for DS that are understated and lasted very well. I tried on a few things from their adult range but the proportions didn’t work well on me, I think they design for shorter women. My boss has a few pieces from them that look lovely on her, and she is tiny.

MY genes are not royal - I make no such claim.

My wealthy uncle had our lineage traced and we run from rather a rum line! Just amuses me given the religious/pious nature of many members of my family.

😁

We are all a hotchpotch though frankly.

I love Italian style too, or what is cliche Italian style

In my youth I was an au pair in Paris and I do admit I have a fondness for that quite formal, pretty, neutral-coloured, Mary Jane-shoed and neatly combed hair-styled French children's look. But my children all HATED it. Haha. And on the whole I prefer children to be allowed to be tearaways, so. Which brings us back to that first thread and how French women are very controlled, doesn't it?

I'm considering getting my ears pierced. I don't wear much make-up for various reasons, one of which is, by now, the habit of seeing my face as it is and a horror of reapplying (boring). I don't wear a lot of jewellery, and since my neck has gone wrinkly (it's my genes, those horisontal neck lines are DEEP) I'm not so keen on necklaces any more. Earrings would be a way to wear jewellery easily and maybe look a little more put together. But I genuinely don't know if I'd suit it. Are there face types etc that would do better without earrings? Discuss.

The trousers and your evening outfit look great Elle
Thanks for the dresses Bo I think I’m going to try the Cos one. I love navy and think I’ll just be able to adjust the position of the belt above the bump as it starts to appear. Plus I’d be able to wear it afterwards too, so feels like a good get. What size would you recommend if I’m normally a 12? I’ve also purchased this dress from Mango for weekends. Not sure how much room it will have in it though...
Bani surely everyone suits earrings??? Perhaps not super dangly though if you are short of neck. Would you try clip-on styles before taking the plunge?
With toddlerPeony I went bonkers for the baby clothes. Then he grew out of each size every 6 weeks

Bani I think everyone suits earrings, but it's which type suits you. I think Justine did a video on face shapes and earrings. My face is quite round, so I favour longer earrings (as long as they're not too heavy).

I definitely remember french children's clothes being small and having to size up, whereas places like H&M were bigger. Both of mine are tall for their age.

I’ve given up on earrings - they’re like 2 small arrows pointing at my jowls. Plus I wear specs and have a small face and there’d be too much going on (that’s just for me - not saying they never work with glasses). If I switch back to metal, less full-on frames I may try again with studs.

Floisme

I’ve given up on earrings - they’re like 2 small arrows pointing at my jowls.

Exactly, this is the sort of thing I fear. But everything seems to draw attention to my bad spots in my head anyway (hello insecurities!). So don't know... I can't get a sense of how things would look with clip-ons unfortunately, but maybe I should try again, there are so many more options available now.

I realised the other day that I've been wearing a few tops that I thought didn't suit me (boxier and higher neck) and liking them, and I think I can thank the thread for that and helping me steer away from the idea that busty women can ONLY wear v-necks. :)

Peregrane, I like Bellerose for boys, it's one of the rare brands that doesn't just phone it in IMO. Belgian fit is a bit odd IME. Frame wise they're not slight like the French, more of a medium build but without the height of the Dutch, not stocky though, but many seem to design with the French (ideal) in mind Some brands work well for me, others don't, can't really recall buying Bellerose in quite some time but my mother wore quite a bit of their stuff, specifically the jeans and she was shorter than me (and an apple shape) and it worked really well for her so you may well be right.

You're probably not in need of it, but Yoox is a good bargain place for children's clothes as well. I've bought Bonpoint newborn sets as presents there for reasonable prices (think they were around 40 euros) but they have loads of other brands (pretty sure many of the ones mentioned on here so far) that get marked down quite well.

I have quite a collection of picture books from my childhood in French (that my mother painstakingly translated in pencil underneath, hence why I've held onto them) and the children in that are all dressed in that style you describe bani. I always wanted a coat like Madeline and my love of ballerinas and white dresses probably also started in those books. So I have a soft spot for it too, but not so much in real life, always feel sorry for children looking like that but I'm probably projecting a lot too.

I don't think it's so much 'controlled' but it's taking pride in restraint when it comes to the Parisiennes. I was thinking about it whilst in Paris as there's so much on offer, it almost becomes impossible to choose. When you have access to it all you can either be a complete glutton or go the opposite route and be very very picky about it and only hold out for the best. It requires a lot of control but it doesn't appear to be the sole object of the exercise. It's very much, 'I can have it all but I choose only this'.

Maybe Elle will know better peony as you're similar heights and sizes. I usually say to size down one or even two in COS but IIRC that dress was pretty true to size, as in it wasn't absolutely massive on me and it had plenty of room in the hips which would be your usual concern. So if ordering online, I'd try the 10 and 12. Mango dress looks promising too.

