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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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:

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Deux

Trois

Quatre

Cinq

Six

Sept

Huit

Neuf

Dix

Merch in celebration of our tenth (previous) thread:

Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet shop

Sorry for the short lived panic, I can only blame autocorrect and my slovenly attempts at proof reading my posts

Go for it Bani, I'd love to know how the trousers turn out.

I'd love a reason to buy all the linen summer dresses, but know we won't have the weather to make the investment.

Elle some elasticated waists are terrible some are not... and as a rule you thin people can get away with more. But I think it’s impossible and a bit stupid to make a firm rule of it. 👩‍🎓

Thisname stick around until 2022 and you might finally see something I make 😉🙄😂

Haven’t bought the dress (couldn’t go to the shop today). If it’s still there tomorrow it MIGHT be fate. Have set up Vestiaire alert.

Special dispensation from FWR... Ooh the possibilities. But, oi, is Bani allowed to call me hysterical 🤔

Vinted is normally across markets but it depends where you are. In non Covid19 times I had access to Spain, France, Luxembourg and Belgium as well. The UK is on its own IIRC. They're originally from Estonia or somewhere Baltic so I'm not sure how many markets there are tbh, I do suspect they intend to connect them all at some point.

Well I hope I'm not as prescient with the next title as I had set aside Restez chez vous bordel! (Stay home, FFS!) As a perfect combination of secretly swearing in French in case we're bolted out of here.

I need to catch up with sewing bee, I keep forgetting the night it is on. The Palazzo trousers were nice from last week(?). I actually sewed something yesterday afternoon. Not clothes but a good little project to get back into it, and discover I'm not actually that awful and I can still thread the needle with the first try ⭐. It's an upcycled (old flannel pillowcases and a new but long unused pillowcase) to make a heated bonnet (CGM thing they cost a fair bit) with organic flaxseed inside (had a bunch left over from a CGM DIY hairgel that was just too much effort to do every time you wash your hair). It's not actually finished as I have to replace the woven fabric as it doesn't like being round and is fraying too much. I finished it with my machine's closest stitch to an overlocker but to no avail. It's not a total loss because I also need to add a few diagonal stitches in the middle of the heated pad as the squares in the middle see the flaxseeds move down too much when it's on. But I did try it last night and it works brilliantly, my hair is ridiculously shiny

We're contemplating a trip to Greece as they haven't been as hard hit and opening up again for tourists end of June. It's all a bit up in the air right now and I'm still unconvinced of going somewhere else to sit around and not do anything 🤷

Elasticated waists, I like the mullet approach, normal business at front, with a zipper ideally and stretchy at back.

Whilst I've got you here Elle, the local pyjamas from a small business you ordered but were going to send back, were they Moon and Mellow by any chance? I'm eyeing them up but the cotton looks a little transparent on the white. And I'm a bit at what exactly is luxury cotton. You can call anything that...

Name, where's the good linen hiding on the internet? Also, from years of misuse I discovered yesterday my scissors are no longer their best, any standout brand/model that I should get which won't bankrupt me? Or should I go mad like Bani and get a rotary cutter? I've always wanted one

Merchant and mills have a beautiful line of European laundered linen.

The Fabric Store in New Zealand have a beautiful collection, but shipping and duties pushes up the cost significantly. They also have beautiful Merino's and silk velvets.

thefabricstoreonline.com/

The Cloth House in Soho also has a nice collection.

www.clothhouse.com/linen

And also www.metermeter.dk, whom I saw now have linen jersey which I will definitely be buying for a couple of summer tees.

I'd definitely recommend a rotary cutter over scissors, although you do need to be careful to not slice your tissue patterns with careless cutting. It is much much easier to weigh down slippery fabrics and rotary cut around them than use scissors in my opinion. You may also find laying silks on top of tissue paper easier for cutting too, much less likely to shift. I'd also recommend getting decent silk pins too, they are much sharper so less likely to damage your fabric.

Well I'm not too concerned about how you or bani or anyone else refers to chickens, which is very, very bad and species-ist of me but there we are. I should probably add, as a caveat, that my relationship with FWR is occasionally as fractious as it is with S&B.

I am smitten by the whole Merchant and Mills vibe and convinced that, by the end of the summer, I'll be wafting around in my own creations, and will never need to save up for Toast or Margaret Howell again.

