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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Best of luck with your mum Xing, she's bound to be really anxious.

Linen shirts sound good bani, how did the tea bath work out?

I'm off shortly to pick up the Vinted Margaret Howell linen blazer spotted and procured by SuperBo. I'm also supposed to be working part of this weekend so I may not be able to report back today but I'll do it as soon as I can.

Good luck Xing ❤️

Looking forward to seeing the MH blazer on (or on) the flesh!

Linen shirt hasn’t arrived yet so no tea bath to report. Still not sure if I’ll do it 🤔 could end up just looking dingy, and not the perfect natural white that my husband’s white linen shirt is (we can dress v samesies now that we both have one, it’s v amusing to see others clock it with horror 😂)

I am looking forward to see the linen blazer!!

I am watching bits of the olympics here and there. I am a big fan of watching all sorts os sports that normally I don’t watch. Initially was giving me mixed feelings… empty stadiums, not being able yo go, but now I somehow have blanked out the empty seats and actually forgetting and enjoying it.

Well bo it was very clever of you to spot that blazer and also enormously kind.

I will admit though, my first thought when I got it out was that it was like the one I had already I'm posting a pic of them both so you can see: the one on the left is my existing one - Joseph, was so thrilled when I found it a few years ago, on the right is the MH. But although the dimensions might be similar the Joseph one is very tailored and fitted and has this pre-pandemic office wear vibe that makes me feel kind of melancholic. The MH on the other hand is a much more relaxed fit and has a louche, Brideshead Revisited feel but without the cartoonish proportions of current Zara and H&M offerings (I've been trying some and frankly felt a bit of a knob).

I really like it with wide, tapered, big arse trousers.
If I could change one thing, I'd make it a fraction longer - not Zara length, just an inch or so. There's a hem but it curves at the front so I think any tinkering is out.

Couple of pics here but I'll try and find somewhere with better lighting where changing rooms are open and where I don't need to crop so drastically.

Floisme, it sounds as if the jacket looks good, feels good and makes you feel good. So that's all good...

The Joseph one is similar yet different and they are both really good quality classics.

The MH one will work at times - like now - when a looser, more louche look works better, and then the Joseph one will come back into its own in if/when a more fitted style is what's needed.

And they are not the same colour.

This post was brought to you courtesy of AuldTheEnabler...

Thanks you auld enabler you.
I won't get rid of the Joseph one - they're closer in colour than they look in that pic but they still go with different things. I'm not sure really why It feels quite so 'off' as I got out a couple autumnal wool / tweed jackets yesterday which are just as tailored but didn't give out the same tired, sad vibe. Maybe there's something subliminal going on.

I'm afraid I may not to get to a fitting room as the house of Flo may need to isolate. Will find out in the next day or 2.

Oh don’t get rid of the Joseph one! I like it! The MH (from what I can just about see) is good and fills another (albeit) small gap in Flo’s jackets wardrobe
I hope is just the pingdemic and not an actual positive in your household that is making you isolate!?

No pinging although arguably there should have been - I know people who've been pinged for less. But we're symptom free and do-it-yourself testing is clear so far.

Haha, AuldTheEnabler is a very good superhero name.

I know what you mean with the Joseph blazer Flo, I sometimes have that sensation too (usually with Acne Studios blazers). I don't think it's neatness but a sort of tailored stiffness, hard tailoring, I think the proper term is, even when it's not particularly hard to the touch. I think that feels current again whenever military uniform elements are fashionable, tapered trousers, shiny boots, etc. I'm glad the MH did work out for you as I was a bit concerned about the length/sizing as it turned out to be made for the Japanese market. Out of curiosity, did you have to end up paying VAT on it?

I tried on some of the comical linen blazers you mentioned when I was in Paris. I thought I was slowly morphing into an Olsen twin (they carry it better than I do). I kind of liked the second one by Loulou studio but wasn't completely bowled over by it, at these proportions they feel a bit too victim of an Instagram algorithm. Just add a bucket hat.

Speaking of victim of an algorithm, I tried on some fisherman's shoes yesterday out of curiosity and was surprised to be rather taken with them. I did find the toes sticking out with these a bit weird but otherwise was surprised to see the versatility in them. I'm now trying very hard not to look at the The Row ones, one idiotic shoe purchase from them is enough I hope.

(Also, these are my new me-made trousers from the end of roll piece at Dries van Noten, but I'm not happy with them as they ended up too big in the waist and I thought it'd be okay, no need to take it all apart again when I managed to get it all perfectly aligned but I will have to as it's just not fitting well and drooping in places, so I've gone from 98% done (it needed an internal button) to around 60% done . They didn't end up very Gorpcore in the end as I lacked the material for it, it's rather amazing I got this much trouser out of them tbh, but I'm still not happy with them ).

Oh and back to linen and Paris talk, I did stop by Voriagh in Paris (the sort of history bounding, overly ethical place) and it was all very nice (if not very me). The linen pieces were especially nice and without the styling on display on the website it doesn't feel very historical at all, it's more that nostalgic country dreaming thing (without being the overly frilly of cottagecore).

