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

995 replies

AuldAlliance · 23/05/2018 10:06

But we'll still enjoy it...

OP posts:
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340
ProperLavs · 06/08/2018 08:49

all this lovely food!
Sadly for me I would be the only one eating it- children would find a way of not eating it.
I am waiting fir the autumn winter stuff now. I have noticed that all the sloped round here have got wider leg trousers in and many of the young women reweaving peg type trousers which I love and have been waiting to come back in for ages!.

botemp · 06/08/2018 09:03

I'm a fiddler too, quirky. Unless it's pastry or bread I tend to use recipes as guides more than instructions. You have to make the tamarind and mint sauce though! Think it will go great with that squid.

Pupsie, self catered always seems like a good idea when you're booking, the reality is always less so IME. By day 3 it's usually just breakfast and the odd bit of lunch, but sensibly, dinner is taken elsewhere. And a teary reunion with your kitchen is inevitable.

Xing, yes, the DHC is an old established stand-by, it's especially good in this weather as you're probably taking off more SPF than usual. I also love that they sell travel sizes. It's not stripping either so less dehydration, which is brilliant in such an effective cleanser.

Peony, seafood is great in Normandy, but it's not my favourite regional cuisine as it's very cream heavy. They have a famous apple pie as well which I'm tepid about. Not of interest in your current state, but they're also known for their cider and calvados.

Earplugged I thought of more things for your list. Microplane, you forget how life changing that thing is when you find yourself without one and wondering how you ever zested a lemon before and questioning your sanity when you're attempting to grate parmesan on the tiny little grater that's in the nutmeg jar Shock Let's not contemplate what other tenants do with box graters which are always minging Shock

Also, dishwasher tablets because some idiot in your party will buy the biggest most expensive box they can find in the supermarket and you won't notice until after wincing at the giant total at the till and handing over your credit card.

Silicone pastry brush for basting the marinades whilst grilling, a few extra tongs. If you've got any vegetarians coming along it's always good to have a separate set of utensils exclusively for the veggie food, they will never forget such kindness.

Also, collander and sieve as you don't want to be handing out tetanus shots for dessert or lose half your dinner down the drain in the world's most abused collander.

Another tip, before packing it all in take a pic (at home) of it all laid out so you know exactly what to take back home. Who knows what the next lot will do with your poor innocent spoons Shock

Also, I'm all for hanging out in swimwear all holiday but I do hope you're not going to go all People of Walmart in the local Carrefour Hmm

Floisme · 06/08/2018 11:29

I've just got the new Vogue and feel positively giddy (and not only because it looks as if eyebrows are moving on - hurray!). I don't buy it that often these days but sometimes there's nothing quite like a proper, old-school magazine and the September edition always suckers me in. Even the ads (and there are as many as ever) are interesting. It was down to £2 which is concerning because if they can't sell this edition at full price then something must be wrong. Anyway I'm off work today so I'm going to take myself to a coffee shop and read it, which is a close as I ever get to looking French. What an accomplished lot you all are Shock

I'm trying to remember what I wore in early pregnancy Peony although it's probably too long ago to be of any real use. I think I got by with lots of layers and some distracting jewellery, which wasn't too far away from my usual style at the time but people guessed anyway cos I stopped drinking Blush

earplugged · 06/08/2018 11:46

Oh yes Botemp definitely need to pack my Microplane - such a useful gadget, also my knife sharpener. The car is going to be positively heaving Grin Dishwasher tablets genius reminder too, oh and tongs, absolutely, cannot live without those and yet most rental properties assume they are unnecessary. And the idea of taking a photo of it all laid out so clever.

Worry not, I was being facetious about wearing only swimwear! I am packing fairly light, mostly floaty dresses, hats and some nicer bits for the evenings when we eat out.

