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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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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Huit Neuf Dix

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Merch created in honour of our ten thread anniversary:

Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet shop

Sorry bani I didn't mean to ignore your post. I cannot disagree with the exercise advice but my god it's such a joyless activity at the moment. I've always tried to incorporate it into my everyday life when possible, e.g. walking instead of driving to work or the shops or wherever, but it's so hard when there's nowhere to go.

Nah, the jeans I'm grabbing most are a fashion colour and shape atm and I don't have to think about them, they just go with anything and would work in a variation of situations (going by my random indoor shoe choices). I suppose at some point they will no longer be a fashion shape/colour but they'll just be casual then, it's magical 🤷

Aimless walking is the worst. I side eye anyone who continually goes on about how fun walking is atm 🧐

I think it would quite possibly be awesome if they just became a nondescript casual item, like say a sweatshirt. But what would we all talk about then? And what would happen to S&B?

I never want to go for a walk again. Ever. And especially not in the countryside.

@Floisme

I think it would quite possibly be awesome if they just became a nondescript casual item, like say a sweatshirt. But what would we all talk about then? And what would happen to S&B?

We'll get endless how old do my jeans look threads 🤦 beware the pouty jeans selfies

I think this might be the only group I don’t win what’s the oldest item in your wardrobe (that you wear) question.

Flo, you have lovely countryside to walk in but I know what you mean: I'd trade one of yours for one of my regular loops just for variety any day!

Interesting ruminations on the metaphysics of jeans. They are universal, but most people have to try on a lot to find the fit they like. I counted mine for another thread (15 pairs ). They're from about six companies, and they range from white/cream to grey/stone to denim, red and black denim, plus two olive. The oldest (not the most threadbare, which crown belongs to my favourite dogwalkers) must predate XingJr's birth...

I like the blazer red - looks good

With jeans I find that it’s the fact that they go with every colour that helps with the thrownonability. Yes it’s a word. Skinnies were handy in that there was no length consideration. With bootcut jeans that was a bit more of a consideration. The current shape is pretty versatile as it’s shorter IMO and sometimes cropped. There also isn’t really one totally dominant style which is good. I genuinely lol’d at the “What age do you think my jeans are?” posts.

Speaking of jeans and the death of the skinny. I bought a few wide legged models to try. Since I was paying P&P for 1 I got a few as jeans are generally really tricky for me. Photos to follow at the weekend.

I quite like the J+ collection, at least there won’t be competition from you lot. My favourites are the silk cotton blend long-sleeved polo and the two shirt dresses.

Lovely navy shirt prettybird beautiful sheen to it.

Bani it’s hard feeling that way. What about a wide-legged pallazo pant?

It’s just as well I have boys as I would definitely be hitting H&M x Simone Rocha hard if I had girls. I may try to grab the boys the red cable sweaters though. They’re really nice. I quite like the mens cable knitwear and macs too, but I won’t buy anything

If I try to read back any further my post will become obsolete so I’m hitting post now before I get pulled away again.

Ha people tell me how lucky I am to live near such beautiful countryside but it's wasted on me I'm afraid. I do quite enjoy walking but I like there to be a destination, or a purpose - a dog would count. Driving out somewhere with the sole purpose of walking round in a big circle and then driving back home just leaves me cold. Plus I prefer looking at buildings to fields.

I probably won't be setting my alarm for 11th March but I must admit, I like the Simone Rocha collection far more than I expected to, particularly some of the bonkers stuff.

I do actually like the look of the silk dress for +J but it's a dolman sleeve (there's also a poplin shirt with similar shape that looks all sorts of easy to wear) and those sleeves just look weird on me, usually, but they didn't look very dolman on the modeling shots . If I could try it on in the shops I'd be much more excited about it, but for now it feels a bit too much like ordering loads to find the gems (from previous experience of what looked good and actually was good) and then sending back everything else.

I also quite like the bonkers exuberance of Simone Rocha but I just can't see me wearing it anywhere, even in formal dress situations it would be over the top here, it really has to be your style to wear casually and that's just not me, which is a shame because they do look like they're very well made (unlike the vampires shenanigans last December).

I do like the boys wool trousers that go with the adorable jumper, I'm wondering if I could squeeze into the largest size, but probably would be no good on my hips. I also like the men's tartan trousers and they have a t-shirt with a tule overlay that I quite like. I'm also quite tempted by this red check dress even though I'm fairly convinced it just isn't a good shape for me both in length and that type of sleeveless but it keeps catching my eye. There's also that frilly tule and tartan dress which I do really enjoy too but that would never get worn.

