Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: See life in pink, but do not wear it!

[botemp]

Lovers of Parisian style and fashion with a conscious mindset and lots of chatter in between.

---

Favoured Parisian addresses for reference:

Second Hand Shops

Outlets

---

Previous threads:

un

Deux

Trois

Quatre

Cinq

Six

Sept

Hello everyone! Mini Festiva is now 3 months and I am slowly emerging from the baby fog. Plus I’m now only 5lb heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight, so a lot of my clothes are fitting again.

Envious of the trip to Chelsea, Red ! I love gardening and really enjoy Chelsea for inspiration, but just watched it on tv this year.

I like the 90s shoes Elle - probably because it takes me back to my youth...
I even like the Mango ones!

My exciting news is the mustard Bobbies sandals are back in stock and currently winging their way towards me. Will report back when they arrive. Otherwise, my clothes have been pretty dull, not least because I need to be able to breastfeed in everything. However I’ve recently had some success with doing a Bo and turning my tops round, which has meant I can wear my pretty Sezane summer tops.

You lot

Time Quite like that jumper. French tuck it and see. Aran-esque knits can never be completely wrong.

Hiya Festiva - v jealous that you manage to turn tops around. I got comments myself.

Elle I know what you mean about not endlessly adding. I'm just so not ever happy with my clothes that I find it hard not to. Sewing my own (well) would be the only solution - but then I'd be bitching about fabric.

For maternity breastfeeding I have had a couple of wins with open back tops (and a stretchy singlet underneath) and the pleat back tops around now - both features tend to mean they hang well around bump / residual bump and easily lift up for feeding. So you can look for regular tops - i actually have this exact one and wore it to work and as a nicer top while bf- makes a nice change from shirts and blah! rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F223164683772

Are there any clues to telling which linen something will be? The hangs well vs the permanently just looks like you stepped ouut from a full day of wriggling through tunnels.

I know good linen exists - I'm confident my Jackie K suit will look pristine all day (wedding is this weekend) and I've also got a Moygashel linen jacket which still looks good when creased. But they both date back to when linen was a luxury fabric. I don't know what you'd have to pay to get that kind of quality now.

I took a photo of the trousers at lunchtime when the droop was setting in. It's not awful but it shouldn't be happening at Hobbs prices. My phone's on charge at the moment but I'll try and post it later.

Good to see you Maxima - if you're breastfeeding I'm impressed you even notice your top's on back to front, I'm sure I didn't.

Checking in briefly. Good to read you Maxima! Yes I also really enjoy gardening, I am contemplating a day course on Japanesse Gardening at the the Raymond Blanc gardening school at Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire.
I am thoroughly impressed that you did top reversing and all while bf.

Flo all the best wishes for the wedding! All in pink, hopefully a ray of sunshine will mean the contrast against sky will be even more stunning.

I wish I had that sort of good quality linen in any garments... actually I have a vintage YSL spring coat in linen that I got years ago in Antibes ...but is too big on me, I should take it to the tailors and see how to put it right for me. I will see if I can get a photo of it on me so you give me opinions.

I have a pair of Great Plains pinstripe linen trousers that hang well, they are semi lined, I don't know if that helps. It means they are too warm on properly hot days, though. I have an ancient pair of wrap over linen trousers from La Redoute, that are pretty good. They were not expensive, but are at least 16yrs old, so I'm not sure if that's why they are now quite soft and hang reasonably.

I like linen knits (and linen silk / cotton silk are lovely combinations) as they drape and don’t get the crushed effect. I have some linen viscose trousers which are cool and the fabric nice but they do bag and do wrinkle. It doesn’t help they are a post baby purchase so a bit big generally (this having to maintain umpteen wardrobes kills me - summer, winter, work, casual, going out, add in pregnancy and breastfeeding plus a size up...

I made it to Sezane, queues under the sunshine with lovely drinks , so here waiting for my turn to try stuff on. Since I am here I need to try, right?

I have some linen knits, too time, though they're jumpers or cardis. Really useful this time of year and have a fine texture.

How did you get on red?

I have one linen knit from Uniqlo. Agree that they’re nice in summer.

So I had a successful couple of hours shopping. The two items I got ended up being the ones for the boutique solidarie (profits for charity by Sezane).
I tried a few more items and shoes but nothing that really grabbed me. Except for this polka dot skirt buttoned at the front. I tried it with this top (black bra underneath) which I thought was very sweet but the price did not justify it imo so I left the top.

