Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: For the Love of Well Dressed Women in Repose

[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

Dix

Onze

Douze

Treize

This is the medium and the neckline hits lower down. Better.

However there's a trade-off. The whole jumper's a bigger, looser fit. Still good for casual wear as it drapes so well and most of the time, I prefer a relaxed look. However it won't work as well for a smarter look. I'll probably still keep it as good looking basics are always worth having but it's no longer the 'wear anywhere' item I'd been hoping for.

God dammit where's the photo! Hang on.

Sorry everyone it won't let me post any more pics I can't have used up my ration surely? Anyway trust me, this one's better - not perfection but acceptable I think, although I'll wait a day or 2 before I decide.

Picture attachment seems to be working again now so (hopefully) here it is, ending lower down the neck plus although you can't see it, doesn't drag my face down with it.

I see what you mean about the neckline Flo I have no idea what it does to your face but a neckline like that does me no favours. I have a slanted double chin. I could weigh 5 stone and still have a gullet. I need a neckline to start about collarboneish to be flattering, I will weep again in winter when I want to swan about in polo necks.
It looks to be a nice colour and a good knit though but you will know in a day or two if the medium feels like it's going to do what you wanted it to.

I love the diamond dress, the sort of slub linen is great. Adds check-y long dress to ebay search.

I've not worn floral or peasant or even a "nice top" in years and years, and then had many a fit when I thought if only I had something pretty, which would fill a gap. But I've never found anything I like.

The floral dress I'm thinking I will wear with my acne boots hasn't arrived yet but is a rebuy of a dress I owned years ago. I think I will love it as much again and the style seems to have made a come back.

For reasons....partly financial, partly contrary, partly ethical, partly just to see how far I can take it.... I've decided to try and replace pretty much from scratch my entire wardrobe from ebay and when they reopen charity shops.
The conclusion has been made, the vast majority of my clothes don't fit and I am not going to put up with it anymore. I've also been buying things that have been too big because I think I was.... upset isn't quite the right term but unnerved maybe at how far things had got. So anyway, I like a good project and this is it for now.

I've also remeasured myself and I think I may have got my proportions wrong since the last bit of weightloss, possibly coming in as an hourglass rather than an inverted triangle/rectangle. But I don't see much of a waistline anywhere. There's definitely no out in out, but hips and bust are more balanced than they were

And if you try telling me you can't see any difference I'll be cutting yous out of my will.

X-post - thank you duvet - sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one who can see it!

Interesting project! Are you going to hang on to stuff until you find replacements or get rid of everything first?

The looser, lower neckline is definitely better, Flo. For me, I'd prefer even looser, showing collarbones.

Love the checked Raey dress, bo. I bought one last summer that's a black/cream gingham that I am looking forward to getting out when it warms up.

Yes, I can see it Flo . Maybe it's the angle of the photo but the smaller size also accentuates the transition of neck to shoulders and makes it 'harder' and that probably adds to the overall dragging down feeling.

How is duvet going to get rid of everything first, naked ebaying? I held onto too big clothing for a while too, I then ended up keeping what I really didn't want to part with and am slowly working to size them down.

Must admit, it's probably lockdown boredom, but I have also contemplated radical wardrobe ideas. More along the lines of everything in the (online) shops is shit (see attached for today's inbox offering, it's just missing a dummy in her mouth and the background needs changing to a play cot) and I'm going to make everything myself this year. I'm sure I'll grow out of it once I can go visit shops in another country, heck another city in this country would probably do it. Tbh, I think I'm just in a funk, a few months back I was of the mindset that in the summer we'd be fully vaccinated and would probably get to do some European city trips and proper holiday come September and I was happily buying with that in mind but it's all so uncertain now again so no point lusting after barely there summer frocks

Cos looks to have some nice linen things in though, I might just book an appointment

This is currently my favourite round neckline - fiendishly difficult to find though. It's a Toast merino wool jumper, sits smack on my collarbone, no tugging or adjusting required, and it'll be a bad day on Mumsnet when it wears out. If any of The Divine Ms Sander's people are watching, please pass it on.