Speaking of packing, I'm using packing cubes for the first time for OH"s clothes, rolling into the cubes and then steaming when we arrive. Does anyone have any good packing tips? I have a holiday packing spreadsheet (I love to get geeky over this stuff), would love to hear how everyone tackles this for flights and car journeys.

botemp · 06/08/2018 12:39

Bunch of enablers, you. Now I want the Edith Piaf/Rihanna mash up Vogue too. Never going to find it for £2 here, though Sad I have the same affliction as you, Flo, I so rarely see ads these days (lots of ad blockers, hardly watch TV or read a physical paper) that I now find ads in fashion magazines interesting content Confused

I was looking at a shirt yesterday (browsing the ASOS white section, always forget about that, but they have interesting pieces in that collection) only to discover it was a pregnancy shirt when I was already over invested. I think you usually reject this colour, but I'm linking it for you anyway, peony in case it is of interest.

Non maternity, I also quite liked the look of these 100% cotton woven trousers which also come in petite and tall versions. I always vow to order when they do an offer and then promptly forget Blush

Ooh packing. I tend to go mad with tissue paper, earplugged. I usually save it from shops and online orders but you can easily buy a roll. Keeps everything crease free when you fold it into the clothes and then I group things together and slip them into individual baggies, I use the duster bags you get with (usually expensive) shoes. If it's especially prone to creasing like silk, I'll often do an extra wrap over a few pieces. The bonus bit is, you don't need to take tissue paper back with you, so, suddenly, have room in your luggage to take things back with you Grin

Floisme · 06/08/2018 14:43

Hmm I'm back, all caffeined out and, if Vogue are even close to being on the money I should be able to shop my wardrobe quite comfortably this autumn: tweed (sorry, 'heritage') coats, jackets and splendid Miss Marple skirts, flat, knee length boots and long, dark brown leather coats.

I still feel quite curmudgeonly about the tweed. They managed to do a photo shoot in North Yorkhire without even mentioning the country clothing stores round there. Some of the best I've seen.

But harrumphing aside, there are some great colours , particularly browns. And a piece about hijab. I have no truck either with religion telling women what they should wear or with governments telling them what they shouldn't wear, so it is purely from a (no doubt heretical) style point of view that I mention that some of the most interesting (arguably the only interesting) street fashion I've seen round my way has been worn by teenage Muslim girls.

And I might be wrong but no sign, from what I could see, of Kate Moss. In the Vogue September issue. Surely the end of an era, if correct.

MidLifeCrisis2017 · 06/08/2018 17:00

A lot of tweed in the Boden catalogue I received today. Lovely jacket, a bit steep for me at £175, but no doubt they'll bombard me with discount codes soon.

We were talking silk a while ago. I fell in love with a black shirt in Zara, forty quid, but kept being thwarted every time I tried to buy it. Just looked and they've got them back in stock for seventy!

Peregrane · 06/08/2018 19:20

Flo that doesn’t sound very Parisian but it sounds absolutely up
my alley! /contemplates the state of my credit card after all the deranged online shopping at the end of my pregnancy/

I still have not been able to open a thing from all that shopping, would you believe it. My abs also appear to have separated massively so just as well that the Sézane trousers were out of stock :( then again, I am hoping that this time I’ll have the chance and energy to do something about my body.

Peregrane · 06/08/2018 19:27

This trench from The Fold reappeared in their sale in a size 10 and I pounced. Thoughts? Is it trying too hard? I love it anyway in the pictures.

It does look more elegant in the wool version, but also more impractical. If it’s cold enough for wool, I want my arms covered properly.

This thread is about as French as a Sainsbury's baguette
MidLifeCrisis2017 · 06/08/2018 20:18

That's beautiful and I'm down to my last ten coats Blush

Peregrane · 07/08/2018 05:34

botemp I think I forgot to thank you for explaining the scaffolding under strappy/cut-out tops. I tried some silicone things once in my youth, they felt weird and didn’t stay put, but I also must have bought the El Cheapo version on a student budget. They do still sound weird :) but I’ll investigate at some point, including the sustainability angle. I am increasingly in despair about what we are doing to this planet.

Strapless bras are going to be tricky, bra manufacturers seem to think that my boobs ought to be sitting squashed against each other, and it’s not a comfy look with a 34 A/B set-up that definitely wants nothing with being squashed up. I basically live in one T shirt bra from Fiore that I bought in multiples.

botemp · 07/08/2018 08:41

I don't know if this is the best place to ask whether you're trying too hard, Peregrane Blush So with that in mind, absolutely LOVE the coat.