Not watching much of the Olympics, I just see sad news of careers ending with positive Covid tests or just crap performancew so it all feels a bit sad but I think the Dutch team has a proportionally high number of 'one last go in 2020 members in their late thirties' who were probably already pushing it in the last Olympics. Did very much enjoy the Australian swim coach's exuberance that's doing the rounds this morning although that poor Japanese orderly trying to keep him in his designated space.

No VAT or any other charges It fits really well on the shoulders which is highly unusual as most things, even when I've made them myself, are too big there. Not a lot of room for multilayering underneath but then there's no need to as it's a fairweather lightweight. As I said I'd have ideally liked it slightly longer but when the overall vibe is right, it doesn't matter so much.

I'm still very drawn to those oversize linen ones in your pics but, for now at least, I'm clear sighted enough to know I'd look ridiculous - I think they're even bigger than they were in the 80s. I'm hoping the MH will be enough to keep me away from them although if they're still around next summer then I fear all bets might be off, but feel free to remind me I said that.

I've barely tuned into the Olympics. I like sport and can still remember being really excited when Mary Rand won all those medals at Tokyo 1964, but I can't get past the empty stadiums.

The trousers look great to me by the way but I know that feeling - if they're bugging you now, they're only going to get more annoying.

Yes, I was already annoyed but let it go that the inside wasn't looking that great because my machine struggled with the seams I wanted because of the thickness of the material so went with Hong Kong bound seams instead of felled and it was the first time doing that when already partially constructed which meant not the prettiest results but it's just not hanging right as it is slowly sagging down. It needs 5cm taking out and I'm quite bloaty at the moment so it may even be more. I'm always paranoid my trousers are going to end up too small yet they've all come up too big. Weirdly the toiles always fit perfectly but that's quite stiff material so maybe I just need to fit those tighter. I think the felled seams may be to blame for the extra room though as they have a larger seam allowance, I thought I had cut off the excess, now I'm not so sure anymore.

Anyhow, I'm sick of seeing those trousers so I'm just going to leave it for now and procrastinate by seriously looking for a secondhand Bernina as old as me that can do some proper heavy duty fabrics with ease.

I looked into Berninas before I decided to buy from a local dealer in case of problems, which basically meant a Brother. (Sadly I passed said dealer a few days ago and it looks like they've closed down.) But I remember the Bernina devotees - some of them were mighty fierce!

Flo IMO the blazers are quite different ;) I sort of see what you mean about wanting it a little longer but it seems very good nonetheless. It’s funny how a tailored linen blazer is a little harder to wear atm, the zeitgeist is as you say more louche.

Bo, a crying shame about the trousers, what a pity you’re not pleased. I’ve managed to finish that dress now and am unimpressed by the fit and I think it’s just the pattern that’s too unmodern and I don’t know how to fix that (in theory I know how to alter things but in practice I fumble). I’m mildly encouraged by my progress however and inspired by Swedish Flo I might get a different pattern and try another one.

In other news I teawashed the second linen shirt and it was successful, it’s now more off white. It was really just spoonfuls of strong tea in a sinkful of water and checking it against something pure white until it was a little little off and then quick rinse and hang to dry. A nice experiment and I’m thinking of teastaining the beige and black silk trousers from Arket I got two years ago to knock back the beige which is annoying me a bit.

Ha, yes, Flo, the Bernina devotees are quite intense I should fit right in 🤐

I'm not absolutely in hate with my new me-made trousers, Bani but it's just one of those things when you make something to fit you exactly, you don't get away with it being a little roomy. It's okay, I was rushing through it a bit initially as I wanted to get them done before going to Paris and missed that deadline by a lot so now I get to go back and tweak it, I might want to add some interfacing to get the shape at the bottom more pronounced and redo the pockets so they fit across the entirety of the front. It's not a lost cause and I'm sure I'll be happy with them once I'm done but I just can't stand to revisit them for at least a week.

I'm trickling out my Paris stuff, as I remember it, Six Soeurs was a new discovery, like Voriagh started by sisters (six of them as the name would suggest) and a slow fashion concept as well which is somewhat to their detriment as they're very popular and all the good stuff was sold out already (in my size anyhow). The banana bags are a big seller, they're very fun. It kind of looks like a lot of other French brands but there's something in the way they're cut (especially the dresses and jumpsuits) that gives an added generosity and ease that sets it apart. It's very easy to see how they catapulted in popularity during pandemic times.

And attached are some pics of the newly reopened La Samaritaine (where I bought my Loewe trousers). It was always my mother's favourite department store building (I don't think the shopping there was very good for a very long time). As all nostalgic trips, I remember it being a lot bigger so was rather confused. Also a bit what they spent nearly a billion in renovations on, there's a new bit by a prestigious Japanese architect but by their standards it looked a bit half assed so I'm still a bit confused where the money went, I know there's offices and a soon to be opened hotel in it too that I didn't see, I'm assuming that's where the solid gold taps and tiles went 🤷

Also, the floors reminded me of Elle's extension floor talks way back about mixing the cool and warm colours, it worked very well here with the overall cool/warm colour scheme.

Third pic is from the bridge between the new and old building.

