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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The dress is superb, Elle. I predict it will be a treasure for years, and it looks splendid with the invisible heels!

I did exactly the opposite and bought the rather bling-y grey and silver pony trainers in the sale. They may scream AW18, but I prefer to think I'm channeling the silver sirens looking chic in (very considered) jeans and sneakers. I shall wear them to dinner this evening at a rather foodie pub, where try too hard would be social suicide, with white jeans. Tossing up between an old Lurex near Breton and a grey crossover jumper from last year's Topshop. Opinions, Parisiennes?

Joining the crowd of admirers, ToElleWithIt. Lovely dress and you look stunning in it! I also really like your toffee blouse, actually. Wish I could have a try-it-out session. It's getting hard to find the time for post office returns these days (woe is me :)) and DH, my trusty sherpa of yore, has suddenly developed scruples about the amount of unnecessary shipping and packaging that we are contributing to.

Redandblue, I am sure you've come across it already and I also learnt about it on this thread, but Arket is another brand positioning itself on the ethical end of the spectrum. I love their premise, but I haven't had much luck so far with finding items there that I'd love to wear. Wish Everlane had a European base too.

Xing, hard to say without seeing the actual items. I'd probably go with whichever top is darker - a dove or mist grey jumper with white jeans sounds like the outfit for brunch in a Scandi café, as opposed to dinner in a pub, but charcoal would sound right on the money. I am not personally a fan of either lurex or bretons :D but it actually sounds fun teamed with a blingy pair of trainers!

Hearing sounds from the direction of the baby who seems to be up for the fifth time since I have put him down tonight... somebody help me...

Elle yes I have started doing the same with my silk blouses... but find that some type are better than others after the wash when trying to iron them ... there is this ivory one I had for a couple of years from Reiss that I dread ironing after I wash by hand/washing machine... maybe there is a trick I do not know?

Xing what did you go for at the end ?? Just curious 😀

Peregrane ah thanks I have not checked out Arket recently, but I will check it now might get lucky this time

Bo thanks for mentioning that couple of British brands, was looking online at Olive Cloting and quite like the look of that.
Anyone know how is the quality side? The prices seemed reasonable

In Ninetypercent I did not spot anything I like.

Peregrane hope baby sleeps tonight . Want to send you a magic wand!

All my hand wash stuff goes on either a wool or delicates wash with Ecover delicate liquid and comes out fine. For dry cleaning that's not too dirty I (re) use Woollite dry cleaning sheets in the tumble drier for 20mins on low by adding a few drops of lavender oil to the sheet. It's a good refresh, I also had some success with a Dylon dry cleaning fabric care stain remover that got the black marks from dd2's wheelchair off my red cashmere coat.

Xing I agree with Peregrane, whichever top is darker would probably offset the white jeans well. A foodie pub sounds very appealing!

I hope baby slept ok, Peregrane, I had a rubbish night, as dd2 woke at half past midnight and took hours to go back to sleep . I think she's got the beginning of a cold. Grrrr.

I opted for another, darker (and warmer) cashmere jumper in the end. A very pleasant evening with good food, excellent wine and great conversation with friends who live overseas.

This morning, I am feeling very sympathetic to those of you with small people who are not good at sleeping. I don't know where my "baby" even was last night (tucked up on a friend's sofa) after hitting the city with schoolmates back from universities around the country. Not quite sure which is worse.

Sounds like a lovely evening xing

I’m dreading that stage with my kids. Sure, they have me up multiple times per night, but at least I know where they are. Hope xingson made a prompt and sheepish appearance!

Sorry I missed your style dilemma Xing but it sounds like a great oufit and I'm in awe of everyone who can wear white while eating.

I was just thinking the same thing about children. Obviously life is physically so much easier when they're grown up but I've found letting go emotionally is really hard. When mine is home and goes out for the night I can still never sleep properly until he either gets in or sends a text to say he's staying out (normally around 4am).

I've not bought anything in the sales yet. I have set aside funds for one luxury buy and I'm tracking a few things but I'm planning to hold my nerve till January, partly because I want to see what's in the Margaret Howell sale which doesn't start until the 9th. They close down completely till 2nd - don't even dispatch online orders, which I think is really cool but kind of frustrating when you're in a multi player game of chicken.

My DM says you never stop worrying about your children she's been looking out for me for 63 years so I don't think emotional detachment is ever really an option for mums.

DS is coming home for a shower and a snooze, then off out again but not clubbing tonight... movies and games somewhere else. He'll be home for a quiet day on Sunday before he works through NYE and NYD and next week, after which life will be quieter.

Don't be impressed by wearing white.... these are ancient cargo jeans but the shape suddenly looks right again, so they get bleached regularly!

Xing darker cashmere jumper sounds lovely, as does your evening. I feel caught between dd1, who is now a teenager and only surfaces before noon, if I wake her and dd2, who is nearly 9 (but as she has ds, really more like 3) but seems to be regressing in sleep this holiday, due to lack of normal routine. That's despite finding something to do, somewhere to go each day.