Hmm, the Parisians did have a version of what Flo's describing in their editorials, but with their own twist on it. I took some pics (sorry not the best) from Madame Le Figaro at breakfast, meant to post those here and never got round to it. They're less of the tweed and more pied de poule, which is their herringbone tweed equivalent, I suppose. Mixed with checks I thought it was a fun take on it. Definitely had that Anglo heritage feel. On a tangent, heard Vivienne Westwood is doing a colab with Burberry this year, but Burberry has made it to my shitlist with their recent news exposé. Not that that colab sounds remotely affordable, so probably a good thing.

Peregrane, I assume you haven't been MN intervened on the bra size. I find it tricky and not a universal cure all but at a size 10 you're probably a good candidate for getting remeasured at some point (I think you're bf atm). At that size you probably measure as a 28 or 30 back but for comfort may want to go up one size. You do have an easier size for bras that come in XS-XL. I think bananafish is similar sized and she really likes the Uniqlo Beauty Light bras which are wireless. I've seen they also do a strapless convertible one now (with wires, but not metallic ones) in the non bra sizes.

Enlighten me with the silicon angle when you look it up, please? I tend to avoid it as much as I can in skincare and other cosmetics (surprising amount in sanpro Confused) as you're continually washing it into the drain or tossing of it after single use. I feel less bad about it in larger forms as I assume that's easier to dispose/possibly recycle but haven't really given it much thought.

There are also nippies by Bristols 6, which do cover as described, have been meaning to look into them as many are very positive about them.

This thread is about as French as a Sainsbury's baguette
This thread is about as French as a Sainsbury's baguette
ToElleWithIt · 07/08/2018 09:08

Peregrane – Are you sure about your bra size? Only ask cos you mentioned being a tall size 10 pear earlier. I’m the same size as you in that case and in my teens early 20s thought I was a 34B. I got properly measured and I’m actually a 30 D/ DD. The coat is lovely. On the low-backed tops I had kind of a notion that I could maybe wear a lace bralette underneath them and if you could see a bit at the back it wouldn’t matter, but maybe it would look weird? In any case I haven’t been able to complete the experiment because I can’t find a bralette with light padding and no hooks on the back. I’ll report back if I manage. Strapless bra under a cami for me.

Midlifecrisis That’s a bit cheeky of Zara and 70 sounds pretty steep for a shirt from Zara.

Floisme I did the exact same as you when I had a train journey to make sans kids and got a coffee and the September issue. I loved all the fashion, but was a bit disappointed with the length of the interviews. I was hoping for more juicy insights from Rihanna and the York sisters. Thanks for the U link. I’m eyeing up the two dresses and the jumper attached. The 3D dress is different to mine as it has long sleeves. It also has those “pleats” adding flare from the hips whereas the first version was straight. I love the red colour.

Ahhhh I love my microplanes too. What brilliant gadgets, also brilliant for garlic in lieu of crushing.

I love all the food talk on here. Everything sounds delicious. Yes, yes to the suggestion of keeping it simple and serving things up family style. Crepes Dentelles are fab and the chocolate version (in a purple box IIRC) are amazing too. A word to the wise, do not attempt to transport large quantities of these back by popping them in your suitcase. You will end up opening a box of dust and weep –speaks from bitter experience-- I am going to give that tamarind sauce a go. I just bought a big tub of tamarind for a Goan fish curry so I need to do something with it. Incidentally the recipe was from Diana Henry’s Simple which has been getting lots of use in our house lately along with the Honey& Co book.

peony A cape is a great idea for during and after.

Welcome Danny

botemp Black silk top was a bargain. I adore the suede trench on you. I would have succumbed to that, but I concede it’s not a practical garment. I tried on that Lemaire dress in Liberty earlier this year and it was dreadful on me, very overgrown convent school attendee. I think the waist was higher on me so all the volume was in the wrong places. It’s really lovely on you. Also I love the red shorts. I will have another hunt for the shell top, but at this stage I may park it until next year unless something jumps out at me. Les Garconnes added to the list of shops to check.