Earrings are definitely having a moment, I saw some really
interesting ones at Weekday that are channelling the trend of delicate sculptural ones but saying that I'm a bit without opinion on earrings. I was never allowed any (earrings, foundation, and being underweight were pretty much the height of vulgarity to my mother ) which made them very alluring but by the time I was old enough to get my ears pierced without parental approval I'd lost any interest in them. I remember the clip-ons being ridiculously painful and headache inducing. I do think you need to have good hair for it more than a good face as that is the immediate background. So the ones that are having a moment with the sculptural delicate forms will probably suit a short sharp cut or an afro, or hair worn away from the face quite minimally whereas delicate little studs will want heavily groomed Duchess of Cambridge swishy hair, etc.

Quirky remind me who Justine is again?

Ah yes, and my hair is permanently messy even though I have quite a good cut these days ... (I really have NO BUSINESS on these threads haha ;) ) Dilemma. I remember clip ons as painful too. Might pop in to a shop for a look though. They are having a moment, aren't they? My gorgeous daughter always wears very simple and sculptural things from Other Stories or similar, it looks very nice.

I love that your mother translated the books with pencil, Bo

Oooo that's lovely bit of French history Iwanka. I love history. Want to do a BA once the DCs are a bit older.

I've no idea about face types and earrings Bani but i don't think I've ever seen someone who didn't suit earrings (depending on size). It also depends on hair style and face shape etc too I think. When I had my pixie I was reluctant to wear big earrings because I thought I was going into Pat Butcher territory (but that might have just been me being a weirdo )

Anyway having pierced ears is useful. Go for it! I have a pair of small diamond hoops which I wear day and night (I find studs uncomfortable to sleep in and can't be bothered taking earrings in and out on a daily basis) and think they add a certain prettiness to the face. I also like wearing bigger earrings (without a necklace) when going out or the mods takes me. Clip on earrings always look so uncomfortable.

Oh gosh - just seen every be else also responds re earrings. I hadn't read that far. Sorry for the repetition!

Sure what's the harm in repetition Sophie, it's just proving the point. ;)

bani Justine Leconte on YouTube, will try to link later.

I find earrings tricky but have had loads of use out of these...... They were £6 from Next. I also quite like tiny hoops with drops etc and found these silver ones in (don’t laugh) Claire’s. Actually for sterling silver delicate ones there were quite a few nice ones....

I am a regular on the Hush thread and have had 3 of the items that I've loved over the last 6 months on Mumsnet Swears by. So perhaps you are referring to me as being a stealth advertiser?
I'm not really bothered to be honest but it does make me chuckle because I most certainly am not working in fashion - I am a busy nurse and mum of 3 boys.
Yes I like Hush - what I like about it is how the clothing hangs on me. The quality is shite sometimes that's for sure and I think we're all pretty critical of it too on the thread.
We also discuss lots of other brands as well, certainly not just Hush.
But anyway I'll let you all get back on with your day now..
Happy days, peace and love.
I was following this thread and have been really enjoying @botemp pictures and incredible style knowledge.

@Ellapaella, sorry if any offence was caused to your on any other posters on the Hush thread. When I mentioned stealth advertising I didn't mean posters specifically but rather the original setup and its rather unique existence on the S&B board. It wouldn't be so odd if there was a Boden, Toast, etc. version. Not that I can absolutely prove it but there are certain brands Charlotte Tilbury that deploy these dark social strategies on MN on a semi-regular basis.

As mentioned, I've never been a follower/reader and like most things on MN I approach most of it with a healthy bit of scepticism. I assume there's always at least one troll hanging around on any thread with a bit of longevity, there are an increasing number of 'bots' pursuing a specific agenda (though not so much in S&B), and I don't think a single skincare thread has gone by without me having to report at least one spam artist. Most are ridiculously obvious, others are a lot more subtle.

These threads (and by extension myself) have been absolutely ridiculed over on Reddit, where it was pretty obvious there was little awareness of what we actually chat about on here and shots were fired purely on the basis of the title/OP, I assume the same has happened with the Hush threads on here. So apologies, I don't assume you're all shills but I would be surprised if a predominantly 'digital' company like Hush isn't monitoring it internally and possibly deploying certain strategies that would increase their potential sales, be that on the thread or off it.

As for the MN Swears by, well, I'm a known abuser of the system by getting a product I felt 'needed' their attention from the skincare threads a mention (it was a bit of a joke) by being rather obnoxious and less than subtle about it and managed that quite easily. So out of context, that comment may have looked a bit odd but it was more of a comment on MNHQ's random Swears By selection process, which I assume is more motivated by potential affiliate sales/ad revenue than an actual representation of general MN opinion, which would explain why certain brands get a lot of attention over others. I may also be a bit bitter about them using a rather wanky sounding comment of mine for a Swears By soundbite

Anyhow, hope you haven't been scared off this thread by my speculation and feel free to stick around if you like

@botemp absolutely no offence taken at all don't worry! I was more having a little chuckle to myself at the prospect
I've been following this thread for ages and have been a great admirer of your style tips, you have a great eye and look fabulous in the things you post.

bani this video is about face shapes and earrings, as always, I would modify any advice to what suits you

@Peony I tend to go for my actual size in Cos (10/S) or one size down if the item is very over-sized because I think that the very over-sized garments can start to look streelish at work. In that dress I would lean towards taking your regular size if you're looking to wear it during the pregnancy. You can cinch it in now and you should still have lots of room to grow into. It's a lovely dress.

