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

methen one of the supplements had a whole article on vintage shopping, I cut it out but haven't really had a look. Ah, flo Affleck's Palace. I was at university in Leeds and had a friend in Manchester, I used to visit a lot. Also, Kensington Market in London.

Camden Passage in Islington was another. It's millionaires row now but I used to get the early morning coach to London to go for the day.

methen Stella magazine had a whole, huge article on vintage shopping. I can't vouch for any of these, but online the recommendations are eBay (obviously), Depop, Another Matinee, Edit Secondhand, Farfetch their pre-loved tab, Rex vintage, Asos Marketplace.

flo, I remember buying a dove grey vintage lace dress and wearing it with dms. My mum told me it was a granny dress. Now dd1 keeps telling me I'm wearing granny jumpers. No change there then! Basic wool cardigans, but it's how I style them .

I think these photos are all Sezane, but as a way to wear quite classic cardigans in a non frumptastic way, I've been layering wool cardigans with a couple of top buttons undone over thin long sleeved t-shirts (or over a silk shirt, like I posted upthread), and with a pendant necklace at the neckline. I particularly liked it paired with a quilted, faux leather skirt. But apparently they're granny jumpers, probably because their not hoodies .

I used to buy 1940s dresses and show them to my mum feeling all so creative and unique and she'd just say very plaintively, 'I used to have one like that'

Well, as if to show I am on trend, I've just found this article in Style magazine about cardigand. I must say, I have only gone for a couple of buttons undone with a lowish v-neck underneath rather than full on nothing underneath!

flo, I think I've always had that mixing up granny chic, it's a bit punk/alternative I think. I'm sure that's where wearing wool or tweed trousers comes from for me.

Are you telling me quirky that today to be fully on trend I should loose my layer underneath??

Aside from being a prude ... cannot see that being very practical in this country

red, I think I will stick with the Sezane version, a couple of buttons undone (and a lowish top underneath). The whole point of the cardigan being an extra warm layer on top that you can take on and off easily as the temperature varies. Nice belt btw.

I have trouble getting on board with tartan. Feels like a fabric that always has a message and I’m not sure I subscribe to any of them (Scottish, punk, school uniform, whatever). However I appreciate good quality of course. I like the double sided scarf Bo! The silk one too. I was also thinking about what you said about parkas being better when accepting what they are and not trying to be stylish and fitting. This is def a part of why a Didrikson feels unsatisfying too me. It’s so obviously made for women who are afraid of looking big/fat. 😉

I highly doubt the reactions at work if I walked around with a cardigan barely buttoned would be “hey, stylish gal”. And I don’t think I’d look less frumpy either, just undressed?

Manchester is on my list to visit, I have family there but brexit keeps spannering me so I haven’t gone. :( Love the sound of the second hand shops though. Incidentally I found a tweed coat I fancy on Etsy but I’m not paying what I’d have to pay without being able to try on! Can’t find it now or I’d link.

Oh and Paris ... am conflicted since I want to fly less/not at all but wouldn’t it be lovely!

I've got a hair an inch long growing at a right angle out of my chin. For a week now I've been chasing it round my face with tweezers but it ducks and it dives and it dances away and then, when I give up, it waves at me. Little fucker.

And that, my friends, is all I have by way of news.

Bad news quirky, your sexy cardigan is already dead in the water according to Vogue. It's all about sexy polo knits now. It sounds a bit contradictio in terminis to me, but then again so do sexy cardigans as a noted cardigan despiser (on me, I'm neutral about them on others).

Flo, you just need to get yourself a dedicated tweezer to keep in your bag or purse. When you find yourself in one of those horrific changing rooms that has you convinced you're one giant lump of dimpled flesh, ignore the body and use that horrific light to find the offending chin hair, easy as. Been dealing with facial hair since 16 thanks to PCOS and have yet to find a better solution. Also recommend attached tweezer for this task specifically, although bought this at Sephora on vacation once and have never seen one like it since...

I want to book Paris sooner rather than later, in all likelihood booking before or after the 31st of Jan.

at the sexy polo knit, I'm managing a polo neck today, does that count... The sexigan was meant to be tongue in cheek, the whole point of a wool cardigan is an extra layer you can take on and off easily in fluctuating autumn weather! I was looking at the Sezane pics as a way to wear a cardi in a less done up way.

flo sometimes you have to pull it out at a certain angle. Though, there is a certain satisfaction to be got from it. I can often do it by touch alone, that might be an eye sight/age issue.

