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

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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:

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Cinq

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Sept

Huit

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Dix

Onze

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Treize

Here is my first all ebayed outfit
The jacket is The Kooples I paid £15
Jeans Gap £8
Vest Majestic filature £7
Shirt Boden (new in packaging),£9
Belt Topshop (new & leather) £7

Boots were mine that I thought about getting rid of but I think I had just forgotten how nice they are. Thanks to Bo to taking some sense into me.

I'm pretty happy with this, it's suits my very happening lifestyle today of going to get my shoulder drained . I think I'd prefer another white/light shirt in a more relaxed fabric, this would be better under a jumper for the collar or cuffs, but I was trying to do an ebay outfit for you lot and also one with easy shoulder access for the Dr.

I'm trying ATM to stick purely to second hand to see how far I can get. Granted its easy as there's no shop temptation here yet... next week
But a challenge is a challenge even if its entirely arbitrary and set in my own head.

Very impressive, Duvet, are you just doing eBay or Depop, Vinted, Vestiaire et. al. too?

Well I swung (well not really, I made an appointment so it's not as happenstance as that sounds) by H&M yesterday afternoon, and I ended up buying the jumper. Wearing it today to get some wear out of it but I suspect I'll be taken off by the afternoon as it'll be something like 15°, Joseph silk trousers with it just to complete the seasonal confusion

2 points to naff, it confirms my thoughts about transition glasses. But happy to hear other points of view.

I missed your question Bani! I cannot even find it now.

Hi duvet yes I agree a shirt with looser fabric/that falls might look better with the jacket. But what a great success! So, are you not going to wear any of your old clothes again? I think I probably have now about 50% second hand of the clothes I normally wear , but I am not replacing my old clothes like you are doing, that is a challenge! And that has started well by the looks of it.

I love a jumper and silk trousers, always a favourite. Off to search for silk trousers second hand ...

duvet love the outfit, you look great. I’ve been really pleased with how my majestic filature t-shirts have lasted.

red I’m not a fan of the glasses either. I’d nearly rather the attached.

Loved looking through the Natan stuff, some of it reads as fancy Cos to me, which is a great place to be. I agree with Bani that some of it resemble Bombshell too, but a bit more understated. I think “Grand Dame” when I see those dresses. I love this tie-neck one, but wrong colours – red and navy. I swear I couldn’t find navy anywhere for the last decade and now it appears to be everywhere. God imagine travelling and visiting sample sales again…

On the shoes I know what you mean about the light gold – they’re kind of a dull gold / silver. They’re kind of inoffensive rather than actively good. The bright gold does match the piping, but is not really doing it for me. I didn’t buy the gold crossover mules, I was considering them for bridesmaid duties and they felt too extra in that context. I’m loathe to buy heels at the moment though. I have so many gathering dust, but none in navy believe it or not. I could get my head around a pair that I could wear at work. I’ve always liked these ones, but are they a bit boring for a wedding?

Bani I think this kind of tweed with a metallic (that we were bemoaning only a few weeks ago) is fine for a wedding, tweed jacket on a man less so. Maybe not at a grand society wedding but for the kind of weddings I go to it’s absolutely fine. I feel like the general “rule” in Ireland / Scotland is “Thou shall look like thou has made an EFFORT” i.e. it doesn’t really matter if you’re desperately out of style or un peu trop but it’s verging on disrespectful to show up not looking like you’ve tried.

I agree it’s really nice to see the actual people wearing the bombshell dresses, brings them to life.

I'm very bad at making predictions right now, but my senses are saying those shoes wouldn't get much office wear. I mostly base this on my secondhand feeds that are flooded with these type of slingbacks. I think the pale gold read more as I made an effort than the navy do.

I was under the impression that Irish weddings were much more full on, I remember a thread on here where someone was asking input about options and they were full on ball gowns and that got shrieks of horror about trying to upstage the bride, until the OP explained she was Irish and other Irish posters concurred that that level of glam was totally normal and expected. I've always imagined Scottish weddings to be a bit more salt of the earth, kilts for men and tartan stoles over fairly plain dresses, an all out tartan fest in a damp cold castle basically, no idea where I've got that from but I suspect this is the package for Americans with vague Scottish descent who want to marry in the old country with more money than sense.

