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

I think we're adhering to the title of the thread with Regency great coats (I missed the Mills and boobs ref, as obviously it fits so well), 14th century ploughman chic, those amazing Michelin man outfits straight out of a Sci fi film and equestrian, Russian, Leda and the Swan garb. This thread is never dull .

You've all cheered me up, yesterday was one of those days. Dd2 slept badly, late mil's house now has a leak from the rain and poor dp spent 4 hrs in a & e with a mystery swollen bruised elbow. He's okay but it looks horrendous. Today, was a morning at the eye clinic with dd2 for eye drops and check up. Lots of historical, fantastical rain gear is obviously the perfect antedote!

I think I was just disappointed that it was a crap French rip off of SATC meets Pretty Woman and pretends to be all feminist about it when it had been presented as somewhat woke quirky French comedian gets her own show about modern relationships in Paris. The fraaaanch was the least of my dissolved expectations, I think. Hilariously, Netflix has just informed season 2 starts on Friday. I can't remember much from the ending beyond that it wrapped everything up tidily and predictably what more can they possibly milk from this mediocrity?

We're being very high brow with our references lately when you put it like that quirky. Except the mills and boobs, maybe. I keep mixing up Merchant and Mills (pattern and fabric online shop) and Mills and Boons and now time thinks I'm an avid romance reader though that would totally explain all the penis talk

If you read romance novels you would never use the word penis I think.

I remember an open ending, your man turns up at her doorstep and then it ends. Will she or won’t she? Don’t know if I’m invested enough for season two. I do remember that the girl gang go for a run in the park and I thought there goes the myth of Parisian women not exercising.

bo, I hadn't particularly meant high brow, just interesting references!

bani, I think the Mills & Boon type stuff is all swooning and square jaws. I remember sneaking some magazines from my grandmother that had those sort of stories serialised, then got quite bored as they were very predictable. The heroine always ended up with the quiet male friend, who was really her soul mate all along, blah, blah, blah.

I always thought it was a bit odd, my aunt read (still reads probably) those books, just not mills and boons, the local equivalent called bouquet range (crudely translated) which had the really cheesy shirtless men covers and always a floral bouquet graphic.

I didn't really catch on until much later that they're basically lady porn and that she would just read those with everyone around her in the living room. I figure you may want to find yourself a quiet spot or something

She also gave them to my GM (her mother) when she'd be done with them

A good friend of my mother's would read hers by the fireplace and as soon as she finished a page she'd throw it in the fireplace, not sure what that was about either...

I do enjoy the euphemisms that get shared out over the internet for our entertainment, my favourite was 'torrid shaft' which I assume must have been meant to be 'turgid' 🙈 'Throat yoghurt' made me feel rather queesy

Pass the smelling scents please! Where is my fan? When I read Mills & Boon (single sex boarding school) there was nothing more than a kiss at the very end, after the engagement was announced.

How things must have changed. Awful phrases, presumably aiming to win worst sex writing (and in with a chance).

My grandmother's neighbour used to pass them on to her, I think they were in Woman's Weekly or something similar. They definitely just ended in a kiss, though I'm sure there was a fair bit of innuendo that I would have missed! These were definitely all pretty much the same story just with different settings and names. I think it's why I don't really enjoy chick lit or those bonkbuster books, they seem quite similar: woman has had a hard time and moves to another place, finds herself (aka becomes attractive), meets man but he's not really the one, meets another man, oh yes he is. Maybe I'm missing a trick and should be making a fortune in trashy novels .

Well you lot either had access to some very old and worn copies or weren't paying attention. According to this Independent article there's been shagging in MB since 1963. They didn't get properly smutty like their competitors until later though.

Don't they provide a set outline to follow which you can't deviate from? I imagine it can't be that hard to be a romance writer since the plotlines are so simplistic. I'm still as to where that torrid shaft is heading though? A maelstrom of lady bits?

So I'm away from the thread for 36 hours and when I come back, I've no idea what anyone's talking about, other than that Xing now has a live-in patissier. Death by croissant - what a way to go.

There was a documentary recently in which a 'serious' writer set out to write a Mills and Boon novel and found it a lot harder than she'd expected. I think it was Stella Duffy - or do I mean Carol Ann? Recorded but not watched yet. And that, I'm afraid is the only vaguely useful thing I have to say.

Quirky I was talking about Plan Coeur there when I was talking about endings. Mills and Boon had pan-out-to-the-sunset endings surely.

Haven't read many but I have read my fair share of the type (Angelique, anyone?).

Yes, Flo, serious writers ... I recognize this. You couldn't be explicit or use anything that could be a double entendre so she had to write about a whole tennis match without using the word "balls" ?

Anyone else remember Forever Amber? God I loved that book.

Yy, bani, definitely pan out to sunset endings. The ones I remember most certainly had a set format.

Angelique and Forever Amber........ And some others. even redder . There was a formula, and a manual for writing them. But since the 1970s, M&B have apparently hotted up the formula bit time. So saving yourself for the wedding night now happens post proposal .