Gosh ... just seen Eurostar and very low fares around those dates ... very tempting. I could resist all buy temptation and do that my first shopping!
29-31 jan a possibility ...

Hello everyone! Haven’t managed to keep up with this thread I’m afraid, but did read the Style magazine article about the “sexigan” Just the right look for me to rock on the baby playgroup circuit...
Have been wearing mostly slim straight jeans with oversized jumpers of late. Not desperately exciting but hides the mum-tum nicely. Will take some photos.
We are christening Baby Minima soon. This has thrown me into a tailspin. I feel like I haven’t been anywhere smart for several years and fashion seems to have totally changed gear since I last bought a dress to wear to a wedding or similar. Can’t get on with midi length things - feels so frumpy and unflattering. Have made an appointment with a personal stylist at John Lewis Oxford St next week (Selfridges alas out of mat leave spending budget). Never done this before but am doing very badly by myself so hopefully they can help!

PS Hope everyone is well

Ladies (and gentlemen) I got it. This morning with the aid of a borrowed magnifying mirror and a desk lamp. It was very satisfying and now I can't stop stroking my chin.

Good to hear from you Maxima. You're right about fashion changing gear - I haven't worn dresses for a couple of years but I think the ones in my cupboard would look pretty dated if I got them out now. I like a midi with boots though. Hope you find something.

Going back to cardigans, I rather like a men's cardi with a bit of a 1960s knitting pattern vibe. I saw a vintage one last week that was fabulously Alan Partridge but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to wear it in a sufficiently knowing way so I let it go and now I can't stop thinking about it.

Bless you Flo, the amount of times I've wanted to post about my chin hair woes here and held back - I now feel I am among friends. My chin area is on a constant cycle of scabs from me picking unsuccessfully at stubborn hairs, followed by me finally getting them, then a healing period that is not over until the next hair comes along. Currently have three definite scabs.

Hello again, Maxima. Now that you mention it I have been scorning dresses for a while as they all seem to be floral horrors that feel more appropriate to reinacting little house on the prairie Feedback on JL always seems positive on here so hopefully you'll come out well. I'd ask for them to include jumpsuits just to expand your options since the shops do seem to be wall to wall floral midis. Sezane also has a few good dresses in at the moment that aren't all midis. I like attached for you despite it being a midi but I'm guessing it's far too thin to wear in a church at this time of year anyhow. Also, I was raised an atheist so potentially far too scandalising for church too

Ah Flo that must have been deeply satisfying almost chants USA USA.

Men's cardigans I also have less of an issue with, I quite like the Irish fisherman's cardi especially when they have an arran knit incorporated into it and the little horn and leather tie closure.

Scabs made me seek out laser therapy Bani, it became worse than the hairs and just not worth the aggravation. The simple human mirror that's stupidly expensive is really good for actually spotting the buggers but the magnification and lighting of the rest of your face have put me off ever buying one. If you can teach yourself to thread that works well too, you seem to need less of an aim than with a tweezer.

That's a lovely navy dress, bo. I have a weakness for navy and was also raised an atheist (I have been known to wear black and white to weddings ).

I have a grey aran fisherman's cardigan too, though if I wear it with the Breton cap and green raincoat, I feel I'm only missing the waders to complete the fancy dress. I did get caught in a downpour just now and waders would have stopped me having to change my lower half when I got in, but are an unusual choice for a trip into town .

Great to hear from you maxima , hopefully you can find something good in JL. Finery seem to have a few dresses that might interest you, but I am not sure how appropriate for a christening they are, maybe if you like them you can order and also try them when you have the stylist appointment?

I hope the JL personal shopper is more helpful than us and not an unknowing heathen like me

Maxima: I don't like midis, they make me feel frumpy.

Bo: How about this Pope scandalising midi?

Red: How about these midis?

🙈😂🙈

You can all call me weak, 🐑, or sympathise.
I have lasted a good 8 weeks at least without buying (not even second hand) and today I caved in.
The thing is that I got these two pieces in a charity shop, a new jumper from boden (they normally send them samples) and a perfect sandro blazer.
The thing is that because I have been making conscious decision to wear the stuff I have, I seem to have identified better my gaps and a loose jumper was one of them, the other an a/w jacket to wear under a coat for work or dinner, drinks etc, so I have allowed myself a couple of preloved items (boden is technically new tough)
I didn’t take a photo of the jacket on, but here it is on a hanger.

😂 😂
Sometimes I wonder