Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet: Be More Aunt Larry

[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 Neuf

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We’re ten threads old! To celebrate we’ve got thread merch.

Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet shop

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[ToEllewithIt]

Floisme that seems about right date-wise. That was a great scene.

Shame about the boots

I saw those coats in person and they are very much inspired by! The fabric really isn’t great though so I think I’d rather hold out and look for a discounted real one or second hand. I did see a quite nice looking one on Instagram brand “The Curated” but I’ve no idea what the quality is like. Also saw this checked Acne on the Outnet which is a different vibe. In the watch-out-for-sales category is this green one.

For no particular reason, I love these trousers which I have saved to my phone.

[ToEllewithIt]

And the prize for most useless photo goes to... ooops front of coat here.

[botemp]

Emma Hill occasionally pops up on my YouTube feed and she mentioned The Curated coat in this recent . I remembered the name because itnwa so wanky 😂 Hers was gifted and she seemed quite enthusiastic about it but I don't think she's all that in the know WRT quality outside the high street tbh so I'd take her recommendation with a grain of salt. It looked a bit on the thin side to my eyes, definitely in comparison to your Carice. Also mentioned it gets shipped directly from China, that combined with it being an Insta brand alongside import vat and taxes make it quite an expensive coat for what it is.

I'm not seeing a checked coat, a green double breasted belted thing instead. I've seen a really beautiful acne studios green trench for you on eBay but it's a size 34 which I think you should fit since I've tried it on in a 34 ages ago and was definitely two sizes too big on me but can't guarantee a thing, obvs. It's the Lucie, not very cheap on eBay though.

[ToEllewithIt]

Oh oops. Here’s the checked. The photo is from Vestiaire, but it’s at least as cheap new on The Outnet. I think it could lean a bit elderly on me so I’ll stick to plan A.

I’d love to see the green. The Carice is a 36 and v roomy, but obviously that’s the style too.

I figured as much about The Curanted. It definitely seems to be one of those online only brands.

[XingMing]

I think Flo remembers right about the first Bridget Jones film kicking off the Christmas sweater trend. And call me the Grinch as much as you like: a matronly bosom and a gaudy sweater is definitely not this woman's fashion/style nirvana. Fortunately, there's no office party on the horizon though we plan a (Japanese) dinner for the troops.

[Floisme]

I hear you Xing And while I'm all for a bit of silliness in fashion (and I still think casting Mr Darcy himself as Mark Darcy was pure genius) that film was made 18 years ago when we were probably wearing low waisted trousers. Time to move on I think.

[Floisme]

And I see there's already a Christmas jumper thread! We need a Grinch emoticon.

[quirkychick]

I think the Bridget Jones Christmas jumper was supposed to be "I've been given an awful, embarrassing jumper as a present and will have to wear it or offend the giver" rather than let's buy a naff jumper just for one day. Yy to a Grinch emoticon, we don't even do crackers, as I hate the paper hats, plastic tat etc. There's a Christmas crockery thread too... I don't know about anybody else, but we have more than enough stuff in our house (it's starting to feel like a hoarder's house as we have boxes of stuff from late mil's stuff as we're clearing and can't distribute until probate).

[quirkychick]

That sounds like I don't like Christmas, but I do, I just don't like all the rampant consumerism and more stuff.

[Redandblue11]

I suspected as much that I was among non Christmas jumpers wearers
Glad to confirm.
Same here, not into consumerism at all, cards are only for my inlaws and a handful of people. And presents only for children , I like to think very measured in comparison to what I have seen elsewhere.
Anyhow, I seem to be developing a rosacea type rash on my neck ... I am not pleased in the slightest, have gone to basics and not putting anything there. Lady at neals yard recommend calendula, she gave me a sample ... I will try that .

[Floisme]

Well I quite like a bit of (not too rampant) consumerism and bad taste. I just get grumpy at enforced cheerfulness. Plus we have a shortage of small children in the family at the moment so a lot of it feels a bit pointless, especially when you all end up swapping gift vouchers.

Incidentally I will be calling on you all again to keep me away from sparkly jumpers. I still don't need any.

[botemp]

I suppose I could design a 'All I want for Christmas is a Grinch emoticon' sweatshirt on Teespring But feel free to go and beg for one on site stuff, Flo, I'll happily whine along. All they need to do is colour the grin emoji green and give him the Halloween hat in red (or stripey red white). Although this one actually comes close

I like some of Christmas, the cooking, eating, company, all the candles, and the decoration mostly but beyond that, meh. My mother was big on Christmas and the advent Sundays so that sort of hangs as a reminder around it. I'm glad not to be caught up in the MN version of Christmas I read about here. Up to the day it's all stress and what do I buy this vague acquaintance, etc. Then it's all Tesco/M&S/Ocado have ruined my delivery order/I've lost my delivery slot. I've lost the will to live/write anymore Christmas cards but my family will disown me even though they know I have arthritis. Then it's my family are ungrateful arseholes. Then it's the DC are unappreciative arseholes. Then it's everyone on my Facebook feed and their giant pile of gifts are arseholes. And then a new thread starts up for next year's Christmas where everyone sets out how much money they're setting aside each month and where to get all the leftover Christmas decorations for cheap and the best deals for gifts 🤦 oh and that creepy elf on a shelf business.

