Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: Ce n'est pas bon de faire du lèche-vitrines avec de l'argent en poche

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Lovers of Parisian style and fashion with a conscious mindset and lots of chatter in between. Feel free to join in

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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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Merch in celebration of our tenth (previous) thread:

Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet shop

Bo how long have you been in lockdown now? Hope you feel better.
Flo, Elle wishing you well.
Bani, I think you need a rest
Quirky? Xing? Sorry I cannot remember it all ...

Btw- I watched the Karen Brit chick video the last one I think , wanted to distract myself and I ended up feeling worse not her doing, I know, [sorry Karen if you read this] I wish some of the people she had put were a bit more “average” not giving a s** how they looked in front of a camera... don’t get me wrong, it was nice to see what some of them were wearing while in lockdown, but I felt this is all very unrealistic... yes, some of them can make an effort and all that, but I needed something “funny” what people were wearing I am not sure...
maybe a bit unfair but just wanted to vent.
On the other hand I enjoyed the article shared by Flo, because of that very reason. If you cannot give a shit about what you wearing is absolutely fine.

We're not on lockdown, just have restricted measures. Our PM has coined it an 'intelligent' lockdown, in comparison to other countries we have some freedoms (especially WRT movement) that others don't but the main measures for containment are the same. The government has expressed a lot of confidence in the public to adhere and so far that appears to have been well placed. We have a very vivid WW2 memory so things like an army out on the streets enforcing strict measures or neighbours narcing on each other for not adhering would go down very badly here.

The measures were introduced gradually week by week (we're in week 5 now approximately) with things getting stricter every time, it feels like a lifetime away now but people have adapted well for the most part as we were fed the bitter pill bit by bit. New measures will be announced this Tuesday as a set of measures will expire on April 6th but those will likely be extended. I'm not sure any further limiting measures will be announced as our strictest measures (so far) are in effect until June 1st.

I viewed that Karen Britchick video very differently. I felt kind of sad for those people to make such a thing of their appearance in quarantine, though I think it's more related to how I cope personally. If I'm overly obsessed with my appearance or baking the entire day away or a lot of other 'coping' means that on the surface appear productive like a lot of people are grabbing hold of now, then I'm not in a good space at all, the very opposite of coping, it's masking myself and isolating me from help. People around me know this and will be, rightly, greatly concerned. Perhaps it's just projection but I do feel it's something universal at the moment and not specific to only me.

I do think there's something very distasteful about showing off right now (and there was quite a bit of that in the video and it's running pretty rampant on social media in general) of this competitive 'I'm doing this quarantining thing better than you! Look at how put together I am. This is my Instagram handle.' It's rather ludicrous to be positioning yourself as an expert in coping through a pandemic when it's new to us all. It's all just massive overcompensating of insecurities and anxieties and behind the scenes they're probably not doing well at all or in denial and heading towards a form of breakdown but this narrative helps them delay that, and in turn worsening the situation long term. It's unhealthy to yourself but also to be imposing that on others who probably are coping better despite not being or feeling like superwoman but now suddenly feel they're falling short and the limited form of healthy coping they were doing isn't good enough.

I think Johnson was probably hoping for intelligent lockdown here and who knows, if it hadn't been for that sunny weekend, he might have managed it.

I am finding the conspicuous non-consumers equally annoying - you know, the ones who barge in to tell you how this has made them realise they don't need material things, thereby signalling to the world that they're just as needy, in their own way, as the rest of us.

Also annoying me today: posting photos of trees and the sea alongside a soothing message. I know a lot of people - probably a lot of you - find nature comforting. I don't. Nature is terrifying. And besides, the sea will be fine, nature will be fine, it's the human race that's in the shit.

I raise you the twee quote nature lovers (although they're often one and the same) with this is mother nature's way of balancing out all the horrible things we do to her who cares about your loved ones dying

It's annoying because the response to this crisis is a good parallel to how we respond to climate change and what happens when you ignore and deny (see the US) and respond with foresight and trust the experts and their data.