Ah don't talk to me about sample sales, they're on the 3rd of May until the 9th again. Belgium is allowing visitors in again but we're not supposed to travel out until the 15th, but there's a press conference tonight announcing some ease of restrictions so I'm very carefully optimistic that maybe I can go to Antwerp for a day, but I'm not counting on it. I mean, I could just go, no one's checking anything and border regions allow normal back and forth traffic without special requirements but you know, rules and all that.

Red Elles comment about the flip up sunglasses reminded me that when DH was getting new glasses, there was a really nice pair that looked just like normal specs but had a set of magnetic lenses that clipped to the front. Once attached you coukdnt see that they weren't just normal sunglasses. DH decided they were too "cool" for him and then has been kicking himself ever since. He says he will get them next time.
They are something like in the link, but we're much nicer, that's just to give you an idea of what I'm waffling about.

www.framesdirect.com/collections/magnetic-clip-on-sunglasses-dp

All my old clothes are too big, I was a bit ill and lost 3.5 stone in 3 months, I was a good size 12 and now I'm a 6, maybe an 8 for shoulder room . I waited for it to come back on (probably for too long and felt dowdy and miserable) but it didn't so there is very little in my wardrobe that fits. So I'm selling the old and funding the new.

So far I've only bought from ebay but have looked at the others. I think on Vestaire etc the sellers know the value and obviously want the best price ( as I do when I sell). On ebay if you look hard enough you find people who just want the things out of the house and get some good deals.
Buy low, sell high

Elle I think the navy shoes are perfect for the dress and would suit work too. Just the right level of elegance and still dressy dressy for an Irish wedding. Obviously as sister to the wedding party you'll be looked at and then talked about by half the country before the bride is down the aisle.

I think you can get good deals on Vestiaire, especially with the professional sellers (which have to allow returns) as they get a different commission deal, but yeah you won't find things under a tenner but a lot of things are inclusive of shipping if they qualify for the shipping direct thing. I suspect because of Brexit you're probably able to negotiate down a lot more on VC as for the British sellers their market has drastically reduced. Eg, this silk Equipment top can probably be knocked down further as no one's shown interest in it. Vinted has been the cheapest place, but I've no idea how the UK version compares.

As an aside, I don't know what to make of Yoox' marketing, I can't tell if they're being tongue in cheek or serious, I fear the latter 🙈

Thank you Duvet I will have a look at those clip of sunglasses but I suspect you have to be super cool to pull that off , like Bani suggested. So I will stick to two pairs...

Yes, I agree with Bo. I cannot see that those shoes will get a lot of office wear the way things are going.

Oh I see duvet, with your wardrobe. Looking forward to seeing more outfits.

Here is my outfit today. I am wearing a dress I got last year in the summer as a jacket. Is lovely sunny and warm today so I thought to make the most of it and go for lunch in my local square which is looking very Parisian at the moment with all the cafe tables and chairs outdoors.
All the young that normally commute into london are now every lunchtime sitting there.

Before I read your post , I opened the yoox photo bo and I was trying to work out what you were going to comment about it ... left me confused...

Oh Agatha you look like you fell naked into a jumble sale. V weird marketing

red rereading my post I wasn't clear. With and without the clip on the glasses looked normal so normal plain spectacles and then magnetic wonderment to plain looking sunglasses.
The ones DH saw were navy and blue and he felt top out of his normal boring comfort zone

Sorry to hear Transitions lenses are naff... that's me expelled then is it? I just think they are useful, and they have improved. I basically ewar sunglasses outdoors all year, because bright light hurts, and the transitions lenses are not as dark as my rx sunglasses. My new glasses also have a dark clip... because I think they look cool, plus it gives me a polarised option.

It's alright xing you can sit in the corner with me and my metallic tweed! I like the idea of the clip / magnet glasses.

Well I guess wearing a stripy poloneck with a pirate's tricorn is novel Agata, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

I'll sit with you Elle. Linton tweeds, who make fabric for Chanel, and other swanky brands, quite often incorporate a twist or two of lurex.

Loved your dress, but another vote against the bright gold shoes. Pewter is pretty but if I saw a great navy shoe that was also comfortable, it would be a hard run race. Anything arived yet for the MOB?

