Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: Do not ask the kock about les préservatifs in the food.

[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:

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Trois

Quatre

Cinq

Six

Sept

Huit

Neuf

Dix

Onze

Douze

Treize

Quatorze

www.enyaa-paris.com/ is the palais royal restaurant, looks like you can eat there now and there's more choice than the bentos which are now the tasting menus from what I can make out. It was really excellent.

Thanks so much for the quick reply. Sanukiya looks just the ticket for tonight as a bit bowl of steaming ramen sounds ideal. The dinner at Enyaa is maybe a bit long for solo dining but I think I will book it for lunch as I was keen to revisit La Marelle. Do you mind reminding me of the name of the Celine jacket shop please?

Also to note I did notice that I was whisked up to the top of the queue at the pcr testing center and although they didn't say it, I assume it was because I am obviously pregnant. I thought it was interesting (and appreciated after a long flight) as it wouldn't happen at home - people might offer for you to go ahead but I don't think the staff would have facilitated it the way that they did.

A work trip to Paris, oh wow, talk about living the dream! Have a great time Elle

Faustina the sleeves on the jumper are ok for now as I just wear a L/S T shirt underneath but they might annoy me more as we get deeper into winter. It's a stupid idea though, which is not something I say very often about Margaret Howell. Like you I've never taken to online vintage shopping and my options are shrinking fast now. The last decent vintage shop round here closed a couple of years ago and I'm still sad about it. The woman who ran it was amazing, she could tell you the story of pretty much every item of clothing in the shop. 3 or 4 new self-styled vintage stores have opened since she closed but I can't be bothered with any of them - they're full of shite, the people running them are like 21st century snake oil merchants and they're staffed by these lovely, smiley young people who know bugger all about what they're selling but I haven't the heart to get annoyed with them cos they're someone's son or daughter. If I ever get to London again I'll check out Hunky Dory (if it's still going) for old time's sake, and Annie's in Camden Passage - prices well out of my league now but I still like to look. But apart from that, I mostly just go to vintage fairs now whenever they come around.

Sorry bit of a rant there Moves on.... Good luck with the dyeing Shangpie I've hand dyed cashmere a couple of times and it's turned out a completely different colour to what I expected, but otherwise it's been fine!

I'm wearing the +J hoodie today and you know what, I really like it now. I think I was just feeling sore still at missing out on the gauchos. I'm away at the moment with a dodgy Uniqlo app on the phone and I just know they're going to turn up in returns this weekend and that I won't be able to get an order through.

I've not forgotten about those other jacket pics, I'll come back and do them later or over the weekend.

Yes, as much as the French are terrible at forming an orderly queue they do seem to be quite caring towards pregnant women and treating them with priority, as far as I've observed anyhow, actual pregnant women experience may differ of course. But I do remember one time in the toilets where a pregnant woman was pulled forward and the person in charge even gave it an extra clean.

The Céline coat was bought at Chercheminippes on the Rue Cherche Midi, it's near Le Bon Marché. When I get round to putting up a list I'll organise them by area as I think you'll need to pick two to cover in a day, probably pushing it at three.

Sanukiya is very good for an efficient dinner on your own and Enyaa is a really good deal for lunch.

shangpie I'm almost at the end of a full year of only buying 2nd hand, vintage or charity shopping.
I have almost cracked a few times but I'm so near the end now I'm determined to make it!
(Though exceptions may be made for the reasons below)

What has helped is being signed up to selling fb groups, where I began selling my own wardrobe and then I was able to quickly resell the dodgy online bits or things I got too excited by in charity shops.

Reasons below help please!
I am really low on decent comfy clothes that
A/ fit
B/ are easy to get in and out of
C/ look somewhat "stylish"

I have a full "locked" frozen shoulder, about 30 degrees of movement in each arc, steroids so far haven't worked so looking further at options but could be a while. Plus a deep tissue injury to my hip on the same side which is just a pain in the arse/limiting movement.

I dont really do loungewear and didn't even take to it much during covid, but I can't get in and out of clothing and I'm sick to death of pj's and dhs hoodies and my only fit for decorating tracksuit bottoms.

Any ideas?? I have sweaty betty leggings which I like the quality of but I can't pull them up, I like my Cos hoodie but I can't get it over my head. Also their sizing drives me crazy and we have no shops here. I've been dithering over a pair of their tracksuit bottoms in an XS but how small are they really. Its an old silk style knit so no size chart online
So loose joggers and zip or button up tops, but in nice fabrics with decent size charts?