Probably, as an intelligent lockdown limits the damage the economy as much as possible under circumstances and means we are not paying out non essential businesses closing costs. But I think the UK is too large to get away with it. You have actual distance within the country so the idea of, it doesn't affect us can be pretty widespread. Sweden is still an outlier with a very relaxed approach which shows there's no one right way about it as far as we can tell at this moment (although I've seen one Swede claim, we didn't need to be told to keep 1.5m distance, that is already the Swedish way). Although Brasil is definitely not the way to go, we can probably assess that at this point.

I think the worst about the conspicuous non consumers is their insistence that now that they don't need anything others don't need anything too and stop consuming you're putting postal workers at risk by exposing them to every door, etc.

Preachiness and attention seeking. The constant need for approbation. They're exhausting. The people who find comfort in painting their toenails are more self sufficient, and that's a quality we desperately need right now.

I'm grumpy today aren't I. It probably means I'm feeling better.

Well that's good to hear, it means you can now get back to work on world peace through the medium of miniature toe nail paintings

Now this, unlike photos of trees, made me laugh:
www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/mar/30/astrophysicist-gets-magnets-stuck-up-nose-while-inventing-coronavirus-device

Agree Flo I find equally annoying those nature photos with messages... yes I am a nature lover but more on a scientific sense, I have always had a scientific mind and curiosity and the planting etc is more one of my coping mechanisms of doing stuff, like others bake or whatever.
I think I definitely don’t put in my Insta (not that I have one) inspirational phrases.
I still feel up and down on this whole thing so today cocooned in grey sweatshirt and loose cotton trousers.
I found the weekend particularly hard, during the week is easier as I still work and I have some routine with DS, which is hard work but a routine gives me a sense of control ... completely false I know but right now is the only thing I feel I have ... control within my four walls... even that is touch and go

Interesting to see how different countries implemented the “lock downs”

One of the things I find tricky is this feeling of my liberties being taken away (which I respect and adhere) but it touches raw memories in me as a person who lived through right wing dictators and de facto governments in South America. This time the source of the restrictions is a non political being but intrinsically a nature being but I realised that is touching a raw nerve in me.

There's a noticeable improvement in air quality locally because there are so few vehicles around and the sky is almost devoid of contrails. The air seems clearer; colours sparkle more intensely. But yes, I'm fed up with smug divas goddessing everywhere.

I keep considering painting my toenails until I remember that I am terrible at it. Plus, it's still too cold to put away my mohair socks.

The phrase I want to repeat on all the gloomy threads is: No one here is getting out alive! But most people around here seem to be taking life at a steady, much slower pace and doing lockdown intelligently.
I am wearing exactly the same sort of things I always wear but looking longingly at the light summer stuff.

Thank you for the link to Liberty's sale bo... I put the jacket in my basket, but haven't paid yet because I am dithering about where the pockets will sit on my body. If they are breast height, I think the effect could be more matron than fashion.

Ah, yes, magnet man, read that this morning too

It is very different from country to country, red, whilst the approach has been very apolitical here (the minister of health had to tap out due to exhaustion as he worked so hard on it all hours, and he was replaced by someone from an opposition party which is really unheard of) but we do have two liberal parties in our current coalition of four so I think that has made a major impact on the limitation on personal freedoms. There have been no measures taken like calling a state of emergency or special laws introduced to give special privileges, they're managing fine within the extent of their executive power and parliament is still in function to hold it to account, albeit in a slimmed down form.

I can definitely understand that it was unpleasant in the UK that it went from zero to a hundred from one day to the next when it had all been Johnson boasting he was still shaking hands with everyone up until that point. I think that would disturb me more, the feeling that something can be taken away in seconds, without notice, as well as the sense that the good behaviour of most is ignored and everyone is punished by the misdeeds of a few.

Magnet man!!! Made my day!

One great advantage to not being on lockdown is that there is no social media shite about how to manage and learn to dance or whatever.