I also got this dress (previous seasons) that has the opening at the back. Normally these dresses do not fit me very well, but I found this one hanging in all the right places .

Dress attached here

I am patiently waiting for Flo to report on the wedding.
Also for report on Maxima’s Bobbies sandals.

I missed that you were going to Sézane Red, and I appreciate the pictures although so far only you and Bo have shown live Sézane pics and no-one fatter so I can gauge how they'd look on me. I think those dresses with open backs are lovely. :) However I'm not loving the tiny floral patterns because they feel dated to me - 90s or earlier. Is this an age thing? I mean they're fine as patterns go, I just can't see myself wearing them.

I bought two linen t-shirts (you know the kind, linen knit) this spring and I'm not feeling them. I don't like the sheerness.

Anyway, It's going to be 28 degrees on Thursday and I don't know what I'll do for clothes since I still look like I have the plague. :(

The wedding was good, thanks. The pink suit felt great and was very distinctive - more so than I realised to be honest, the colour isn't that bright but it seems to get right behind your retina somehow. So I do kind of stand out in all the pics I've seen and I daren't post one, even with no head, in case it's identifying. But I felt good wearing it and it stayed immaculate all day - I'd love to know how much it cost at the time. I swapped the skirt for white trousers (my favourite karate ones) for the evening and they went really well with the jacket.

And most importantly, everyone behaved!

And while I'm here, I've got the morning off work so just lost a couple of hours online, as you do, and who's been buying my favourite shirt huh?

That sounds fantastic Flo!

I did not know either that I was going to sezane Bani, was a last minute decision while in Paris with a couple of hours spare, I decided to go there as I had never been. Tbh, I cannot understand the hype around it, and queues. It has very nice clothes tough.

The only other item I bought is this oshyo swimsuit for 39 Euros. It is made with recycled plastic from beaches. Looks good on, I do not expect it to last ages but is pretty good for the price I think.
I would wear on my beach holidays not on my local swimming pool full of chlorine and children.

That's a lovely colour swimsuit, red. The dress looks lovely too. I think those small patterns are very 90s, bani, along with the clear-heeled block sandals. There seems to be lots of 90s revival around atm.

The wedding suit sounds fab, flo. I'm not guilty of the shirt, not my colour (lovely style, though).

Glad that the wedding was run well Flo.

Lovely swimsuit red. Great shape and nice to have something other than black.

I’ve a rare afternoon off so may get to have a look in the shops. We’ll see.

OK, I need help as I need replacing a couple of work jackets that are in their last legs. I popped into M&S after work and tried these in linen. The brownish one they had in the shop was not pressed properly hence the odd shape at the front.
49 pounds, linen...
What would your thoughts be? Will they end up in crumpled mess in no time? And if you think they are ok... which colour is more versatile?
I do not want to spend a lot of money but I want a good quality

At £49, I'd give the rust linen jacket a whirl, and go back for the other colour if it worked, Red. The swimsuit is very chic, much too good on swimming in the local pool. A new to me company does similar, Davey J, in recycled material, but much more expensive. (They are near here so a bit of a local economic boost).

I still have a 90s floral print sundress, in all the right colours. It's made it back to the current wardrobe but hasn't had an outing yet.

The kitchen is still work in progress; three panels of glass to go (perhaps one tomorrow) the utility room is marching along and should be back in commission tomorrow pm but the project manager has a crane delivering the glulam (SP) beams for his own house in the morning. Sparks is in in the morning for a second/third fix, and the decorators come back on Wednesday-Friday. However, everything works (except what's disconnected) and it is looking fab. When I post the pictures, please offer ideas on the injection of colour as it's (just) a bit too chilly. I am happy with all my decisions design wise so far, as I've thought through all the colour adjacencies, which work, but it's a bit too neutral for family space.

Gosh, Flo, I overlooked mentioning your wedding. I hope you had a really joyful day; I know you looked luminous in pink, and trust the linen suit wore well. I liked the evening substitution of the karate trousers!

Xing, your kitchen sounds exciting, it will be so worth it.

Not at all on the same scale, we are having our main bathroom replastered. Dp took of layers of wallpaper, including some truly horrible poo brown woodchip (1970s, anyone?). Budget constraints mean we aren't redoing the whole thing, as the white bathroom suite, flooring and tongue and groove panelling are fine. It's an old 1850s house, so the plaster is grim with lots of holes!

I like the rust one on you, red.

I missed the bit about karate trousers, that sounds very chic, flo.