When I was on the train I watched a couple of the Justine videos, she’s very natural and warm. I have pretty much the same measurements as her which amazed me because I think she looks a lot smaller. She calls herself a pear and I have always though I was a pear too, but listening to the advice about wearing off the shoulder tops etc made me second guess because I really don’t think they suit me. I have biggish square shoulders, so even though my bust line is small, when you look at my shoulders my top half can look “big”. Anyway I enjoyed the videos and they’re a nice bite-sized length.

ToElleWithIt · 07/08/2018 09:12

This time with the attachments of the U items I like!

This thread is about as French as a Sainsbury's baguette
This thread is about as French as a Sainsbury's baguette
This thread is about as French as a Sainsbury's baguette
botemp · 07/08/2018 09:56

I've always pegged you as a 'cello', Elle. Tall version of an hourglass basically, you have more length to balance out the width of shoulders and hips but you have the same trappings that if you overemphasise one half you can look top or bottom heavy but you're less likely to read overall boxy or very curvaceous as you've got the length as a dominant feature.

The Sandro top is white actually, I wore it yesterday on top of a classic silk and cotton Isabel Marant tiered ruffle skirt that I got in a client sale last year (it was also only €20 or €30, quite the bargain outfit). Remembered to take pictures whilst trying on suede boots from Alexander Wang in the sale, am tempted but concerned about practicality of them, same as with the lovely coat, but I kind of like that they're potentially trans seasonal like my cognac Acne pistols. At the very least they've been a helpful reminder that I'm also waiting on my cobbler to return from holiday so I can get all the A/W shoes that need/are close to needing rehealing or other repairs in so I'm not caught out when the weather turns.

Oh, and since we're somewhat back to white dress dressing with my pics that Bani brought up again but got drowned out by the food chatter (and the H&M trousers you got look lovely too, I'd look like walking crumpled wallpaper in them, but they're probably fab on someone with height). I was reminded again why the whole white dress dressing doesn't feel that right anymore yesterday, even if I do quite like the aesthetics of it in seperates, or maybe it never did? It attracts the attention of an odd sort of man, practically got stalked all over the supermarket by a man approx in their early twenties? His interest was just a little too intense to be comfortable. He ended up disarming me quite a bit though as he finally approached me as he just had to compliment me on my beautiful hair, which was kind of nice as I've been going through another cycle of substantial hairloss and feeling quite shit about it, so it was the last thing I was expecting to hear and maybe it's not as bad as I think it is, even if it was just an attempt to get into my pants (and, thankfully, he was otherwise very respectful, it's the swarmier much much older men and their comments that have more to do with food than people who tend to make my skin crawl and they were an annoying constant in my teens/twenties and they come out in their droves when I'm dressed like this).

This thread is about as French as a Sainsbury's baguette
This thread is about as French as a Sainsbury's baguette
banivani · 07/08/2018 10:52

All the young people wear bralettes and low tops anyway, and I have to say it feels a bit Paris to me based purely on the fact that the Parisian woman i worked as an au pair for in the 90s wore a white bra with embroidered red flowers under a white t-shirt (from the La Redoute brand Soft Grey, if you remember) and the flowers SHOWED and I was aghast that you could! Wink I bought padded bralettes myself just the now because I can't face the bras atm. The fit isn't good really but they'll do. I ripped the padding out, wasn't necessary, and I dyed the white one with tea and got a pretty perfect nude-to-me colour. Grin

I think, if we're talking bra interventions, that a lot of it depends on what you want a bra to do for you. If you want your bosoms hoiked up off your waist and protruding out, then you need the intervention to go down in back size up in cup. If you're only after to cover your nipples then there's no need to fuss at all really and also why are we so anti-nipple bla bla.

peregrane the coat is very nice. Smile I don't think it's too try hard but that depends on what you mean - on me I think it would look a bit cutesy/childish to be honest, but I'm larger as well.

SophieLion · 07/08/2018 11:35

Ah it's lovely when you receive a compliment about something you're a bit paranoid about, isn't it Bo? You do look very in that outfit too Smile
(I am still following but seem to have no time to post).