Methen, I hope you have a fantastic time away, you definitely deserve a break after the year you've had.

Elle, love the dress and blouse. My Margiela ankle boots actually have actual invisible heels, I mean it's perspex but not the stripper sorts, it genuinely looks like there's no heel.

Speaking of silk care, I like ecover delicate wash too, I do like to give them a vinegar rinse at the end as it removes all surfactants and trace minerals (we have very hard water) as it restores the shine. The secret to ironing, as far as I'm concerned, is steaming vertically instead. I have a steamer but my steam iron also works well. Done in seconds.

Has anyone ever used those dry cleaning bags you can put in the tumble dryer? I think they're a US thing but available on Amazon. Although the chemicals used are probably terrible for the environment which is a bit of a sticking point with higher quality items. I have a rare environmentally friendly dry cleaner but I'm still not convinced about how friendly that is exactly beyond doing better than the competition.

bo a vinegar rinse is a good idea, we have very hard water too. Any particular vinegar best? I often use distilled (clear) for household stuff. The dry cleaning sheets I use in the tumble dryer are from Amazon, they used to come with a bag, but now don't. In fact, they used to be much more easily available here in the UK, but I can only find them on Amazon. I reuse the sheets with a bit of lavender oil on them, as it seems horribly wasteful otherwise, and use the Dylon Dry Clean stain remover if it needs more than a refresh.

Is Dryel the brand you use, quirky?

I think it's the same as distilled vinegar, it's called 'natural vinegar' if I translate it directly but pretty much cheapest odourless stuff, used to be the bog standard vinegar in salad dressings before everyone got fancy with them. I think household vinegar is the same just slightly more concentrated, so use less. I just eyeball a glug in a small bucket. Never wrong silk, just fold it into itself and press lightly, it's ok if it's dripping, it still Dries pretty quick and I usually roll it into a towel after before hanging (on hangers).

I also do a vinegar rinse after washing my hair, makes a massive difference too, again shine but also volume at the roots and less build up.

Also, interesting article in the Guardian yesterday about the backlash fast fashion is anticipating:

Is fast fashion giving way to the sustainable wardrobe?

*odourless as in flavourless, obviously it reeks of vinegar.

bo,the make I got was Woolite, but previously was a different brand. It's become quite hard to find here you used to be able to buy it in hardware stores or the laundry section of places like John Lewis. That's distilled vinegar, the clear stuff. I've started using it as a hair rinse too, mostly to counteract the hard water which can discolour silver/grey hair, if you do it at the end, how do you stop the vinegar smell?

It smells but it's gone when it's dry (hair and delicate wash), it does go a bit chip shop again when I steam silk.

If it's no longer available I suspect that it is indeed not that great for the environment, if it returns come Brexit I guess we'll know for sure.

Thanks, bo. I will keep reusing the old sheets with lavender oil .

Thank you for the silk washing tips. I will try the vinegar and also properly my steam iron. I never tried the vinegar rinse as we have those salt filter at home for all the water we consume to make it less hard but I will see if it makes a difference.

No fashion stuff to report from my side, I have not done any shopping and I have looked online only but I need to plan first what I need. Which I think probably is a couple of basic good quality tops in my case. I am thinking in going to Cambridge next weekend... less manic than London, or I was trying to think which area of London could be good, I just like the idea of wandering aroud seeing a few shops like Cos, Ted Baker, Hobbs, Whistles, etc and better if thereare other type of interesting boutiques and stopping for lunch/coffe in a not manic area. I wonder if Kings Road is the answer...

Has anyone tried any of the L'Oreal Isabel Marant lipsticks? I realise I am being a complete sucker but I'm quite tempted. Mainly because my cold is lingering and I could with do more cheering-up. And it would be better than eating all the leftover Christmas chocolate at once.

Interesting about the recycled clothing fibres being difficult to do things with.

Marylebone High Street or Richmond, Red?

Popping in to say a belated Merry Christmas and wish you all a Happy New Year.
Thank you for the lovely Advent calendar Bo really interesting and informative.
Elle that is a truly fabulous dress, you look fantastic in it.
I am now 31 weeks pregnant and feel truly huge. Definitely in the style-free hinterland at the moment owing to hugeness and have had to forgo heels for the remainder of pregnancy due to pelvic pain issues. I’ve bought hardly anything recently - been spending all my money on our loft conversion, but am starting to gather some ideas of a few nice breastfeeding friendly pieces to wear on the other side...

Red Cambridge has some lovely shops, quite a few boutiques too, as I recall.

peonylover for the pelvic pain. A few nice breastfeeding friendly tops sound great, as do accessories that you can wear after.

Also, good article, bo. I feel a bit more virtuous for choosing quality over quantity, though really my motivation is being annoyed at spending money on clothes that don't last. Interesting, too, about mending, I do mend stuff, but I'm aware that dd1, really hasn't got those skills to mend clothes. Often, because she's always grown so quickly and so needed new clothes regularly. They do get recycled for dd2, though.