@Ellapaella When I referenced stealth marketing I mean the thread in general and I wasn't referring to individual posters as being "stealth marketers". I repeat my observation that there does seem to be a good sense of "finding one's people" on that thread which is always really nice. I'm sorry if my post was offensive.

I did not need to know that this thread is being discussed on reddit. I can't keep up with following threads about a thread, but my paranoia may necessitate it.

I tend to stick to stud earrings because I've seen a few friends with damaged earlobes from wearing long dangly ones and I also react very badly to lots of metals so I prefer to stick to gold / platinum. Sadly a pair of platinum chandelier earrings is not in budget at the moment! I'm not very adventurous and tend to rotate the same few studs. I have a pair of minimal longer ones like the picture attached, but in gold. I like the idea of a small drop earring, but it's not priority and would be expensive. If you can I think they're a great way of mixing up a look and I think that things like large-ish gold hoops can really change the feel of an outfit, making something more formal feel more youthful for example.

Unfortunately the Philip Lim top will be going back. It looks great from the front, but the large arm hole at one side means when I move my arms you can see the entire side of my bra and beneath it which means I can't wear it to work,. There's a kind of modesty piece of silk inside the top presumably meant to cover up the side, but it's not taut (due to generous sizing) so it's useless. That's a very confusing description I realise!

Don't worry Elle, it was way back when the thread was relatively new. Nothing worth getting paranoid about either.

Too bad the Phillip Lim top was a disappointment. Do you have another you're eyeing up?

Ok, last of my fitting room pics. I took a few pics of the new collections in several shops as well but I'll have to give them a good sort out as there's probably a lot of blurry ones

Saturday pics

Not as many fitting sessions as other days, as picking up pieces I’d earmarked on other days (the IM jumper and Lemaire trousers) and this wasn’t a memememe day.

L’Exception

Jumpsuit Sessun - all the Parisiennes in their jumpsuits had me hankering for one. This wasn’t it…

Les Garçonnes trousers (and wearing my new Sezane black camisole) - had earmarked this relatively new brand to explore in store as they do only mannish trousers for women named after inspiring women. Tick, tick, tick. They only had the Rosa in store (named after Rosa Parks), wouldn’t normally have gone for the cropped style and pleated fronts but good exercise anyhow to give it a go as it wasn’t as disastrous as anticipated. Since the pleats on the front were moved off centre to the sides it’s much more flattering. Think they could have worked well with trainers but they felt very S/S to me (not in the sale) and had been hoping to see the A/W offerings in wool. They were also more expensive than on the Les Garçonnes site which irrationally annoyed me. May order the Lauren, Simone, and Marlene at some point but really do need to have a good look at just how many trousers I have in my A/W wardrobe first

Frilly blouse - step out of comfort zone exercise. Ahem, perhaps confirmation exercise that I’ll never be a frilly polka dot person exercise may be a more accurate description...

Galeries Lafayette

Victoria Beckham skirt - too large, was lovely though and in the crazy 70% + additional 50% off sale. Looks like denim but it was a beautiful heavy never need to iron linen. Sigh.

Carven jumper and Maison Kitsune shorts - drawn by the colour and 60’s detailing on the Carven jumper but it made me a bit rectangular and top heavy. Shorts were too large and a bit too 'proper' for my tastes. But bugger it, I really do need to get some more red in wardrobe.

Kenzo straight jacket shirt/top/blouse? - another contender for the questionable white shirt league. It had appeal on the hanger and was really nice stiff material but it was just a bit too out there for me.

Still at Galeries Lafayette

Lemaire dress - Ahem, yes, had been hoping to avoid spending big on S/S items considering at best there’s a month of good weather left. But, gah, the deep emerald/petrol colour lured me in and then I put it on. It’s more of an apron dress as it buttons the two halves at the side so the skirt isn’t ridiculously full on me and make me look 5ft wide.

Debated heavily as not buying this dress and adding the money ‘saved’ to the Jacquemus birthday pot meaning I could easily buy THE blazer but I was having a little bit too much fun swanning around in it and almost, literally, crashed into Lou Douillon at the Jacquemus stand which overlaps with the Lemaire one. It has a really interesting back as well, forgot to photograph it but have attached it from online in white but the impact is bigger with the darker colour contrast. OH made an argument that I was going to go all tantric master on the Jacquemus blazer anyway, waiting until it was exactly the price I’d want to pay for it and then pounce on it. Money 'saved' from that would easily pay for the dress. Math was a little off but I was easily persuaded at this point. Also, LD gave a nod of approval. Not as striking as THE yellow dress but this at least has multiple uses for me in my life.

Boxy shirt in same colour as frilly top at the Lemaire store - colour is a bit off in the pic (not as pink and definitely more red/vermillion) but I did really like the colour, wasn’t a fan of this level of boxiness though.