The pink one that I posted - sort of Jackie O arrived and the shape is good but colour isn't great (as expected). I think overall she thinks it’s a bit aging in a way that it wouldn’t be on someone younger if that makes sense. Batch number 2 of dresses should arrive tomorrow. I don’t actually know which ones she ordered.

I’m mulling over the shoes. Is a navy suede pump really boring? I know what you’re saying about a yellow shoe but those really would be one-wear wonders. Anyone seen anything else that might work.

Is there also olive green in the tweed elle?
Have you tried it with various black/other shoes to get a feel for the style?

I've found these yellow ones from Ted Baker for £99

www.tedbaker.com/uk/Womens/Date-night-outfits/KINNIP-Slingback-court-shoe-Yellow/p/251024-YELLOW?cpkey=iwtHi4sceGfgofZDTpQHFdlymhZqw2wrak9tlZrJxtDCRE7HGhPwLXISDOg5_PQGdTXsemdG73PqCOIdxEID_OMd719av_853UsjtsPf0gU~&cmpid=ppc~google~PLA~smart_shopping_uk_en_ww_low_margin~120060575409~251024-YELLOW-37~na~na~UK&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9_mDBhCGARIsAN3PaFPvH3Bmeszl0TKMXlt9knWMH8YmcSHl7t1zzWUzinCoDfMGH_qAACgaAqxmEALw_wcB

Arghhh that link is awful. I dont know how to do nice little neat ones. They show them dressed casually with jeans on the website, but in reality apart from the pub maybe who wears slingbacks casually.

And these from Hogl the Shila pump in Olive as I think there is olive in the dress. I like the shape of the shoe, I love the deep cut separating back and front. But being Austrian they might be wide fitting and I'm not sure if the horizontally wide heel is odd looking or would be great for dancing etc. And then would be more usable for work after.
These are £144.99 on Zalando.
But the heel is throwing me as it could be terrible. Also there might not even be olive in the dress

The only thing I can contribute here is to say that Hogl shoes come up enormous. I'm normally a 38 but own a pair of Hogl ankle boots that are a 35 or 36. They make very comfortable shoes, but the sizing is a bit... erratic.

I think that the dull gold shoes are perfectly good with the dress. The dress is so lovely that to be honest you will be making a great impact Elle with those shoes.
If you don’t already own another pair of more statement shoes I personally would not buy those type of shoes, as it will probably be one use. And even the navy ones they are lovely but I think they are potentially not worth the extra expense when compared with the dull gold shoes imo.

Yes, I'm with Red, I think the pale gold you already own are perfectly good. Shoes aren't really noticeable unless they're very different, good or bad. I'm guessing this will be one of the first events you'll see wider family again so they'll be much more interested in seeing your face, hearing your voice in the flesh again and going on at how big your children have gotten.

I'm also getting a bit of a déjà vu, were we not talking you out of buying unnecessary flashy shoes for your sister's wedding too? If you want a more practical lower heel though, I could understand looking for something else on those grounds.

The gold shoes were for my sister's wedding at which I was also a bridesmaid (maybe that's the confusion), we were choosing our own dresses. I was agonising over various green dresses at the time. The bright gold shoes were the ones I eventually settled on for that wedding to go with the emerald coloured dress. I considered various gold shoes, but some felt a bit look-at-me and so went for the ones in the picture above.

I'm really struggling to justify buying a pair of heels when I've worn them so little so on reflection I think I'll make do with the pale gold. They're mid-height and actually very comfortable plus I have a clutch that works well with them. I'll save the money for a great pair of flats / boots that I'll wear more.

Adding my fitting issue again like a brat (thank you though, Bo): Tried on a shirt, if I raise my arms or shrug heavily then the shoulders of the garment "lift" and stay lifted. Why is this - is it a problem with the sleeves, or the bust, is it fixable. Reason for asking is that the shirt was this lovely linen and cost 100 euro, and an example of why I don’t like paying loadsamoney, nothing ever fits and is it even worth tailoring. Found a few blog posts on sleeve fitting (useful if I ever start to sew) but didn’t really understand how to diagnose the issue. My shoulders are sloped, and that explains why shoulder seams often “stick up”.