I too am worried about how readily everyone hands away our human rights over this. Worry that we won’t so easily snap back - this problem isn’t going away and there will be calls for permanent surveillance, mandatory testing etc. There seems to be a large segment on MN who think this is par for the course but so far I’ve managed to not post that I see the spirit of Oswald Mosley is alive and well. V proud of self as Bridget would say.

Here are some shops that keep popping up on my Facebook feed:
euro.saintandsofia.com/ I quite fancy this. Is it worth it?twothirds.com/ quite fancy some of the jumpers. Does Xing fancy the jackets?
www.mirta.com/ bags. I dunno.
alpaknitwear.se/ WEAR THE ALPACKA WEAR IT.

Yes I dropped into AIBU a couple of days ago and backed away quickly. Women of Mumsnet, this is not the Blitz spirit!

The emergency legislation feels a bit unreal and, if I'm absolutely honest, I hadn't thought about it too deeply which, yes you are right, is exactly how bad stuff happens. Maybe it's because we don't have the experience of occupation or dictatorship in our collective memory - it makes us more blase / complacent. I think the lack of an effective opposition here is also a concern.

I have work to do this week (as opposed to loafing around and looking out for emails) and it's not going well. I cannot concentrate without a bit of chit chat. But I'm still trying to wear my most impractical clothes so today it's the tailored harems - a holiday purchase a couple of years ago and not a judicious one. I'll nominate them for the 'Wear your mistakes' thread too and, if I can't get through the day in them when there's only my husband to point and laugh then even I will consign them to the Marie Kondo home for unloved clothing.

bani I've not seen any of those links before and will enjoy having a look but had better wait until I take a break (so about 5 minutes).

had better wait until I take a break (so about 5 minutes).

The blitz spirit is a myth. I thought Foyle's War had proved that?

Very intrigued by "tailored harems"?

As regards my stress levels, I would like to inform you that today I have tried and failed to instruct people how to take screen shots/dumps over the phone (resulting in them taking a photo of the screen instead). I am now going to act as computer support for a colleague who regards ctrl+enter as unnecessary when writing long documents. Wish me luck.

I have been rather thankful one too many times these last few days that the Germans never made it to Britain going by the zeal of some posters on here. I do wish MN would disable the ability to post in all caps, it's way too SHOUTY on here...

The financial times article I posted previously (here it is
again, didn't notice there was an audio version previously, doesn't sound like a bot at all, I'm quite impressed) really goes into the dangers of these emergency legislations because all too often the temporary just becomes the new order. See also, Orbán yesterday

Bani, I'm now convinced you're not really real, but rather a character from one of those parody shows about the mundanity of office work and inept colleagues. If someone sent me a photo of a screen instead of a screenshot, something would be thrown out of the window alongside some expletives and shouts...

WRT Facebook trying to scam you into buying questionable stuff, my brutal impressions:

Saint and Sofia looks like a rip off of the Kooples and photographs just as cheaply too. Style over substance, I fear, wrong fabric choices for the item of clothing. I doubt it'll look any good in RL.

Two thirds, every t-shirt I've seen photographed has a construction flaw in it, varying from minor to pretty damn big. All the cuts are pretty simple, a little too simple to do anything complimentary on most. It'll be one of those Russian roulette internet brands, some stuff unexplainably nice, the majority crap.

Mirta, I smell a scam but I've not read through the entire terms and conditions to bother to verify, but the bags are made to order, that usually means you're not allowed to return it or you get a voucher. Aside from that bit of an odd assortment of styles, I liked the marsupial bag but too much money.

I will not wear the alpaca because poor Mr Model on the homepage under 'Hem' is wearing the world's most ill fitting cardigan and seems to be finished off with an unrolled condom as a hat the women's stuff, meh, it all looks very catalogue wear at a higher price point (if I'm getting my SEK to EUR conversion right).

The story of magnet man really tickled me especially the medical notes.

Bani my blood pressure was rising just reading that. I once had to work with a guy who mansplained to me a very useful tool that I may not have heard of.... the sniping (sic) tool. The only thing that I wanted to snipe was him.