TL;DR, I'm obviously bored so may just end up ordering a boatload for some self induced stress (as I no longer remember what that is) just to play dress up...

A walk with purpose, and a destination, is always preferable. But in a dog owner's slightly biased view, a mission that gets the dog well-walked, and the shopping done on the same trip seems to tick the pandemic rules better. I haven't yet seen a police car on any of my walks, and haven't been asked to explain my movements at all. But I go down to a local coastal town to buy freshly landed fish, and I still shop wherever I want anyday I want to buy food. But this is a sprawly rural coastal area and some towns have supermarkets, but lots don't, so you can say to a polis that you went to buy fish, and they would find it reasonable that you would go to the quayside rather than the supermarket. It's just such a different take on life here compared to a metropolis. Part of the time, I would go for the city, but for everyday, I think my life is hard to beat in a pandemic. My posh frock shop will post anything you want to try on out of her door, if you're a regular customer, so you can try it on in the public loo (okay, mirrors are an issue) and you bring it back 10 minutes later. But she knows exactly who I am, and who I am friends with, so if I broke the rules and misbehaved, it would be social suicide. Small towns are good and bad.

When I said "Post" what I meant was she will hand it out of the shop door, in your size as she has judged it, and you/I will decide yes or no maybe with input from an accomplice in shopping and then you will return or keep said item. There's a note in her window, which she's still changing regularly, that says phone me if you want to try anything. If you're on the mailing list for sales, it means she has confidence you are a regular. If not, I imagine she'd ask for a card, but if you didn't like the garment and hadn't worn it, then she'd take it back.

It reminds me of my 20/30 year old mum's shopping. We were small and easily bored, so she had accounts in her favourite shops, and rather than inflicting a 6 and 3 year old on staff, she picked what she fancied, and took it all home to try, on approval. What she didn't like, or didn't fit, was returned. It's not so different now, except that then she did the collection and return, and now Amazon does it.

Sorry long and dull! Meandering.

The blazer looks perfect red, I love that barely pink shade. My wedding dress skirt was that shade.

I like the simple pieces in the uniqlo- the dress (I assume people are talking about the black shirt dress seen in the first view shared), I do quite like an austere vibe. But all of it together is where you wonder where the show pieces and cheer factor is.

For something very much non austere I was just on Pinterest and this came past and I thought it might be a historical garment until I saw it was Zimmermann. Just beautiful!! Love that people are making this stuff. pin.it/6vxzA4q

The purpose to my walks are take dd2 to park/gardens so she gets outside and doesn't drive us too mad the rest of the day. A bit like a dog walk, I suppose. Next week, it will be get dd2 to school and back, I also might be able to walk to places that don't involve playgrounds . I actually like walking, city or not, but have completely exhausted parks, atm.

I love that cute red, cable jumper and trousers, a shame it's not in grown up sizes.

Children and dogs definitely count as a purpose. It's the 'Let's go for a walk!' kind of walks (always in a cheery voice to try and fool me) that I dread.

A shop where they know you and what you like is a wonderful place to be Xing. I can see town and neighbourhood shopping centres coming out of this a lot better than cities, unless they reinvent themselves fast. And yes, I can also remember getting groceries, fruit and veg, bread and milk all delivered to the door back when Jeff Bezos was still in nappies.

I feel I've misjudged Simone Rocha. I'd thought it would be all frills and froth but there's a fierceness there too. It's very early 80s and she must have been watching old Madonna videos but I'll let her off. I love the tulle and tartan dress and hope someone round our way buys one. I may like a bit of Margaret Howell / Jil Sander myself but I don't want everyone to dress like me!

I'm certain you're right about how towns and cities are going to have to be clever about reinventing themselves, Flo.

There's a large new museum and art gallery that was supposed to open last year for the 400th Mayflower anniversary, which I am very much looking forward to seeing when we are allowed out, but most of Ocean City's retail offer is chain stores, and the big retail failures are going to leave more vast empty spaces alongside BHS et al. Heaven knows what they are going to become or how they will be repurposed. Any thoughts, bo?

@botemp

Ah blessed be the Lurkers. I'm still exceptionally tepid about it and think it should be called, I'm bringing Marxism back (to the tune of JT's bringing sexy back, apols for the earworm).