Oh picture order is random, as per usual

Have some random order of the new part. I was rather tepid about this part (usually a big fan of the architect, even though she always overdetails the shit out of everything which means it looks crap within five years, but it's usually breathtaking those first five years).

The I like the photo of the ‘wavy’ glass facade building. Is it impressive in real life? Or looks nicer in the photo as the sky was blue with white clouds?

Six soeurs has some good stuff. I find it interesting the models they chose, a familiarity about their faces and built (in a good way) and also how the put the name and price the way they do it.

Wow! That empty street in Paris.

La Samaritaine got very scruffy at one point, I think. Nice to see the renovation.
I agree that it will be interesting to see how the new part ages. I'm not viscerally opposed to adding new to old, but the contrast between the longevity of the two is often striking.

Yes, I vaguely remember being in La Samaritaine in the early 00s and remember it was rather dusty, creaky stairs, and the staff was very elderly which all made it feel a bit like visiting an elderly relative. BHV was similar up until recently, I just can't remember what La Samaritaine was selling back then. Now it's full on luxury, it's not actually that big, it's the same owners (LVMH) as Le Bon Marché so it's like a mini version of that. In terms of shopping I was a bit clueless as to what it was adding in comparison to the other luxury department stores. They had a larger men's department, proportionally, so that could be a point of difference and their beauty department was very fragrance oriented. I'm no expert on fragrance as I'm allergic but I did vaguely recognise what I think are very specialised exclusive fragrance brands.

Streets weren't actually that empty, I think things were closed off for the demonstrations or it was early morning. There weren't as many tourists as normally in Paris but still a good amount, but a lot less diverse, a lot of other Dutch people, a few Danes and Spaniards and that was it for the Europeans. No Asian or Middle Eastern tourists but weirdly enough a lot of Americans, I was under the impression they couldn't get in, they regularly get sent back at Schiphol airport here.

The neighborhood really opposed the new addition and dubbed it a transparent shower curtain. The facade is supposed to mimic the rhythm of Haussmann architecture, I'm not sure it's entirely successful as that, it has more relation to the sky than the surrounding buildings IMO, it's actually quite subtle, not very imposing. I'm not convinced it'll age well, there were so many delays so this essentially a design from over a decade ago. There are quite a few buildings with a glass facade like that, I've never been a huge fan as they're very expensive to make and maintain (you need a very special trolley to go up and down, I assume they spent extra on a robot and self cleansing glass coatings but if they didn't it's a lot of work for one man to do) and a lot of trash and dust ends up collecting in the hollows (inside and out).

I remember Samaritaine as very fusty - a kind of Parisian Grace Brothers (not sure how many dodgy British 70s sit-coms made it to Europe - apologies if they did). But also a lovely building so good to see it getting a new lease of life. I'd have to see it for real to decide whether or not I liked it but I do quite admire the way Paris looks after its heritage buildings but doesn't smother them in aspic. It might not always work but at least you feel you're in a real living city and not a museum.

Speaking of fusty loveliness, is there still a run down but rather splendid art deco shopping arcade somewhere off Boulevard Haussman? Sorry that's so vague, I remember discovering it last time we were there - probably more than 10 years ago - and thinking, 'why didn't I know about this before?'

I'll check out SixSoeurs - thanks.

Grace Brothers is Are you Being Served? Right? I vaguely remember my parents or grandparents enjoying that. But yes, I remember La Samaritaine being a bit like that too.

Well, Flo and her linen blazers are infectious. I found another one in the Arket's men's department and I'm quite taken with it. I didn't immediately pounce on it as I was already wearing my other (otherwise the same apart from being light coloured and the back vents being in a different place) linen blazer. I've been wearing that one a lot though as the weather has been shit and I refuse to wear a coat in July, so maybe there is sense in another one... I kind of swore off any more summer purchases, but maybe...

It was on sale but men's don't go that quickly so I'll have another look tomorrow if the weather is good.

Also, Galerie Vivienne is not too far from Boulevard Hausmann, it's a great arcade, beautiful mosaic flooring. One of my favourite depot ventes is in there. And I found another great depot vente in another shopping arcade on this trip but I can't remember what that's called and it wasn't that near Boulevard Hausmann.

Ha maybe we need a Mumsnet Blazer! That looks good bo in fact I've had to tie my hands together to keep myself off the Arket website.

I think men's blazers aren't as prone to those silly extreme proportions - Uniqlo menswear had one that I sent for early in the summer when this was still idle curiosity rather than a raging obsession. The shape was good but the shoulders were way too big and the quality didn't warrant getting it altered so back it went.

Well I went back and it's not the shoulders but the width of the upper sleeve that was throwing it off a bit for me but if I don't ruche it up so aggressively it looks better so it went home with me. I'll have a trial with some pins and I'll see if it's worth the effort of narrowing the sleeve but I suspect I'll just leave it be as I don't really want to alter the arm scye.

Also found an off white tight wool turtleneck at &Other Stories that I've been on the lookout for for ages but never found one that was just right so pleased to have found this one in the sale and it was an extra 20% off on top. There was a silk camisole there too that looked very 90s Calvin Klein on the hanger but on it looked like a bad early 00s polyester version.