Elle you are living for us all, have a wonderful time away, glad you are getting a day to yourself sneaked in on a business trip!

Bo you need the white coat, hopefully it looks wonderful, childhood dreams need to be realised at some point.

Flo may the Internet and fashion gods unite and bring the gauchos forth.

If Flo is completely out of luck at Uniqlo I suppose she can always attempt batting her eyelashes at Red to bring back some authentic gauchos for her.

If money was no object I'd be buying up everything at Lauren Manoogian in your situation duvet. But assuming you didn't win the lottery since we last spoke, I'd have a nose online for an Acne studios Raya cardigan. They were a very ubiquitous thing for a while and should be easy to snap up secondhand online, although you might end up with a fake.

Have you considered elasticated knit skirts instead of trousers/joggers, should be much easier to put on and easy to go to the bathroom with, the question is just how manageable tights are to get on right now. Although I do know for seniors they have a little tool to assist with stockings. Joseph tends to always make these so probably should be easy to find secondhand.

Knit dresses that are not tightly fitting are also a possibility, you can just sort of wiggle into them and then put your arms through. Cos is usually good for these.

Also, completely out of fashion these days, but faux suede leggings are always super stretchy without looking slobby. I had a pair from Filippa K they were a lifesaver when I was struggling with my health long term.

To be clear, Joseph makes the skirts not the tights assisting tool, but who knows they might 😂

Elle, I've stuck some adresses of interest in this Google Doc per area.

If you can see the tiny photo and read my handwriting I've attached a rough indication of where everything is.

Thanks for the well-wishing! The dye job turned out pretty well, although it’s a much softer sage colour than the intense forest green I was hoping for. Still, I will wear it a lot more now than the original pale grey marl. As you said flo it’s hard to get right, even though the base colour was so neutral that I anticipated no impact on the final colour. The whole colour-combining thing makes my head hurt.

The main reason I was so cavalier is because it was a £7 charity shop find where the fit and size was right but the colour wasn’t, so it wasn’t really a big deal if it didn’t end up as I wanted. As it is, I overstretched it while drying, but hopefully that’s nothing a hand wash won’t fix.

Technique-wise, I just used two packets of Dylon hand dye that use 40C water and did it in my kitchen sink, following the instructions but adding a good splash of vinegar to make it a bit acidic. As it’s basically hot-bath-level heat, I don’t feel the need to be too careful with the fabric, so I’d say go fo it bo!

Thinking about your needs duvet, could you do this type of dress with long slouchy boots to avoid bo’s Joseph tights machine? This is also the right time of year to find cashmere joggers - I have a knock-off Bruno Cuccinelli pair I picked up in China, and they are great for ‘luxe slobbing’ if you don’t mind baggy knees after 2 wears Also, IIRC didn’t bani just get some pull-on smartish wool trousers? I think Toast and Uniqlo usually have several pull-on styles too.

Much kudos to your nothing-new 2021 too - I have bought almost exclusively 2nd hand since moving back, but I definitely feel bo’s FOMO when shopping IRL much more so than online. Something to do with the one-off nature of this type of shopping seems to make me less a conscious consumer and more gotta-have-it. Must work on self control!

Finally (phew) elle a work trip to Paris! Lucky you. The Google docs are a godsend - I worked my way through most of the London ones a few months back, carefully timing visits around naptime so I could browse in peace. Bliss!

Thank you so much for the document. The weather was foul this evening so I went to Galleries Lafayette to get out of the rain and got some baby stuff and had a potter. I also picked up some Pierre Marcelino chocolates. Then I retired for some duck Udon and tempura prawns. Excellent recommendation. Tomorrow I think I’ll limit my ambitions to the some macarons, nice lunch and the 3rd as I find I need to take a few pit stops.

The dress turned out really well Shangpai. I have the Acne raya and while it’s not the most exciting thing I own I’m wearing it a lot right now as it’s cost, flexible fit and reasonably smart. Mine still looks good as new 2 years later. The Joseph trousers that botemp and I have are super stretchy at the waist, very loose on the leg and have a wide non-diggy waist band. I think this may be them in wine, rather than black. Again may well be on vestiare or similar.

The black ones are on [[https://www.yoox.com/NL/13541325IM/item?dept=women Yoox]] for reasons I don't understand, they're super flattering and super comfy. Not really seasonal but if you're not leaving the house it's doable. Not secondhand though.