25th of March is quick, the shops are open here by private appointment atm but numbers are rising so I expect they'll be closed then again... Think Simone Rocha is tomorrow, didn't see anything there I wanted either.

:) I'm trying to get better with style but mostly lurking because I might out myself as not being very good with fashion (and also hoping to learn a bit!)

With the +J I'm mostly wishing she'd do some more v-neck jumpers and shirts - the things I like wouldn't suit me. The dolman sleeved shirt is a really interesting shape and I like the shirt dresses but not enough to want to order them to try on. (also they look like a lot of ironing).

My best buy this year so far was some ponte cargo trousers from the Whistles sale - nice heavy material that falls well.

Thank you all for trying to cheer me up! I'm doing this year's 30 days of yoga with Adrienne to try to get back into a regular habit and feel some strength in my body again. I think my body is made for the fashions of a few centuries ago really - long skirts and stays! No need to try so hard, the silhouette was a given.

I was looking at the Simone Rocha collection too and was a lot more impressed than that glimpse we had before. As Flo says, it looks fiercer! And I liked the elements of Hong Kong and Ireland she had in it. But I didn't see any of it for me, it's just too flamboyant. The trench coat with puffy sleeves looks great, really well made and unusual. No-one else has that, I thought. But I wouldn't wear it, all the same.

I will concede that the variation of indigo dye from brand new to washed out is beautiful and unique and contributes to jeans "going with everything". But if it wasn't jeans, if it was some other garment that was dyed with indigo and we were culturally primed to see as basic then that would be it. (Disclaimer: it's not real indigo is it anymore? but you get the idea.)

Many many years ago I saw a picture of a ball gown someone had made from denim made from silk. I have never forgotten it and have had a secret dream about silk denim ever since.

Pigeon, I'm crap at fashion. I just like pretty things really.

Oh and I had a look at Meandem. These are intriguing and about as far out as I'd go:

www.meandem.com/wool-tailored-barrel-leg-trouser-black

I've always loved this sort of shape but it's very hit and miss (don't much fancy the side stripe on this pair)
www.meandem.com/crosshatch-tailoring-man-pant-black-white

That looks lovely time, I do like a bit of Zimmerman (I like a lot of Australian brands, actually, just not enough to actually go there... But I rarely see them in the shops here )

Yeah the specialist independent food shops are doing a roaring trade here and the long lines out the door are the best advertisement ever. Small clothing boutiques seem to be doing okay too, there's some here that did personal shopping with delivery, now you can do personal shopping by appointment. It's the nondescript middle and large shops that are suffering mostly.

I don't know about the future of empty commercial spaces, Xing, we're quite different as a country as bar a handful of municipalities we've always legislated against large shopping centres (considered unfair competition to historic centres) so we don't have the endless charity shop filled high streets here.

We did have a large department store chain go bankrupt that was very widely spread, that was a lot of square metres that weren't easily filled. In the larger cities they just became other large chains but in smaller cities they got more creative; youth centres, libraries, climbing wall centres, open space collective offices, etc. I think you can do quite a lot with large commercial spaces but lots of small shops on a high street and too many empty shops in a shopping centre is a different challenge, I'm also unclear what the incentive is to rent it out to charity shops, is it some sort of tax break?

Ooh cargo trousers sound good Pigeon, I'm still searching for some. I'm eyeing these secondhand ones from Loewe but I'm unsure of size (several sizes too big for me but she really doesn't look that big and quite straight up and down).

Cos has a lot of v-necks in their new in, quite low cut in some cases (Cos is going sexy, which only confirms my thoughts that sexy is making a comeback when the least sexy brand is embracing it, sexy minimalism, here we come) I also liked this (not sexy) shirt.

Man pant let's hope the grammar pedants aren't lurking here...

Urgh, trouser porn, I really don't need more (cargo exception, because, reasons) but I've been pining over these with a really unique construction.

In the UK, bo, there is a tax break for charity shops, which excludes them from business property tax, so landlords without the prospect of a serious commercial tenant take a quick and dirty offer from a charity, which can trade from the site very cheaply. But obviously, it takes the retail mood down, quickly, into a spiral. And no sensible business person, even one of Flo's reselling dealers, really wants to trade off a failing area. Retailers sell success, so we are actually quite counter the game, in that so many of us are devotees of preloved. But we do it because we are purists about the clothes we would like to buy.