SophieLion · 07/08/2018 11:37
  • Very lovely in that outfit (not sure what happened there)
banivani · 07/08/2018 12:22

Hm, I must ask my younger acquaintances if they get stalked when wearing white outfits. Interesting.

botemp · 07/08/2018 13:09

Thanks, Sophie, it was nice and for whatever reason you think strangers wouldn't lie about such a thing (even when they want something from you) and you're less trusting of those directly around you saying the same thing Confused I think you were just proving your point on how time strapped you are with the missing words Wink. I'm not surprised, I've lost track where you are in the world now as you constantly seem to be jetting back and forth with DC in tow and all Smile

I'm not sure in Sweden, Bani, IME unless they've ingested a large amount of booze Swedish men tend to stare at their shuffling feet between shy glances and wait for you to come talk to them. I did wear that skirt in Paris as well with the Mango white cotton camisole (so similar effect) and it was a different batch of men who responded to it there so there may be regional variances.

Crikey, I'm making myself out to be hot property, not really the case. I think if you dress with a bit more flair or off the beaten path it just draws the eye quicker, and people project a lot and exaggerate an initial impression, it says little about me. At least that's what I tell myself Grin

quirkychick · 08/08/2018 08:54

I'm just catching up after we've spent a few busy days at the beach (the coolest place in the blistering heat). I've been aiming for practical but chic, e.g. mango denim skirt, esprit grey tee, navy birkies with hat and shades, navy swimsuit with navy rash vest in the sea. I think it needs to be quite practical on norfolk beaches, lots of sand dunes to climb etc. we did see seals swimming in the sea with us, which was magical.

Love the tweed coats, I've just googled pied de poule and it comes up as houndstooth check, though it seems smaller. I have a forest green tweed jacket that will be coming out again this autumn.

bani I think that's so true about bra interventions, I spent a lot of my life trying to get bras to make me look round and full, cos that's what was sold as desirable, when that's just not my shape. When I was younger, I was more pointed and separate and now I'm more teardrop. I often wear bras that have little padding or bralettes and find that's quite flattering for my shape. The bra intervention bras I bought a year or so ago did really hoik me up, but were really uncomfortable. Glad you liked Justine, btw.

Nice to have a compliment for something you're unsure of, bo, it's interesting how others perceive us sometimes. I had two friends hug me and tell me my hair smelled gorgeous on Saturday, not very french Cantu Coconut Oil shine and hold mist, great for curls. One also thought I was younger than I am, which is great, seeing as last time she saw me I had dyed dark hair and now it's natural silver Smile.

botemp · 08/08/2018 09:15

I think there are some of those pop-psych research projects out there that demonstrate that we tend to view others as more attractive than they objectively are as a default setting and that increases immensely if they give a good first impression (in terms of friendliness/openness rather than looks, extroverts have an edge here).

Yes, sorry pied de poule and houndstooth are one and the same, though the French do often prefer the smaller print or massively oversized versions. There was a lot of Vichy print (very small black and white gingham) in the French summer collections so it feels a bit like a continuation of that.

Scent is an interesting one, I can't wear any fragrance or products with it in it. The latter irritates and the former is a pointless exercise as my body chemistry makes everything smell like toiler cleaner on me. But people assume all the time I'm wearing a very distinct perfume, as apparently I look like the sort of person to have one Confused The house smells like me too apparently, I'm somewhat convinced people are making it up or I'm just really pungent smelling and they're trying to be polite about it Blush

quirkychick · 08/08/2018 10:17

bo, I wonder if it smells quite strong on me, because I wear very little with fragrance normally, e.g. I always use unscented soap as I react badly to it. I think it mostly smells of coconut because it has coconut oil in, tbh. I tend not to wear perfume in the very hot weather, anyway.

We usually think others are more attractive and happier than us, I think.

banivani · 08/08/2018 11:03

People do have specific smells without being pungent! One of my kids used to be great at smelling the difference when she was little. They were able to use her at preschool when they found random unmarked mittens and stuff - she could smell them and say who owned them. ;)

Apropos attractiveness - mr bani works with teenagers and came home one day and pronounced that all young people are attractive. It was not meant as creepily as it sounds, he'd just been struck one day by how youth itself is so attractive it overshadows all these insecurities teens carry around, and they don't realise it themselves. But we agreed that it doesn't at all help them to know that random oldies look at them and don't see acne or big noses but attractive youth - rather the contrary, haha.

