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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I am looking forward to Flo’s MH coat!

Yup... me too!

I am obsessed with Ruth Wilson’s wardrobe in His Dark Materials ... those emerald and blues. Anyone else seen it?

red, gorgeous colours, I agree. I think she's supposed to be very glamorous and mesmerising. I quite like her flat too. I was trying to remember in the books, but I thought in Lyra's world the women don't wear trousers, as she later refuses jeans, but dd1 and I weren't sure.

Haven’t seen it yet - it’s on something I don’t have I think? Is it good in general? Atm I’m watching some recorded episodes of Elementary (with an aspirational wardrobe for Lucy Liu) and The Good Witch (nothing aspirational in this at all).

bani, it's a BBC/HBO production, which might be why.

Ok it's here! The light in the room with good mirrors had gone so I took it down to the charity shops where the strip lighting is effective if pitiless.

It's essentially just what I've been looking for all this time: a waxed cotton trench coat with hood. I love the Humphrey Bogart goes to Sandringham vibe (although I'm sure Bogart would have had far too much class). Love, love love the waxed cotton, to which photos don't do justice. It!s so much nicer than technical fabrics and it ages well too. It's also made in Britain which is another tick for me.

It's the most generous size 8 I've ever seen - arguably a bit too roomy but means I can bulk up underneath.
Speaking of which, considering the price, I'm a bit miffed they've not made it compatible with the Barbour zip-in quilted lining. Not that I can afford one at the moment and will almost certainly substitute with a Uniqlo gilet. But it feels mean spirited.

Think my main issue is that it doesn't work belted up as well as I'd hoped. Looks a bit stiff and bulky, which I imagine is partly the fabric and partly the straight up and down shape. The fabric will soften up but the shape won't.

So although I really do love it, I'm still going to think for a few days as it's £200 over budget and will mean no more fun for several months.

I do like the way it looks belted at the back though. I couldn't manage a selfie of my back but the kitchen chair stood in as a model.

Mr Flo - a man if distinctive (if not always impeccable) taste, has pronounced it good.

I like it a lot Flo, agree that the belted look isn't that great, but I don't think it looks too bulky without the belt and not like it needs it. Can't really speak for your budget, but if it is just more than you'd want to pay vs. more than you can afford to pay, I've had many 'I'll eat pot noodles for dinner the rest of the month' moments in the name of items I really loved and never regretted it. Also, weirdly, unexpected money would mysteriously find its way to me. I mean do you really want to have £200 to play with and be sucked in by more sparkly knitwear?

Can you fold over the sleeves and up? I somehow feel that slack nonchalance would add to the coat (in better weather).

Sorry distracted by coat, will catch up properly later.

I think it's absolutely fine without the belt and, like I say, I do like the belt fastened at the back. It's more that I'd been justifying the cost by telling myself I could wear it both ways but it looks like I can't. And I'm thinking of all those sparkly jumpers I won't be able to buy now...

Not sure if the sleeves will fold or not. Will try.

Ahem, like this type of enviable sparkly knitwear you'd be missing out on?

What is that?

The Grinch dropping Christmas balls down your pants, I think. And some rather enthusiastic overgrown pubic foliage.

If it does everything you need in a practical sense better than anything else you've ever tried on Flo. I am not certain that it's the most flattering garment on a real body as it seems a bit bulky, it looks good on the chair, belted behind. With Bo that it's not wonderful front belted, but if MrFlo approves, and has reliable taste and you love it, keep it.

The Xmas jumper.... non, non, non (though I have seen worse)!

I love the colour flo. It’s odd that it looks better unbelted, but I agree with the others that it does. Belt behind the back seems like a good approach too.

That sweater. Jesus, all I can see now is the world’s creepiest vajazzle.

Browns proper sale is on for EU shoppers as of today. I didn’t even have time to look which is just as well.

Mr Flo has um ... singular taste so his approval is not quite the vote of confidence it ought to be. He agrees it doesn't look so good belted - in fact that was the first thing he said.

Gorgeous coat, flo. Adding to the brlt looks better done up at the back club. Lovely colour and the photo of the back shows the waxed cotton nicely.

at Elle and the world's creepiest vajazzle. Not sure that's what flo meant when she was asking for a Grinch emoticon .

belt, obviously

If someone can carry that jacket off is you Flo!
Yesterday on my minuscule screen I saw it and wasn’t entirely convinced but today I saw it on my bigger iPad screen and you have my approval (if that is worth anything).
I don’t see an issue with the belt at the back, in general I prefer most coats that way.
How is the fit of the hood? That would be a deal breaker for me, if it is a perfect fit for you , I had annoying coats in the past that the hood would keep riding back when walking for instance. But I expect that one will be a great fit.
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I found a second hand Joshua Ellis 100 cashmere yellow scarf and I am delighted.
Bonus point is woven in England that does meet your approval flo
Specially as my neck is a lot better but still a bit sensitive after that rash.
Btw - only moisturising with a plain very gentle one seems to do the trick and I think I might have found the culprit... clarins double serum, a couple of months ago I got a pot tempted as my friend with amazing skin wears that (I bet her genes give her that skin .. not the serum) anyhow since then I think I have had on and off redness in that area and two days ago I used it a bit again and the redness exacerbated..-

Oh I'm not surprised to hear Clarins being the possible culprit. It's a brand riddled with common irritants, specifically the types that are slow to show, like most of the skincare nonsense marketed as 'natural'. That serum was very overhyped when it came out and was very much all marketing, no performance. You can probably get a refund if you complain that it gave you a rash.

I've started on Derry Girls with a bit more effort to understand the high speed accents and think I'm getting the hang of it. Watch this space, I was very much convinced I could not only understand but also speak fluent Danish after binge watching two seasons of Borgen 🤦 It is somewhat nostalgic for me too, the characters are probably a few years older than me but I recognise (and can still sing along) with the awful pop music and remember the stupid specific dances that went with them too I don't even recall how we all knew these dances, probably just from watching MTV too much. I also appreciate how they've intertwined the weighty political stuff into it. I'm wondering how young Flo assumes I am for not remembering the troubles, might be a non UK thing going by some of the MN threads I've read on how much those in the rest of the UK were aware of it all? It was nightly news here for as long as I can remember watching the news and I remember being really surprised the GFA was reached and that it seemed to actually be upheld, naive little me thought there'd be peace in the Middle East next.

It was a generic 'you' bo. Northern Ireland was the backdrop to growing up for me but I'm v conscious that the Good Friday Agreement was 20 years ago and that my 21-year old studied The Troubles at school, alongside WW2. Plus the Irish border barely got a mention in the run up to the Brexit referendum.

Thank you for all the Barbour comments, especially to Red Can I carry it off is very much the question, especially now I can't wear it belted, Lauren Hutton style. I need to think of another way of conveying the insouciance. The hood is good thanks - it all works on a practical level but I want a coat I'd be equally happy to wear when it's not raining

The Troubles in Northern Ireland were definitely part of the news when I was growing up. I remember bomb scares on the tube, never leave a bag unattended etc.