Duvet I’m very impressed by your shopping. I will maintain that’s it’s always easier if you’re thinner - more variety to choose from - but it’s still a hard thing to stick to!

Smarteyes did a “magnetic shield collection” last year or year before. I loved the idea, a separate sunglasses “shield” that stuck to the front of the glasses with magnets. Unfortunately all the frames were a bit so so, they end up having to be very flat for one thing iirc which isn’t great, and then they tried to make it fashun. I can’t see them on the website now.

Ladies, wear the transition glasses, make them cool! They’re fine when it’s dark and they are just glasses. They’re fine when it’s super bright and they are sunglasses. It’s the in between times, like when you get photographed and the flash sets them off and you look like an eejit in the group photo... Full disclosure: my prescription sunglasses unfortunately are not opaque but exactly that sort of half transparent look that transition glasses get when in between. So I am ABSOLUTELY no better but I’ll have to give them one more summer before I spend money on new ones.

Elle from my family I’ve sort of gathered an enormous pressure about weddings -- an expectation to give a lot of cash and to be wearing something new, get your nails done and go to the hairdresser? Which is why I was surprised at tweed (albeit lovely dress) but I take your point about the metallic thread and say nothing more about that so. (It’s not the lurex per se, it’s that there is nothing else.) Glad you chose the shoes you already had. Comfort is important at weddings, never a good idea to have new shoes then tbf.

We’re getting the cold weather back from tomorrow for at least another week. So depressing.

Well I've just watched this Bani, but I agree that unless you're making something from scratch it's probably not an easy fix (aside from just staying away from any neckline that sits too close to the neck which doesn't leave much).

Elle they do tie in well with the clutch and yes much better to spend the money on boots, never enough money for more boots in my opinion, especially when they are the worst things to buy...but we have 5 months or so before we can worry about them again dont we
You'll look amazing. I really love the dress so much.

Bani yes unfortunately I agree it is easier to dress when thinner. I was fully congratulating myself on my very savvy buying and looking at pictures and reading the size guides. But I think what it's boiled down to is I've slimmed down to a pretty up and down figure and that's pretty easy to dress. Before it was more difficult.
I did get a pretty fugly dress delivered today though, olyve oyl does little house on the prairie that will have to be resold.

Ahhhh bo you put it so well, the excitement of getting to meet with family again! I'm getting my vaccine on Friday, I can't wait.
I also had a long chat with an old friend and tentatively planned a week long summer meet up, we usually holiday near each other but live far apart... it sounds like it could happen.

JW Anderson at Uniqlo this morning, I've not been tempted to buy anything. The skirt I was eyeing is lined with polyester it's just a simple cotton skirt. Didn't like the look of the shorts anymore and I'm not going to buy the t-shirt I thought I might chuck in if I was ordering. Apparently it'll be in the shops so I'll have a nose there (shops open next week again, no trip to Belgium for me though ) it doesn't really sell out that quickly IME.

I'm snickering at olive oyl prairie, is she my Prairie daisy baby's mother?

Thank for the reminder bo I was harrumphing before about the JW preview wasn't I but I can't remember why now. I still live in hope they'll to do those curved leg trousers again, but in a decent weight twill/canvas instead of a floppy jersey, but it's not going to happen is it? Time to bite the bullet and try and make my own. I've got that Bob Pant pattern that one of you - and I'm really sorry but I can't remember who - suggested, and the shape looks spot-on. However the instructions are, let's say terse: a couple of diagrams and then something along the lines of, 'Sew trousers together'. So that should be fun.

I had idea what you were all talking about re transition glasses till I saw the pic. I think it's a clever idea actually even if the execution is flawed. I never bother with prescription sunglasses cos I can't do with taking them off and swopping them around every time the sun goes in, which is often round here. But if they came with decent, modern frames I'd be in.

Duvet that's a great haul. Sooner or later I'll probly have to bite the EBay/Vinted bullet, but not quite yet as my dress agency has just reopened, yay! And woah there, did you say you'd been 'a bit ill' and lost 3.5 stone in 3 months?

Sorry for ignoring your sleeve SOS bani but the discussion was so far above my head I strained my neck trying to keep up.