Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet: Blue Stockings are Back in Fashion

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Lovers of Parisian style and fashion with a conscious mindset to our wardrobes. Occasionally we pretend this is a proper Salon of the non-beauty kind.

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Recommended Second Hand Shops in Paris

Outlets in Central Paris

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Previous threads:

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Ah sorry, I was thinking of Maida Vale in 'Dial M for Murder'.

I'm always wondering where these borough names come from, they don't sound particularly 'English' to me for whatever reason. Very glam and exotic instead. Pronunciation is often different than I read it as well. The Pimlico area was mentioned here for the charity shops, never heard it so I'm pronouncing it like some 80s US computer brand which is actually Japanese initially thought it was an abbreviation of sorts but that seems to be the name in full.

Yes, what is 'okay' is difficult. I think it very much depends on where you're happy to sit. I'm perfectly fine with doing better than most and not being the absolute best possible. If I do this in the areas that matter (transport, food, clothes, energy, etc.) I feel it somewhat balances the missteps here and there. I don't feel personally responsible to by going to extremes to compensate the average western footprint of others.

I think Bill Bryson talks about British place names in Notes from a Small Island. It's a long time since I've read it, so can't remember how much it focuses on London place names. Pimlico, is pretty phonetic with a long "oh" at the end iyswim. I always thought Fitzrovia sounds made up . English is such a mish-mash language there's probably a real range of influences in the place names, many of which would probably have been small towns or villages outside the original city walls.

I think the question of being ethical in fashion is hard. I buy a lot of second hand and try to buy thoughtfully, i.e.good quality items that will last so I'm not buying lots and of throwaway items. Even when I had lots of clothes, I didn't ever have clothes I'd never worn.

I'm pronouncing it Pim-leek-oh but maybe it's more lick-oh or lice-oh? The pronunciation of Worcestershire still leaves me confused. Trying to think of another but there are quite a few that sound nothing like what is written.

The London phone directory was, a long time ago, based on two alphabet letters and a number, plus the subscriber number so if you have a low number, it's an indication that you are an early adopter. My solicitor, in a very small town has 101. It's been added to with prefixes, but it suggests that it was the second number issued in that area.

It's Pim Lick Oh, generally Bo.

The two alphabet letters were transpositions of the older geographic designations. So KE would have been Kensington and KN was Knightsbrige. If I looked through my Rolodex (how old does that make me sound?) I have Liberty and Harrods on old numbers, and they still answer those numbers. But I have kept my old London directories; they are invaluable for tracking down companies and people who can't be bothered to keep up, but still do great craft-work. So if you need a Sheffield silversmith... and he/she is still alive and working....

Wuss-ter-sher, Bo.

Never visit Barnsley. They will get you to say 'Elsecar' and 'Dodworth' just so they can laugh.

There are some corkers in the north east too.

Is it Elz-car and Doddworth Flo?

Or Dodd-orth? Pronunciation is very local around here. In Conwall, Morwllham is pronounced moor-well-ham with equal balance and long vowels ; a few miles away, it would be moor-well-am with shorter vowels.

Elsiku (but just prononce the 'k' not the 'u')
Doduth
Or something.

Ahem. Pronounce.

What about Mousehole in Cornwall? I can't remember how you say it but I know I caused great merriment.

Actually Doduth isn't quite right. It's more like Dodduth - with all the emphasis on 'Dodd'.
I'm sure someone will be along soon to put me right.

I'm in East Anglia and I think a lot of locals don't pronounce all the consonants, so lots of place names are not as written e.g. Wymondham is Windam, Stiffkey is Stookey (though that one is up for debate). I'm not originally from this part of the country, so have been caught out a few times too.

Oh, Xing a Rolodex .

I think there might be a chapter on English place names in the most excellent book How To Be An Alien by George Mikes, published in -46 and still funny.

Welp ladies, had a meeting this evening with young people present (under 20) and the first thing they said was that my cardigan was on back to front and why? So that concludes the experiment 😂

It's Mowzal (Mousehole); Foy (Fowey) and Lanson (Launceston).

Bani, the young take things too literally!

From the mouth of babes and fools we shall learn the truth...

I've often hear Worcestershire pronounced as just 'Wooster', tail end is either swallowed up in the mouth or just not bothered with. Americans seem to just go with Worchester and often write it like that as well.

Sidenote, I know I can be a bit of a pedant but I find the pronouncing of capitals in the original language hugely annoying and am always thinking try pronouncing Beijing, you'll really struggle for a native to understand you with that one.

Yesterday's shows, well actually day preceding that. Only really took a fancy to Rejina Pyo as there was, predictably, lots of pink. Perhaps in hommage to KL the next thread title should be his pink quote?

Also quite liked the integral scarf on the jumper in pic 6 moving up and over the coat layer. Not sure how to term this, transitional layers? Tunic over a coat was also a new one (if a tad impractical). Florals are not usually my thing, especially in winter but I'm kind of taking a shine to them. Maybe because they're shiny

Yes Bani, the young's opinions are to be ignored when it comes to style choices, they're all far too afraid to break away from the mold (or preprogrammed algorithms is probably more apt these days). It's our elderly duty to horrify them and to subsequently be their heroes a few years down the line.

bani - bah - as if younesters were the arbiters of style! Did you tell them it’s the mode à la Parisienne? 😉 You might be starting a trend there !

I have the Mikes book somewhere (pronounced Mee-kesh ;) ) but I have forgotten about that chapter.

quirky that is a good point, quality matters for the evolution of the second hand market. Demand and supply must meet at a similar quality point. Still, more second hand shopping should contribute towards reducing our consumption of natural resources, no?
I wonder if the regular second hand shoppers on here have noticed a Kondo effect on the quality/quantity of stock since her Netflix show came out?

Yes but it looked like a back-to-front cardigan, this was not my intention, it was to look like a "garment" that looked the way it just happened to look I agree that the young are stupid but they're not blind

Bit too much pink for me in Pyo's, or maybe I'm just tired of that shade since it's the only colour we get here. The integral scarf thing looks nice but when can one wear clothes dans cette manière. There's a two day window a year when the weather permits a massive coat that's open in the front with a scarf that's there to look good more than keep the wind of your throat. This is why I'll never be stylish!

I did enjoy this scarf/coat image. It's the vertical scarf taken to extremes I think.

I liked the intention behind Simone Rocha's Model selection www.independent.ie/style/fashion/fashion-news/katie-byrne-the-women-we-call-influencers-arent-really-that-influential-37833219.html

The History of English podcast is well worth a listen if you're interested in language development. I'm only about 10 episdoes in. Someday I'll find time to listen to more of it.

Oh I meant to tell you that the green U dress went back. I liked the colour, but it was so unflattering on, highlighting every bump even with seamless underwear. The ones from last year were a much better fabric. I'm not sure that they were thicker just had a bit more texture and more matte so you didn't see the light bouncing off anywhere that isn't entirely flat.

Oops forgot the image

Elle I did a lot about the History of English of A level. Waves of invasions and immigrations massively changed the Old English of Saxon times. That podcast sounds interesting.

There's a book on the same subject, by Melvin Bragg IIRC. Will try to remember to check when I pass the shelf. I hated Chaucer during English A level; it reminded me of failing to learn German adequately enough to pass O level. The regimented sequence of each sentence did my head in, and having to remember the verb or its qualifier at the end of the phrase............. .