The Toast Merino top is great, flo. As well as the second +J jumper. The really high crew neck looks like a weird cross between a polo/turtle neck and a crew neck.

I have been adjusting some knitwear. I added a button and loop to make a standard cardigan a crossover an took the arms off an old, stripey cardigan that had shrunk. I will try to take photos and post later.

Yes if it had said, 'almost turtle neck' I'd have probably thought 'Uh huh' and not even bothered. But the term 'crew neck' is so vague it can cover anything higher than cleavage.

That top would be so difficult to pull off for most! The shape of neck , shoulders , comes out wrong.
The last photo , your ‘favourite’ I like it, I can see why is your favourite Flo.

Great project duvet, my last buy was in January, but it was only ‘essentials’ and i hope to take it until December or January. I will see if I can only buy second hand. I feel this year it will be possible and not too difficult for me tbh. I have been contemplating getting rid of some stuff ... I always purge stuff out but I still feel I have quite a few things which are frankly past its best ... I don’t even wear them.
I love the checked dress too. I have also added that to my search
I am of the colour camp, specially in spring and summer. Austere looking clothes and bland colours make me look ill, the only one I can pull off is wearing all white. But too frilly is a no for me either, except that I quite like a ‘subtle’ frill or puff sleeves , probably because I find they suit my shape .
That is interesting duvet that body shapes can change ... maybe I should measure myself again ... although I have not altered my weight, age can affect body shape too ...

Necklines! Yes! Important and very hard to get right! Love the last one Flo.

Love the shape of the diamond dress but isn't the fabric very rough-looking? Can't decided if I think it's A Lewk or a cod. That raw Les Mis hem ... I dunno. Am I old? Have I been watching too many historical sewing videos with people painstakingly tablet-weaving hems or making a handstitched rolled hem?

Het pittoreske Franse platteland - Dutch sounds so funny in Swedish.

I'd love to see that cardigan Quirky coz that sounds like an idea.

I'm with you on the material Bani it would be covered in pulls in no time in our house. Pesky cats!

I do love the halter neck though, and Raey in general. Merchant and Mills have a diamond shaped ikat fabric which would make a great copy cat, although the diamonds aren't as elongated as the Raey.

Speaking of halternecks, I'm very taken with this from Stories new Collab, although I don't think I could wear the colour.

www.stories.com/en_eur/productpage.0958625001.html

Flo I think that attention to detail regarding the neckline is what really lifts an outfit and demonstrates style rather than just wearing clothes.

Going to be contrary and say that the check dress is not my cup of tea... halter necks just leave me with bra options. Has anyone ever had a comfortable strapless bra? Where did this mythical wardrobe unicorn come from?!

But yy to bright colors and bold patterns for spring. My wardrobe is a colour study of grey and the occasional deep red, so definitely need to brighten things up.

On the J+ front, has anyone risked the skirts? There is an interesting looking slightly a-line midi thing that caught my eye. Worth a punt?

How very dare you all criticise my check dress of dreams (or diamond check may be more accurate) Fair enough, halter necks really suit me though, I do think you need 'shoulder shoulders' for them. I also really like a raggedy hem (it's not just left raw) because it means I can wear quite formal and sharp things but they instantly become a bit casual and easy. It is quite a loose weave, almost sack like, it has a lining, it's so open weave. Which makes the stupid price tag even more thankfully still sold out in my size so I don't have to contemplate.

I've never really had issues with strapless bras but you can't really wear a bra with a low back halter like that though.

I had seen the M&M ikat diamond fabric, it has a different feel through but it's hard to find similar. I love this suit by Rosie Assoulin, I'd love to find a similar fabric as that is definitely not on the bias. The Raey fabric could probably be copied by hand painting a bit of slap dash would probably add to the overall feel, but no clue what products to use.

Thanks Name, I had gotten the email from that colab (it doesn't feel like Rejina Pyo at all though just &other stories in nicer fabrics) and the link for that dress didn't work for me. I'm tempted to order but really put off by a polyester lining.