There was one series set in the Middle Ages. She was blond and perfumed herself everywhere for her wedding night. Cannot for the life of me remember the name or anything useful about true plot ... 🤔 pirates featured maybe?

I have a new skirt, from a charity shop yesterday. just pencil/ straight skirt, wool/poly/viscose, brand is Swedish called Prêt à Porter (kind of grown up woman vibe, not too fashion forward). Under six euro! Really liked the texture, tried to catch it in the photo and also my Kavat boots and the pumpkin tshirt I wore (unsatisfactorily tbh, didn’t feel right).

A very neat pivot back to clothing there bani skirt texture looks nice. Is it midi length or below knee?

Juuuust on/below knee. 👍 I know, we have back to clothes and red lipstick don’t we 😉

bani, nice skirt and shoes. I was wearing my pret taupe jeans (also charity shopped) yesterday. I didn't get round to a photo, honestly this week has been something everyday. I need to get on with life stuff now, not all these extra things. This afternoon is open afternoon at dd2's school. I think we're watching them paint leaves (again) .

Ah yes I knew we’d talked about prêt before - not à Porter at all that is fashion, just plain prêt.

I am so glad I don’t have to go to little kid things at school any more!

Ah we've moved out of the lady garden chat and are back to normal. In that vein, I'm returning newly purchased hat, hadn't pulled out of the bag until today and colour is completely different than I remember and in pictures. I had noted the shop light was a bit different, now the colour is just draining my face instead of making it look healthy, so Bo changed her mind and is returning shit, same old same old.

Interesting things have showed up in my inbox. Loreak Median (Spanish high quality basics brand, reasonable prices made in EU) has some interesting rain coats in Millerain fabric in some really bright punchy colours, they don't seem to have the cobalt and yellow though. Quite like the green though, contemplating if that plus a Uniqlo light down may be an option.

Still contemplating DIYing but struggling to find the top rubberised material that isn't full of dodgy chemicals. Did stumble across a bespoke Scottish bespoke rainwear manufacturer Hancock which has a bit of a Margaret Howell vibe (not the Barbour stuff her usual minimal slightly austere outerwear). Pricey but it comes with a lifetime repair service and they do have an outlet.

Also found a full winter parka in Millerain fabric at Norse Projects in the men's section which has me thinking maybe my issue with parkas is that they're 'womens' parkas and I actually think that minor suggestion of a nipped waist is actually going to save me from bulkiness, perhaps the secret is to embrace an oversized non fitted silhouette.

The Scottish rainwear is lovely, but even in Cornwall where we get at least 2/3rds of the UK's rainfall, I'd like to try the styles for fit, especially at that price. I do like the lining as standard. Once you had decided on the shape, it looks so simple it could be a buy once, forever purchase.

This thread moves so quickly!

Bani the Jack is lovely, but you are right it's better suited for a twill, I was just using the pattern as a guide to fabric amounts.

Loved your skirt find, it's perfect for the autumn weather that's now settled in.

Red if you have Amazon Prime I'd recommend watching Patriot. It's an American dark comedy set in Luxembourg, so has a little french chic. It's definitely one you need to watch for the visual comedy. The female lead Is very stylish.

Bo I love the Spanish coats you have linked to. One thought about DIYing it would be seam finishes. I'm not that knowledgeable but I'd say you'd need to flat fell them to try and get them as waterproof as possible. I'd have to read up to see if there is better techniques to stop water leaking in.

The French company I Am actually released a raincoat pattern this week, which would be a good base:

iampatterns.fr/en/product/sewing-pattern-women-raincoat-rain-jacket-parka-jacques/

Back on to clothes, I brought a demeillier bag after stalking the brand for a while. I went for the Naples in a burgundy grain, and I'm really happy with it. Lovely quality without being at a crazy price point.

Now to dig out my navy trench coat, whilst it's still warm enough to wear it without freezing!

Couldn't resist reading up on waterproofing seams and came across this:

www.shelbyoutdoor.com/?cPath=405_434_489&language=en

Will now stop sidetracking from the clothes

I am lost in the Hancock waxed cotton section. I may be some time.

Googling the term waxed cotton is what got me there. Bastards.

I agree it's very alluring to have a coat for life made for you but I'd definitely have to factor in a trip to the shop to see them and get measured.

Name, I had been looking into seams as well. Taping seems the way to go (I'm following Hancock's lead on that) but it does seem to be of most use for technical fabrics and wanting it to be absolutely waterproof. I'm not delusional enough to think my first DIY effort is going to end up waterproof, a bit of shower resistance is good enough. It's also a bit difficult as I've been reading oilcloth can be ironed so you have to flatten seams by hand, I'm not that sure how well the tape would lay if it's not pressed down.

Price aside, I got quite excited at the Norse wool raincoat cos a wool coat that was also waterproof would kind of be a dream come true. But then I realised it didn't have a hood.
I don't think you should be allowed to call anything a raincoat unless there's a hood.