Yes, I've ordered tissue paper and the special tissue paper made of silk for patterning to be used with silk. I still have some silk needles but I'll check them before moving onto silk proper.

Does the make of the rotary cutter matter? As someone who uses exacto knives a fair bit, I know there's a huge difference in quality of those. The most common one they sell in fabric shops here is from Prym, then there's lots of cheaper ones that I look at with suspicion but I suspect the Prym is just a bit average like most of the tools the fabric shops sell here.

Chickens outnumber us 6:1 in the Netherlands, Flo, I'm somewhat scared of them due that statistic...

I think that's very wise. As I understand it, birds were around long before humans and I'm sure they'll have the last laugh.

Ooh just seen that Merchant and Mills say they're hoping to re-open their website 'very soon'...

I got myself a Prym rotary cutter and it's absolutely fine. I spent more time looking for a good mat - I wanted one that was reasonably big. :) About a2 size I think I got in the end. Your cap looks great Bo! I'm impressed at how even your stitching is, you'll be sewing everything soon at this rate. A rotary cutter is really handy for curved shapes like that, incidentally.

Flo I look forward to the new, homemade you.

I'm so envious of all of you and your planned creations.

A heated bonnet sounds like just the thing to finish off my WFH outfit! Well done in the make. My experiments with CGM continue.

The pajamas are Moon & Mellow. Wolf and Badger had a discount so they were 25% off. I went for the pale pink pattern as I was concerned about transparency of the white and I liked the pattern. They're slightly transparent in the way that light cotton is, but I'd have no issue wearing them in front of my MIL if that's a useful measure.. . I took some photos of them in and out of sunlight, please excuse the post-sleep rumpled nature of them. The seams are nicely finished and the cotton is smooth and neither heavy nor flimsy. I'd struggle to say that they're worth the price as they were expensive, but at the same time I can't fault them and it's nice to support local makers. They shipped directly from M&M despite ordering through W&B.

Well I’m after buying the dress now. If nothing else it’s 350 to charity, that’s my justification.

I looked up moon and mellow now and am sort of thinking that your wan who founded it is a bit of a South Dublin sort of type so it might be a load of marketing. But I’m cynical that way ;)

Sorry, forgot to thank Name previously for all the helpful linen links. I love the ones from Cloth House but £20 shipping to Europe I'm convinced I should be able to get some nice Belgian linen from next door (the Antwerp designers always have lovely stuff) but all Google offers me is curtains and bedding. I suspect that isn't ideal for clothing.

The Pryms turn out to be the Olfa ones, it even says it on there quite clearly and they seem to be a good make, so I'll probably get those. Is the 45mm the most versatile? I obviously now want them in all sizes Also, how often do you replace the blade, should I buy extras with it?

I pinned out my Pull & Bear tulip trousers, I wasn't sure whether to keep on stabbing like a voodoo doll or if you just prick alongside it with a pin. Used foam core instead of cardboard as I always have that around. I'm not convinced about the amazing qualities of the building rubble bags, sort of glad for it because the shop had the worst social distance adherence ever. What is about short men, especially? They're terrible at it (sorry for the generalisation short men).

I digress, anyhow, I think I managed okay with the tracing (difficult with the elastic waist), I was a bit unsure but after attaching them they seemed to be okay. We'll see when my fabric finally bloody arrives but it was a lot more accurate than tracing with a marker so thanks for the tip. Question, the waist is really simple, folded over with just elastic underneath, shoddy fast fashion finishing. Do you think it's just an economic thing that there's not a proper waistband and could I add one or would I then no longer be able to get it on over thighs as easily?

Bani I have a cutting table (for model making), it's one giant cutting mat on legs

Thanks Elle, yes that is thinner than I'd like for that (full) price. And those seams (French ones!) are what I'll be using on all my garments as I don't have an overlocker. Lovely cheerful jellyfish though, thankfully not sad washed up ones

I'm scrapping the plans for the silk kaftan for now though, I originally bought the practice fabric for that but I want to use it for the practice cami and trousers for now so I can wear it as a pyjama. I need to find a more reliable delivery place though, I was drawn to this one as I paid €10 for six months of unlimited free shipping which seemed ideal but not so much if it takes weeks for them to ship anything IKEA is open again here, that's where I used to buy practice fabric for very cheap but apparently it's ridiculously busy and you stand in line for hours to get in. IKEA is hell under ordinary circumstances, who are these weirdos chomping at the bits to go to IKEA?