I think I practically made Elle buy the Raya cardigan when we were in Paris, I just don't remember why... But yeah it's a really throw on piece that gets you to looking 'dressed' without much effort.

Ooh the dress turned out great Shangpie, I'll have to give it a go. Light grey comes up a lot, it's really out of favour so often cheap enough to take a punt with.

Yeah cashmere joggers while lovely, bag out quickly, and pill at any friction point. I was admiring some from The Row when in Paris in the summer this year that were lined with silk, I wondered if that helped limit the bagging. I would have bought them at their stupid sale price but I refused to want to consider we'd still be in lockdowns for another winter. I highly suspected we would be but really didn't want to let that cloud over the brief reprieve that was summer.

WRT in store FOMO I think it sort of helps to think there's not much ethical or virtuous about buying secondhand if you're consuming it like fast fashion.

Have a great time tomorrow with some delicious pitstops Elle 🇫🇷

Ohhh Lauren Manoogan...if I knew I was getting a huge claim off the runaway driver I could add this to the bill for help with "pain and suffering" yes? But alas, I will just take the ideas. I do have some very old ugg boots, not the usual style that look quite like the shearling boots on the website.

I already have knee socks and a few voluminous capes, I'm half way there to the luxury rest and relaxation "ward" vibe.

Knit dresses are a fantastic idea, thank you all, I tried on a Jersey one today I thought I might have got stuck in but it worked! And was much easier to do the needful in.

Loving the maya cardigan, atm I can only see it in black or a cream that's not me for Sale. But, I now have it on alert. I also really like the aubergine Joseph trousers, and they reminded me of a long black skirt I have in a similar fabric so I may wear that tomorrow.

Shangpie dress looks fab! Bo is right such a lot of grey cashmere and few and fat between in "interesting" colours, this will be added to the ideas file for fully operational times.

Elle hope the weather picked up a bit and you took a bit of time for yourself, food sounds lush, and as much as its exciting to be running about looking for nice Parisienne things in Paris, its possibly just nicer to sit back and enjoy the time people watching (really real French people) with bump x

Glad to hear Lauren has given you some ideas. There should totally be a pain and suffering fund for comforting clothing. Make the runaway bastard pay

People watching is less fun thanks to covid, IME. Especially now that it's winter you have people maksed, with a hat and scarf on, airpods in, and if its sunny, sunglasses on. Everyone is very much in their own bubble looking very closed off, which isn't that unusual in large cities but they feel more disconnected somehow now. Or maybe that's just me projecting 🤷

Speaking of people watching though, YouTube came up treats by suggesting another one of those people watching channels but this time in Stockholm. I do really enjoy it (even if it desperately makes me want to go there now, I have a bad case of wanderlust going) but the ones flashing bare ankles are giving me conniptions 🥶 Probably best not to binge though, I love how everyone puts things together but it does all get a bit samey. I'm more appreciative of Bani's moaning of the limited colour palette available now. I do like that this one isn't so youth and Fashiun fashiun focused but is more of a range and focuses a lot on the movement of some garments (this is an opportunity lost by a lot of other channels, which can sometimes feel like a safari where everyone's anxiously trying to get the shot or interview in before it disappears rather than observing what's actually happening).

youtube.com/c/StreetstyleStockholm

Congratulations on a fab dyeing success, ShangPie. The dress looks much more wearable (although I may be in the minority of people that pale grey marl suits).

So glad Elle is living our best lives for us in Paris. Just a twinge of envy for a visit to Pierre Marcolini; when my sister lived in Brussels a trip to the shop in Sablon was a must. Why can't more chocolatiers make dainty-sized chocolates?

All proceeding here. The black boots from the Andia Fora sale shop arrived and fit okay with thick socks, an innersole and heel lift. DH noticed them and pronounced them the ugliest shoes he's ever seen but they are just what I needed. Rather more than blush pink...

Nothing too untoward with the healing process, bar a general whinge that nobody warned me it would take so long. Currently waiting for a dermatology appointment, which was referred urgently, only to be told the NHS waiting list is at least four to six months. Luckily I got a private slot on a cancellation for this Friday morning coming, so I have every finger crossed that he knows the magic treatment for a bra filled with itching powder.

Paul A Young does some dainty chocolates in the UK but chocolatiers seem a rarer profession in the UK. Here and in Belgium most large cities and fancy towns will still have an artisanal chocalatier shop. In France it's usually part of a patisserie IME. The popularity of Hotel Chocolat in the UK has always puzzled me, it looks very mass produced.

