Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: "You gotta have style. It helps you get down the stairs." - Diana Vreeland

[botemp]

Lovers of Parisian style and fashion with a conscious mindset and lots of chatter in between.

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Consignment shops, Vintage, and Restaurants

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I like the navy dress, bani. But if I was being picky, I would say the waist is a bit high. I'm short waisted and it's an issue I often have. It is lovely, though.
Hi quirky I don’t get this. I would have thought short waisted meant most waistlines are too low, because designed for a longer body? I have this problem (except in trying to buy a one piece swimsuit a few months ago where several surprised me by being short in the body, including to an extent one I kept because online shopping and lockdowns)

Luggage if you have an old cashmere sweater that you’re comfortable experimenting with, it’s pretty easy to cut off the sleeves and turn it into a vest / inner layer. I’ve done it (rather I should say I got it done) with a few that had stains or moth / bra wire holes and it’s a great way to give them a new lease of life.

Also, if you’re feeling really craft-tastic, the sleeves can be turned into uber-snug bed socks (but you need to seam them carefully to get the shape right and avoid uncomfortable lumps around the toes)

Making your own bed socks. Living the dream

I am curious too times, I get the swimsuit problem and with certain tops, although tops is less an issue as there are so many but swimsuit ... a pain.
Shang aww bed socks I love it though. I am taking a couple of days off ... maybe that is what I do?!

@ShangPie please tell me more! I do have a few old holey cashmere sweaters. How do you cut them up, do they not fray?

time, I'm not sure why, exactly - perhaps those talented dressmakers on this thread know why, but lots of belts/waistlines can come up too high on me. I am quite tall, so don't know if that affects it. I'm particularly shorter between my waist and hips, rather than just my whole torso, so maybe it makes waistbands sit too high on me.

luggage, it's the first proper snow this year for us. We've had plenty of very cold days, but now it's our turn, it seems. I did keep thermals under my jeans yesterday. Most of our house isn't too bad, but the east facing upstairs rooms have been draughty with the wind. The window gaps have been taped up.

I have been smiling inwardly at all the articles about wearing denim in lockdown, as if it's a new thing. I have certainly been living in jeans/denim skirts as it's practical to get on the floor for home learning with dd2 and going to the park etc. Not quite warm enough for my denim blazer, though!

I took them to a tailor and paid the local rate of about £3.50 per top for them to do it I realize you’re all competent sewers (as in people who sew, not drainage)

BUT I checked online and saw tutorials that demonstrated how it could be done, and I confirmed with the tailor that it wouldn’t fray and totally wreck the sweater. I think what they did was to cut off the sleeves just above the armhole seam, then re-shape the vest armholes with a slight hem. The sweater I tried it with was a little shrunken so the side seam didn’t need to be reshaped into a tighter vest, but this should be quite easy to do if needed?

I've not tried anything as creative as that but I'll chop a couple of inches off a jumper when it's too long. I roll the hem a couple of times, press and um..... leave it. I've never had it unravel.

I can never remember which is short waisted and which is long, but my waist sits quite high, so shorter (but not belly revealing) tops and jumpers often work better for me - which is why I sometimes take the scissors to them.

I know someone who knits all her own socks. She regards me as a dilettante.

It's full-on thermals here today in the southwest, with tiny fine flakes of snow falling! Plus leather jeans, hiking boots, two sweaters and that's indoors. Fingers crossed that the oil company delivers sharpish... it's a new tank and we're not familiar with how often we need supplies. Hat, scarf, gloves and warmest down jacket before I venture out with XingDog.

Is Nordic walking just a thing we do here? It's cross country skiing without the skis (so with the sticks and it's basically a practice), it's very popular with the retired crowd.

I don't know if I can be persuaded to go cross country skiing in Sweden but I'm more than eager to hop on a plane to Stockholm or Malmö 👍

Quirky you're not short waisted then, that means you have a short torso, you're long waisted by your description.

I'm intrigued by the DIY cashmere thermals, is it not too hot? I have some silk/wool mix thermals and those are really thin (but very warm, but crucially don't overheat me in a department store or similar).

I ordered some jeans actually, somewhat outside of my comfort zone as they have suspenders so they're halfway to dungarees 😬 I must be losing it to the forced snow confinement. NAP is a bit slow to dispatch though, I'll see if I can still access the pictures was the last pair (also got some more sandals/flip flops because I seem to be desperately holding onto the idea of summer being a time when we can actually go out and do stuff).

I'm not worried about the cashmere thermals being too hot (there's no such thing as too hot for me unless it's 33 degrees) but bulk is a concern - the cashmere jumpers I have are all of thicker, waffle or ribbed variety. I do have a Uniqlo merino jumper, I'll have a got with that. Will report.

This also inspired me to have a go making a vest (the one you wear over your shirt variety), I have a gorgeous lambswool jumper from Toast that has shrunk, it could be a fun project.

Wool thermals: I haven't purchased from Dilling, but they seem promising, not badly priced and often have offers. They have country specific sites incl NL and UK. I wouldn't consider a jumper ever as a "thermal" but def as a layer. On the occassions when I've gone skiing (a grand total of I think 5 times in my life) I've worn wool long johns (as we've always called them ) a thin wool top and an old ratty thinner merino wool jumper on top. Then ski pants and padded jacket and I'm good to go.

