Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: Too much good taste can be very boring. Independent style, on the other hand, can be very inspiring.

[botemp]

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

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Favoured Parisian addresses:

Second Hand Shops

Outlets

Favoured London addresses:

Charity Shops, Dress Agencies, and Outlets

Favoured NYC addresses:

Consignment shops, Vintage, and Restaurants

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Previous threads:

Un

Deux

Trois

Quatre

Cinq

Six

Sept

Huit

Thanks for thinking of me botemp I’m reading along and keep starting to write posts and by the time I finish I’ve fallen behind.

I won’t attempt to catch up now, but hopefully will this week. I am indeed in London tomorrow and was planning to do the shop you mention. Any other charity shops with good stock?

I love the Navy trousers by the way. Lots of lovely clothes on everyone and apologies for the quick drive by. Consider this a place mark?

I only visited Pandora, the times one and the salvation army. I did wander into the Oxford Street TKMaxx and they have a good and very large Gold and contemporary section. Far more exclusive stock than we get over here but some of the pricing was very off, £400 for a flimsy Chloe top was really taking the piss but most stuff was otherwise priced reasonably. They're also selling a bit of secondhand (mostly designer bags). It was bloody boiling in there though so I left quickly.

With exception of the salvation army I did feel the prices were a lot higher than last time at the second hand shops, may be due to it being A/W, but potentially Brexit and a devaluing GBP or the fact that we're just into the new season may be at play?

There is also a Joseph sample sale which has a bit of Dries van Noten, Altuzarra stock and a few other brands as well but it's a bit out of the way right by the Matches outlet in Hackney (I think, apols you native Londoners). Katherine Hamnett sample sale is also still on.

www.chicmi.com/event/joseph-sample-sale-london-september-2019/

www.chicmi.com/event/katharine-hamnett-sample-sale-london-september-2019/

Who has lovely navy trousers? I need to scroll back, I think, I know I probably missed a few posts when I was in London.

Yes, Flo reminisce at your own risk.

Sorry to hear family members have had to go though catalogue debt, the stress and shame (I remember it was considered particular embarrassing and a lot of silly little women and their vanity getting themselves in debt) that came with those debts must have left an impact.

Even though I've used Klarna a few times for convenience sake (I couldn't be arsed to fill in my card details, log in with the special device, etc.) I do have my reservations if Klarna is a 'good' thing. For me personally, yes, I make sure to pay it in time but they're not earning much off me as a result, it's the late fees that are the bread and butter so potentially those using it to bridge a gap when finances are low rather become a target again. It feels not too dissimilar to the old catalogue finance systems in that sense. Luckily it's only an advance service here, you can't pay in installments and you have to pay within 14 days of it being dispatched. I think you can request one extension without cost but I'm not a 100% on that.

I meant the Celine/Céline trousers, but maybe they’re more blue?

Fascinating reading about the catalogues. I remember Next directory being big in the UK, but can’t remember if you paid up front or not.

Saw this interesting feature on light tweed coats. Much of it sounds commendable. I have been in Molloys and it’s the real deal, but I’m a bit about viscose.

Acne coat has been such a great buy. It’s accompanying me on this trip. I’d love a new coat for this year, maybe Navy or green. I might check out Ami.

Last picture is outfit from last week, nothing special, just making use of my image allowance!

Bon voyage! The Ami single breasted coat also comes in navy (it's cheaper in Euros online though). It's the Ami shop in Mayfair, women's is in the basement.

I've actually been seeing a nice bit of tweed/wool from Sweden. I'm too lazy to link it all but Rodebejer has some nice colourful check items and I also discovered Brixtol which felt very Anglo inspired and is very eco conscious all European wool, some of it is a mix with acrylic though

And sharing this article about the Vivienne Westwood show in Paris, showing the French what French punk should look like (maybe she secretly lurks ) and I'm ridiculously entertained that they've pretty much made one of the highest paid runway models unrecognisable under a hat that resembles a butt plug from the Dr. Suess universe...

Ah, sorry the Céline trousers were actually that strong cobalt blue. It's a crap picture but it just wasn't sitting right.

I think the Next catalogue was pay by installments too but then, as we've established, my memory on this isn't reliable.

Anyway, while we're on the theme of my catalogue delusions, my latest style crush is one of the models for Toast Autumn/Winter. This is just how I look in my own head. I want everything she's wearing and I want it now.

I adore Vivienne Westwood and I love her hair like that but another take on Punk - do we really have to? Come on Vivienne/Andreas.

Love that picture Flo. I want to look like that too. I never look at Toast's catalogues as the clothes just swamp me.

Oh Flo that is a great picture. Style goals, really.

Nice to see you Elle! Can't make out the article at all I'm afraid which frustrates me no end ;)

Bo - will admit to never having heard of Brixtol. The founders look like a right pair of "types" though, I have no confidence in them .

I lost out on the fecking Cos coat I was bidding on :( there was a bidding war and I was making bao buns for the first time so was distracted. :(((

Bani, you live in Sweden, how are you able to have confidence in anyone with that attitude?