I think a lot of the 80s/90s Christmas movie staples had a lot of those jumpers in, worn without irony. I think in that context they were just a signaller that you skied and were very well to do. Not sure if they had Jingle bells and all of that nonsense but they were basically Nordic jumpers in cheaper materials.

Hmm, rosacea doesn't usually just show up on the neck, Red. I'd go see the GP, it may be dermatitis or psoriasis. 'Natural' remedies often do more harm than good, Calendula is technically soothing but I don't know what else is in there. La Roche Posay Cicaplast B5 is a safer bet.

[Floisme]

You missed out the mother-in-law threads bo. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without them. Thank you for the Grinch emoji.

[botemp]

The MIL threads are a year-round sport, I figured they were covered in the 'my family are ungrateful arseholes'. But you're right, according to MN, Christmas is the Olympics of evil MILs and probably deserves a separate mention. And the DP/DH turn out to be horrific cheating lying bastards who couldn't even get me a card (and it's the card that's the problem) is also another special mention.

[ToEllewithIt]

Also I spent eleventy billion pounds on everyone and all I got was this potpourri. Plus the in-laws have a weird Christmas dinner with/without bread sauce/ pigs in blankets/ sprouts / parsnips...

That said my kids adore crackers, but I don’t want to buy tat so if anyone knows where I can buy a make your own kit in card/ paper that’s recyclable I’d be very grateful (must include a snap)!

[XingMing]

DMIL is so demented that she poses no threat, until she's has three glasses of vino, and then she accuses everyone of trying to steal her money!

I like sending Christmas cards as it forces me to stay in touch with lots of people personally, and to think about the message I write, even when it's to folk continents away to say "stay in touch and if you're ever passing, do visit".

We now have a family secret Santa round so we buy one present for group members anonymously, and otherwise only parent to child or spouse gifts, though you can send odd e-bay items you spot randomly, if you know someone wants a proper Spong mincer for example, and you see one for £5. But our gift giving might be deemed a bit off the wall for some. The inflexible rule is that everyone buys the youngest relatives something... to wear or play with or read... even if it's cheap. The rest of us can mostly buy what we want, so it's nice to be surprised with things we didn't know we wanted, and that's what makes it hard work.

[quirkychick]

We have loads of family birthdays this time of year too, so it's really busy and also stops us getting too into the whole Christmas thing too early. I do like getting a real tree, which is getting smaller every year), candles, food. We used to have lots of family over when dcs were young, but now it's usually just the four of us. I do like presents, just not lots of stuff for stuff's sake. The dcs do usually get "Christmas" pyjamas aka new winter pyjamas, which I would buy anyway.

I agree some people go really ott (one year dp's sister brought over 2 turkeys, which we couldn't all possibly eat ). Now I just order a chicken, stuffing etc. from the organic butcher and make a chocolate chestnut log the day before. So much easier.

[XingMing]

I bought DBIL a brass mermaid bottle opener (extremely cheesy) in the local market one year, and the next year a (very lovely) antique mahogany and brass spirit level, as he was doing lots of DIY. I struggle with another branch as we live on different planets, so they and we tend to send consumables or toiletries, which inevitably go to the re-gifting drawer.

[XingMing]

One aunt of DH's used to settle on a single item, and bulk buy for everyone. We had a good corkscrew one year, then a goat for Africa, next year a Fortnum's marmelade pot. You never could guess.

[botemp]

Google knows me well I googled ethical Christmas crackers as I'd seen some sort of article on them somewhere but can't remember where, and neither does Google but it did suggest these ludicrously expensive Smythson crackers that I now obviously want, not sure how they're ethical though and these cheapo craft type ones that I think contain a snap thingy.

[quirkychick]

Xing, as a child my aunt was well known for rubbish presents. We didn't open them with her there as she didn't come for Christmas day, so it was a running joke. Db got shaving stuff when he was far too young, one year db and I both got 12 red pencils each, the type you bulk buy for school. If we'd had a different colour each we could at least have swapped. We got whatever she'd picked up at the car boot...

bo, I can't open the Smythson link, probably just as well! My mum doesn't really do crackers, but for a few years we did have some handmade by a friend of hers with chocolate liqueurs in, they were quite nice.

[botemp]

Let's try Smythson again, cheaper in GBP too

There's already an elf on a shelf thread and I'd completely forgotten about the Christmas Eve box debate [santa]

[quirkychick]

OK, the Smythson crackers are beautiful!

I meant to add that my Geox hi tops are pretty good in the rain, probably not a torrential downpour, but in cool weather, rainy days have been fine.

[Redandblue11]

Geox, might work for some but the ones I had 3 years ago where a damp joke ... water filtering thru the breathable holes ...never again.

Not on the high street does some eco crackers, how about these ones
here

[quirkychick]

red the only holes in mine are the eyelets for the laces. They're leather and lined, so too warm for summer but great for cooler days.