Glad to hear you're faring well, Xing, if you had to wait forever for an appointment I would have suggested some calendula ointment as I know it's recommended/prescribed for radiation dermatitis here. Hopefully the derm will sort you out.

I actually suit grey marl too, but I find it kind of depressing in winter ATM, I'm sure at some point I'll find it the most cheering refreshing thing in winter again but right now not so much.

Btw I got a promo newsletter from Uniqlo (still yet to receive a customer service response from them ) about a restock drop for +J. Was it the same in the UK? Flo's becoming quite the Nostradamus with her predictions then, hope you managed to get the disappointing gauchos, if so.

bo, I used calendula on DS's bum 20 years ago and it was great. May buy a small tube to try on me. I already have full shelf of everything else, so it couldn't hurt. I'm so fed up with being MrsScratch. Another week and I shall change my username here....

I recently found an artisan chocolatier locally (actually there are a few, all producing lovely tastes but a bit rough-hewn IYKWIM) these chocs are beautiful to see, elegant shiny domes in joyous colours. The flavours are also delish -- very intensely flavoured. The card is lurking on my desk, but can I find it? Of course not, but I shall post a link when it surfaces.

Oooh that Lauren Manoogian stuff is a Remote workers dream.

I did mostly just eat and people watch my way around and filled my laptop bag with macarons, chocolate and pistachio financiers for the way back. I relegated my actual laptop to my suitcase preferring to use the padded bag for my most precious cargo!

I had in my mind to get some smartish trainers, but struggled to see anything I loved. A lot were very label-y. The only ones I really liked were Isabel Marant. I decided I didn't have some space and would think on it.

I'll throw up some quick pictures. Here are the duck noodles, some eclairs and Christmas-y Galleries Lafayette. A job in influencing does not await me based on these pictures!

Next you have the snazzy patisserie that botemp recommended. I had a straight croissant filled with quince and got a passionfruit madeline for later. All delicious.

Then I went to La Marelle and saw a gorgeous black vintage YSL mini dress, sadly a size too small. I had a gorgeous lunch in EnYaa which, while not cheap, was also good value for Paris.

I got a black Chloe top second hand in Odetta with lovely button detail and then these trousers, which are dark green and this top in Tom Greyhound.

That was enough for me so I had a coffee and people watched.

I'm not sure if I'm more jealous of the food fest or the lovely new purchases not helping with the wanderlust issues anyhow...

(And yes, surely your Instagram career would be over after blasting astronaut Santa's crotch all over the internet like that )

Xing I'm fairly sure I was made up of half calendula as a baby, my mother went mad with the Weleda camomille line. It's otherwise fairly innocuous so probably worth a try, I'd just avoid one with fragrance or essential oils in.

Planning my excursion to the health shop today in pursuit of calendula this afternoon, plus sorties to the supermarket and the hardware store, after the health centre/phlebotamist. My glamorous life.

I went out out today

Real people, real shops. It was almost glorious. Until you hear I was shopping for a brown tracksuit for a school nativity play with 3 days notice and shops don't sell brown tracksuits as why would they as they are fecking hideous. And when you are in pain and dragging yourself round cheap shops to try and buy a hideous tracksuit the colour of shite for a literal 15 minutes of fame you lose the will to live. They don't exist thank the lord (those poor children)

In the end my long suffering mother brought up the suggestion of boots again, also in an attempt to get me to have a seat. So I saw these, attached, in Next. Quite Bottega Veneta Tyre vibe which I have been endlessly lusting over, leather and reasonably tight around my stupidly skinny ankles.
At £80 and as an offer of a Christmas present I'm thinking yes, unless any of you have seen a better version around a similar ish price point (remember she is very long suffering with me at this point )

But, yes I now realise I'd been living in a post cold world, there is no people watching, it's masks and duvet coats and scarves and maybe a nose to see.

I also had the weirdest experience, I put on some hand sanitiser as I left a shop and went out into the cold street. The alcohol cooled on my hands so quickly it was an intense pain. I really could have cried out in pain. Stupidly I had no gloves with me. High alcohol content and freezing air, something I didn't know bani does this happen to you a lot??? Agony, hideous. The secrets of covid

Still it was amazing to be out, out

Xing hope you got something sorted to feel a little better, it just sounds so aggravating, and that's probably playing it right down.

*pre cold, as in last time I was out and about it was still sunny and light jacket weather.
I got a shock today