I'm increasingly anti-bra only because we're being told we need them. Why do we need them? It may be that women with enormous breasts find bras help prevent back pain etc, can't argue with that, but in general I think we can carry around the mammaries without problems, can't we? What is this "support" they say I need? It feels like we're told to wear bras as a remnant of the stays of the past, just something that's done. So I can understand bras if you're wanting them to shape your body a certain way, like corsets do/did (as I read on a vintage sewing blog - women have always had to conform to certain ideal body shapes, but it's only these past 60 odd years that we're expected to acheive the ideal body shape without the help of corsets and underpinnings). Fair enough. But don't pretend they're necessary for my health? Obv sports bras for running is a different story. So if they're just there because people don't want to see my boobs jiggling or to hide nipples ... If I want to show my natural shape why would I wear a bra, my natural shape is there anyway?

the nipple bra

botemp · 08/08/2018 13:20

Do you really feel that pressure outside of a professional environment, or the MN S&B boards, Bani? Going braless isn't a massive taboo here, more standard among small breasts but it's not exclusive to them. I agree that arguments of necessary 'support' are without any evidence (exception, indeed, to sport bras during high impact activities).

I did look into the theory behind the bra intervention method (and its various guises) at some point. It was interesting to see that it mostly stems from a few prominent UK bra brands who are all pretty much educated by one specialist school/college who teaches this method for fabrication.

Personally, I'm convinced there is an economical motivation buried within it, if your customers are buying bras to wear extremely tightly at the start they're much more likely to be breaking the elastic than stretching it to get it to fit to a point of comfort. Add in normal wear and regular washing, and your customers will have stretched out those bras far quicker than they otherwise would, and since the difference between extremely tight and stretched out is far more noticeable it will incentivise an urgency for purchase whereas most of us wear out bras for an embarrassingly long time. High initial purchase price will mean they buy less but more often which is more sustainable for a specialist business model, I'd imagine. Also, I think even the smallest breast measurements start at a D cup at minimum within that method, putting a substantially larger majority of women in the premium large cup range tier. The advice I've seen on here about getting new bras every 6 months seems absurd to me, especially considering that these hard to find sizes come at high prices.

Like I've mentioned previously, I'm glad it works for people but it seems to be predominantly people who should have been buying the bigger cup sizes with the wider bands, etc. rather than buying within 'regular' sizes. I also can sort of guess how the mismatch in band sizing arose, inches aren't as exact as cm, the Euro brands have more scope IME so you're more likely to be one or two sizes off at most usually for the sake of comfort, and what's wrong with comfort anyway? I think I'm mostly annoyed with 'the right size' mantra, and constant news articles of 99% of women are wearing the wrong size bra which I'm pretty sure are circulated by bra manufacturers. I think the right size is simply the one that fits in a way you like, whatever that is, there's far too much variance between breasts (never mind the brands) for them all to have a standardised 'right size'. The only time you're not wearing the right size, in my book, is if you struggle to find any options in what you perceive to be your 'right size'.

I disagree with Mr. Bani though, taken as a group teenagers aren't exactly attractive. We tend to view children as especially beautiful (survival thing to make sure we take care of them even when they aren't ours) that's expressed in odd proportions when viewed objectively, predominantly in their face, large round eyes, long thick lashes, full cheeks, perfectly smooth skin, etc. Adolescence isn't all that linear so those proportions go all over the place until it all settles. Even then, most don't hit their stride until their twenties or later. Some are lucky and it all works in their favour and they stand out immensely but they tend to be a very small minority. I think the appeal in youth has always been more what they represent and most of us took for granted when we had it, their life still ahead of them, endless choices, freedom of responsibility, relatively unharmed by the worst life has to offer, etc. We make them out to be a lot more attractive than they are, IMO, but there is probably a gap between what teenagers consider attractive vs. the generations above them.

I find it an unhelpful obsession though, I remember my teens being dominated by this constant 'this is the best it's ever going to be, this is you in your prime' narrative. It's pretty depressing if it doesn't feel like that, but you're all convincing each other this is most desperately the case, and you're made to feel guilty for not being the best in the limited period of time that's apparently been exclusively earmarked for it.