Bani next time I am allowed out for want to go cross country skiing in Sweden 🇸🇪
For someone who comes from warm latitudes, I absolutely love the snow, I learnt to ski only a few years ago and I am completely hooked.
I love walking in the snow too. Here I take ds out for walks in any weather (including treacherous rain), helps that we have a dog now too.
I don’t mind the cold, what I cannot stand is the interminable grey, damp days.
shangpie The vest looks great and very toasty, I would probably take mine to the tailors too ... although I doubt my local will charge £3.50. that is a great price! I will investigate though.

We're having a stretch of absoutely beautiful winter weather here Red, you'd love it. Glittering crisp white snow, blue skies, sparkling sunshine, around -10. No muck, no dirt, no slush. Lifts your spirits!

Red that’s £3.50 equivalent in my local currency - I am based in Asia and tailors are much cheaper here.

I wanted a way to recycle a beautiful thick cashmere sweater that I was so sad to lose to moths and a too-hot hand wash. It’s worked out well, but as bani says, it’s not really a thermal. I treat it as a sleeveless layer in my overall multi-layer strategy to combat my reptilian cold (today I am wearing 4, of which 3 are cashmere )

Where in Asia is that cold? I’m thinking deepest Mongolia!

The name would suggest Shanghai, but South Korea is positively arctic in winter (and if you're there loads of lovely bag brands).

bo has it

It’s not that cold here in Shanghai - it’s around 8C but a few weeks back we had -10
However, we don’t have any central heating and the buildings are often made in a way that defy the laws of thermodynamics so it’s usually colder indoors. To balance it out, it’s also desperately hot and humid in the summer too, just to make it extra fun

Plus I am half-woman half-lizard, which doesn’t help.

I am also half lizard, it does make dressing harder when you need to be warm all the time! Mostly it means you opt out of things that don’t sit well under layers so a lot of frills and extra fabric features don’t work so well- I used that to filter my cos dress selection down at Christmas. I used to be so jealous of the uni students just wandering around in singlet tops while I needed several warm layers to get through sitting in chilly theatres. We’ve barely had a summer this year which is a downer.

@timeisnotaline ha yes I'm always the most dressed person at parties and dinners in the winter. How anyone can be actually warm without sleeves beyond September is just unfathomable. I compensate with big sparkly earrings and velvet tops.

@banivani thanks for the recommendation of Dilling, have you seen their tank tops in shops? The hem and edging look bulky on the website, I especially hate the bottom hem line visible through my trousers (I like to tuck in). But they may be finer irl.

That makes sense shangpie I thought £3.50 was way too cheap.
My ideal would be to live in the Italian Adriatic Sea, hot hot in the summer and 2 hrs drive from Dolomites.
Although when I was young(er) I dreamt of having a stint as a natural photographer in the attic circle. Talking of which the British museum is supposed to have a great exhibition about it ... I wonder if I will be able to see it in person ...
It is a maximum of -1 today here, the termic sensation -6 ... tomorrow -8 I am in the south of England .
South Korean ladies are impeccable dressed, or is that a certain type? shangai?
I worked in the Middle East and there were many first class cabin crew from South Korea, absolutely perfect skin and as I said enviable wardrobes. Some decided to come and live here in the uk, I supposed met their husbands there and then came here.
They always stood out in our circle of expats , we were less polished (my industry is more hard hat and boots ).
I still keep in touch with a couple that now live here and they are still the best dressed

bo I am now completely confused. I thought short-waisted=short torso . Anyway, I have a short torso which means waistbands can sit high on me, often at the bottom of my ribcage.

I think many years ago, I took the sleeves and collar off a teal, cashmere jumper. I must have followed a book or some such instructions. It worked quite well, but I can't remember how I did it now.

[quote luggageandbags]@banivani thanks for the recommendation of Dilling, have you seen their tank tops in shops? The hem and edging look bulky on the website, I especially hate the bottom hem line visible through my trousers (I like to tuck in). But they may be finer irl.[/quote]
I've never seen Dilling in the flesh at all (don't think they're sold in shops much?) but the reviews seem decent for the price. I'd trust Norwegians more than Danes when it comes to wool but you pay accordingly and Dilling's style is better than any Norwegian brand I've seen -- more variety in style and colour.

Red it’s hard to generalise in a city of 20+ million, but generally the esthetic is long dark hair and willowy, with a lot of social pressure to be skinny and pale-skinned. There are definitely tribes emerging - street style, some ‘Swedish architects’ etc - but I’d say generally people here are fashionable rather than stylish.
Certainly, since a lot of clothes are produced in China, it’s very easy to access fast fashion very cheaply, so there’s not really a sense of buying quality to last.
Many are very brand-conscious and have high disposable income to buy luxury items. I lived here about 15 years ago, and almost everyone was wearing/carrying fakes, but this time around it seems like the majority have the real deal (or maybe the fakes just got better )

Yes, things must have moved on. I was in Shanghai during the SARS epidemic which is too long ago to contemplate but I'm thinking £3.50 for an alteration is rather dear compared to those days. Property was already becoming insanely expensive then though.

Quirky a short waisted person would have a shorter distance between shoulders and waist, they'd struggle to get the waist up high enough to meet their actual waist. I agree it's confusing, I'm guessing your top half is proportionally smaller to the bottom half, technically that should be short waisted too as that's not long waisted either but you have opposite issues, it's really about the distance between waist and shoulders that determines it, not bottom vs half proportions although both will be pretty influential to how your body is read. Eg. The 90s supermodels were relatively short waisted but otherwise in proportion so they had the appearance of a full bust and legs that went on for days very different to the long waisted waives that succeeded them who also had proportionally long legs but it wasn't very noticeable.