I was really enjoying giving the curly girl method a go and also just practicing good skin care and no make up, but someone decided that our morning exec committee meeting should be done on zoom so the make up is back and I'm using the scarf trick.

I ordered some PJs from a local company based on the description of the long legs, but I think they may have to go back.

I am trying to avoid spending too much time on social media. We're trying to juggle work and childcare and doing neither particularly well. It's best if I avoid all the wonderful crafts that everyone else is doing, not to mention the meditation practice.

I've just had a Wellbeing Newsletter from work, telling me to relax and listen to nature.

Nature is killing us you bleeding great arses.
I'd rather have a photo of a screen - at least that would make me laugh.

flo, that reminds of a very terrible "how not to be stressed" lecture I had at the end of teacher training, from a lecturer who had never actually taught, telling us to eat a cream cake and have a bath! Useless.

Another one who has had Saint and Sofia ads, not just on fb but also Instagram and Pinterest. Mostly for a wool (?) scarf with "Rock and Roll" printed on it. The rest of my fb feed is full of what everyone else is doing with no school and live videos from people who are obviously very bored!

Listen to nature, do they assume you're that weirdo who always bought those sounds of the rainforest and whale song CDs in coffee shops?

Bani, you've been too quiet for too long now. Have you virtually strangled your coworker with a printer cable?

I made the mistake of opening a thread about dyeing your hair pink that was instantly deemed NOT ESSENTIAL

Oh dear. I hadn't opened that thread, not having ever had pink hair.

Someone's going to come along soon and tell us off for laughing aren't they?

TAAT we could be taken down in a giant NON essential pink cloud Ah well, we'll always have magnet man 👃

Bani, I'm now convinced you're not really real, but rather a character from one of those parody shows about the mundanity of office work and inept colleagues.

See all those shows are funny because they're true. This is life. And since I for example am quite shit at excel I am part of the problem haha. One of my colleagues is no doubt bitching about me somewhere.

I strangled no-one. But when the print screen woman said "oh my god I feel so stupid I can't work it out" on the phone I didn't say "oh don't worry about it it's normal" or similar that's as far as it goes.... My day ended with the network breaking down and all the changes I'd made in two documents not being saved. Hepp! I went home. WFH today in my pyjamas so far.

Enjoyed your takedown of the Facebook ads, I heartily concur. But if Saint Sophia (who, by the way, are popping up here and there as "faves" on MN S&B, can't help but wonder if it's sneak PR posts but can't be arsed to research usernames in the name of paranoia) have genuinely as they claim managed to source good materials then the basic t-shirts could be worth it. Am also intrigued by the Camden trousers but would never dare buy online, it's the sort of thing that doesn't usually sit well over a pudgy belly.

Two thirds - some of the jumpers look quite nice but I agree with the terrible fits. And Alpa is ... very Swedish. Illustrates my problem with trying to buy quality. The places that might have nicer fabric have no style. But it seems a very sustainable brand that offers a repair service and a second hand shop, so I keep an eye on them. Who knows, they might hire a designer.

Speaking of pudgy bellys, this weeks free workout on Pilatesology is an "ab killer". pilatesology.com/free-at-home-workout/ I'm so out of shape, I couldn't hack it. You're all welcome to it. I do 3/5 maybe. Maybe.

Yesterday it was -6 here, today we're back to 5 degrees or so. I'm going to have to cancel my search for wool trousers soon.

Flo, just to cheer you up today

Yeah there's a kernel of truth in those shows but it's not a documentary. It's usually 24 inept employees and 1 capable one who is then socially inept. You don't sound like either. Or like mad Greta the cleaning lady who dusts with a cat on a stick.

I am highly suspicious of any MN "faves". Equally the idea of what constitutes quality seems to be very individual going by some of the which companies have the best quality threads.

Thanks but no thanks for the killer abs, I'll take the abs but I really dislike Pilates at a fast pace. And the teaser can bugger off too, I don't have the proportions/centre of gravity for it apparently 🤷