Have you ever watched Lillehammer on Netflix? The nursery workers are hilarious Scandi "types" (who are scarily close to the real thing).

It is very difficult, actually. The scorn is heaped. However that particular Brixtol type is very much mostly found in our beloved capital so I can manage my daily life quite well. ;)

Haven't watched Lillehammer and now I suspect I never will haha, too much "skämskudde" probably (= "cringe cushion", as in you're hiding behind it because what you're watching is making you cringe).

You have to watch it though, it's cringingly hilarious. It's a really weird plot about an American mobster going into the witness protection programme and he always wanted to go to the Lillehammer olympics, so he chooses to go there and the culture clash is the main source of comedy. The nursery workers come in later seasons I think, but they're not unlike Dutch nursery workers just that but loopier. It's a pretty old show, it's what I signed up for Netflix for as soon as it arrived here (it 'miraculously' appeared on my computer before that). For all I know it hasn't aged very well...

The Uniqlo U parka has arrived. It's ok, feels cosy with a bit of a cocoon shape plus a large sticky out collar that I quite like. But otherwise it doesn't feel noticeably more stylish than the Seasalt and it almost certainly won't be as rainproof. I think I'd be be throwing good money after bad if I kept it. I probably just need to accept that I don't like padded coats but that sometimes, if you live in the UK and walk mot days, there's no alternative.

I wasn't even going to try the trousers on - they were just a moment of recklessness on the way to the checkout. But I have done and I like but cannot justify them so they're going back too.

most days

Having trouble catching up with all but that is disappointing Flo ...

I am still keeping away from the shops and managing well,

I want to contribute with some images but I have not had the time to take any! So I am showing you my foot what I like about these shoes from last season from Shoe Embassy is how well they look even if I have to walk a fair amount to my train station. I normally wear badly shoes. And wearing these with high waisted black trousers. I never feel scruffy with these.

*wear badly shoes

Grammar ... I wear my shoes badly (as in worn them off / get scruffy ..)

You know what, I think I was too harsh on the U parka. I keep trying it on and every time, it grows on me a bit more. I like the collar - when the coat's open it's quite dramatic and when you fasten up, it folds into a kind of shirt collar Sorry but you can't have a pic of me as the room's too messy On the other hand it won't be waterproof so I'd probably end up still keeping the Seasalt and then I'd have two grey padded coats. I can't get to the drop-off until Friday so it's got a reprieve until then.

Good to hear you're keeping up the no-spend, Red. Are you allowing yourself anything or have you gone completely cold turkey?

Flo What do you mean the room is too messy???! I've treated you to pictures from my living room slash dumping ground on a regular basis - did you not notice the ikea bags of laundry in the background, the piles of books waiting to be sorted out? Take the bloody picture. I do agree that two grey padded coats are overkill.

Red I can relate to being a fecking Wrecker Of Shoes too. Love those grey ones, seems the type to dress up an outfit easily.

Bo Goooooood but it's a gangster show, is it really watchable .... I didn't watch the Sopranos either, so sick of gangsters. Wandered in and out of the living room while my husband watched it and said things like "who's that one". Surely there must be a Youtube clip of the nursery scene?

Well I've crudely checked YouTube, but no luck.

It's not much of a gansgster show, it's just the setup for the unorthodox plot, it's really a dark comedy. The main protagonist was a minor character in the Sopranos (never watched it either and despite the attempts of others never managed to watch The Wire either, I'm a real savage, I am) but it's a completely different show.

Also, Bani, you may claim your house is messy but you always strategically place a vacuum cleaner or similar in the background to have us all believing you were in the midst of tackling it. Very clever soft marketing that is.

We have nowhere else to put in than in the middle of the floor. That's the sad truth. Tripping over it all the time. The designated cleaning cupboard has a designated hoover space that is too narrow for, I'd wager, ANY modern hoover.

Like I said, very clever soft marketing from the architect/designers/buildera of your home who knew you'd be posting pics from your living room one day and got a hefty check from the Hoover Alliance for making your cupboard a deception of actually fitting one in, so we'd all be asking what make is your hoover It's an Insta world and we all just live in it

Yes, my landlords who renovated apart a decent 1950s design into modern flimsy materials, less cupboard space and lower ceilings Much insta, such posing!

I think the style reference for most of this week has to be ancient mariner and full wet weather gear.

Me too, Xing. I like to think of it as fisherman chic . Though, I think a full ark might be required atm!

Cold turkey Flo. Well, I went to that antique fair I mentioned, I got a couple of antiques -old stuff- for the house and I also got 2 silk scarfs good size for £3, I always get silk scarfs in this fair. As I had planned this trip for ages , I wasn’t including this style spend on my cold turkey phase
But tbh, I am not saying I will not buy absolutely anything till January, if i must I might do second hand but right now I have not felt the need.

Btw, over the weekend I wore my flower pattern sezane dress (some of you thought it was a bit nineties) and I was stopped by a random girl to ask where it was from. I was chuffed with myself.