I'm trying to imagine 'het pittoreske Franse platteland' sounds in Swedish but it's just sounding a bit Swedish chef in my head as there's so many short sounds (in Dutch anyhow) Bani, it'll probably sound better in Danish, I'm fairly convinced Frisian and Danish are secretly the same.

Oh, sorry forgot +J skirt, I tried on one, I think, from the previous collection, they stand out a bit, literally, they're quite sculptural, the length didn't work for me.

Thank you ThisName I'm a bit weird though because I obsess about some things, like necklines and trouser lengths but when it comes to say, getting my shoes re-heeled, I just cannot be arsed.

Shang I'm very taken with the +J silk mix skirt - is that the one you mean? I've not tried it as I just can't justify the money when I've several other 'interesting' skirts that are barely getting any wear at the moment. But I'd love someone else to buy it and report back!

I've not commented on the diamond pattern dress because it reminds me of a skirt I owned at a time when I was miserable so I can't be objective about it. (Nothing dreadful just self obsessed teenage stuff.)

I'm another one looking forward to seeing your cardigan quirky

Bo , regarding halter necks, when you said 'shoulder shoulders' do you mean to have good or large shoulders?
I always liked halters.. I don’t have particularly good shoulders, or is it the proportions with the rest of the body?
I always thought that they were good for me because as I have small bust the angle from shoulder out to the under arm gave the illusion of a better proportion. Help me understand halter necks please

It's the angle of shoulders, halter necks angle down with quite a bit of contrast so sloping shoulders can look a bit lost with them as it's a similar angle and you lose the sharp quality of a halter. I do think they look good on people with very wide shoulders too but I know owners of those don't always feel that as it's a lot of sharpness on top of hardness, which some read as masculine.

Trying to find an example is hard (good shoulders are a bit of a prerequisite in models) and I think the issue with attached photo is more to do with the appalling top construction than the model but you can sort of see what I mean, it's just a bit bland and doesn't have the sharp presence a halter usually has that allows it to have a shape almost away from the body (and yes, that does often suggest more of a bust than there may actually be). This top just sort of lays on the body like a hanky (sp? hankie?). Which is why I assume they're marmite, they either really work for you or are just meh.

Makes sense. I suppose my shoulders are probably ok not sloppy... They are on the narrow side probably and small bust so that is why might be ok on me to give that illusion. I don’t think I have a good halter anymore, if I try one again at some point I will scrutinise the shape.
Thanks!

I think the problem with the green top is actually the neither here nor there of the neck opening and general lack of anchoring. For me halternecks work best as a v neck or higher crew neck so that it feels held in place.

I used to wear lots of halternecks as a teenager in the 90s/early 2000s when they were last around, and they looked good IMO. I have well defined, straight but not broad shoulders. This time round I'm struggling to make them work because in my early 40s I appear to have acquired excess skin around my armpits that is not visible in any garment other than halterneck and racerback tops

I’m loving the attempts to recreate the Lemaire dress. It’s a great, great dress.

Flo I can completely see what you mean about the neckline. I felt the same with mine and I also have a diagonal double chin.

I think ruffles or frills definitely suit you red. They do me no favours, I feel like ruffles and frills are best on those who are in the middles of the height spectrum. They’re too cutesy if you’re petite and add too much bulk and look ridiculous when you’re my height. “Cute “ is a look I can’t pull off.

I really like Raey clothes and have my eye on a few things from there. The silk slip dresses seem well priced, I wonder what the quality is like.

thisname that’s so funny I came here to post the exact same dress. I don’t think the shape of the bottom half would work on me, but the colour and fabric look great. I did take a chance on a linen shirt and an oversized silk shirt from stories

I also ordered this dress from Loulou studio, no photo today, but it’s great on and a definite keeper. Will wear either as is or with a tan belt wrapped over.

My perception has always been that you need to have square shoulders for a halter. I do have square shoulders, but can feel a bit hulking in halternecks. I must revisit to see if it’s in my imagination or not. I like a one-shoulder like the dress which I think also needs good shoulers, not least to stop it slipping off. That poor model has shoulders at different heights too!

70sduvet will be really interesting to see how your project goes.