What is a South Dublin type, yummy mummy, used car salesman, or criminal 😬

It’s a Yummy mummy or daddy who may have a mid-Atlantic drawl for some unknown reason, obsessed with which school you went to even though you left 20 years ago and names their children pretentious Irish names. That’s the brief version. Everyone I know from the south side (who’ll deign to associate with a Northside like me) believes that they are not a typical “southsider”. The south side of the city has a greater concentration of “naice” areas, but it would be safe to say that any area on the bay in Dublin is also nice, north or south.

Ah, that sounds just like a D4 Dub there Bani. Luckily they don't have as many notions in Galway

I am envious of your cutting table Bo. I've an A1 on the dining table, which is handy, but would be much better at kitchen counter height.

I was once married to a short man, they are definitely a funny bunch (apologies for the gross generalisation it anyone is married to a shorter than average!).

I here Matt Damon is now a Dalkey citizenBani.

Elastic waistbands without zips are tricky unless well drafted. The Pietra Pants by Closet Case are a good example. They have a nappy like back unless you take out the excess and put in a zip.

I'd say it depends of how much of a pear you are. The Demi pants are an elastic waist if I remember correctly, you could but the pattern and use it as a template for the trousers you are copying.

French seams for the win, I am always surprised at how many more expensive brands use overlock rather than French seams, particularly See by Chloe.

French Connection however are very good, or at least were, for French seaming. I also thought Ganni was very well put together.

Not of course that I go round Brown Thomas checking out the seams!

Hear even. I really need to check my grammar!

Cos men's shirts have French seaming, very delicate ones at that (about half the size of the M+M seams). Not sure about the women's, I only have a long shirt and that's in the washing machine currently but I don't think it has it. Equipment always have them, my dress even has an interesting detail where it turns in at 45° to finish it off above a slit. My Ganni things aren't particularly well made and the See by Chloe things are pretty old, it was nicely made then (under Phoebe Philo) not sure how it is these days. I'm always really impressed by the finishing on 3.1 Phillip Lim. This silk top, (another Vinted find, think it was €3) has the most delicate finish, the inside (pic 1) looks like the outside and it's all very precise. I'm still trying to figure out how it looks almost invisible on the front (pic 2) you really only notice it up (very) close. Lovely rolled hems on it too.

Seams reveal a lot, don't they. It's all in the seams. So what seam is D4? A mechanical blind hem, pretty on the outside but don't look too closely

Thanks, I'll stick to the original version to try first and then I can always mess about with a waistband. I have a pair (from Ganni funnily enough) that I could use as reference.

My post starts with "Cos men's" but that's pretty impossible to read on mobile.

Elle described the South Dub well there ;) I have family from that side but not the worst sort at all

I’m very envious of the massive cutting table talk about things being easier!

I wouldn’t worry about replacement blades for the rotary cutter or anything just get used to it first! They last a fairly good while. Then you’ll know what you like and want.

Can’t see myself ever with the patience for a French seam but they look nice and are of course necessary for thin fabrics or it looks so shoddy. But the advantage of not finishing seams too nicely is that alterations are easier

Apparently this is the ultimate sign of the fashion times a-changing: Anna Wintour in sweatpants.

www.vogue.com/article/anna-wintour-introduces-vogue-global-conversations

Seams will be my downfall probably. I cannot imagine ever being arsed to finish them prettily. The same goes for making a toile first.

No need to be envious Elle, at least not of me. I am living in a fantasy world.

Anna Wintour, good Lord. I do declare her hair's a bit shorter too

The thought of Anna Wintour cutting her own hair in sweatpants is rather terrifying. The world truly has gone to pot

I find the whole finishing and making aspect of sewing the most enjoyable. I'm fascinated by patterns as they're both 2D and 3D at once, it's just a shame that back when I learned to sew there were only really terrible frumpy patterns around. The end results are slightly less of interest all in all.

I do need to learn to enjoy the whole process, otherwise this is never going to work. Unfortunately I hail from the 'That'll do' school of creativity.

bo, I have no idea whether you are at all interested in housing for elder social care or involved, but get yourself into the FT website and read the article entitled The old are not equally vulnerable. For anyone professionally involved in architecture and living environments, it's a really important piece of journalism, IMHO. Because I am 63, this is something DH and I spend time considering, and I'd like to think that architects are taking it very seriously rather than leaving us confined in rabbit hutches.