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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Quatorze

Thanks bo, I've looked at Ralph Lauren and Armani Kids and I did see that one you linked and took a close look as shape, colour, back vent and inside pockets all tick the boxes. But I'm a bit that it's described as a wool and nylon blend, especially when it doesn't state the wool percentage. It's at the very top of my budget and would wipe out my 'new year treat' money so I'm cautious. Might email and ask.

I'm now down a rabbit hole of school crests. Some of them are actually quite nice designs but they're so bloody huge I don't think I could wear one without feeling a nob.

There's no fecking WAY I'd pay 360 euro for something that can't even specify fabric composition (unless an antique, obv). That's ridiculous. But I'd wager it's pretty good, I'm going with ... 86 wool 14 nylon. :P

Yeah it's the way they can't even be bothered to specify that's hacking me off.

The price is very , especially considering the US regular retail price is $295. Not sure how they're justifying those prices. Found attached on depop which is 100% wool, it's sold and wouldn't have fit (I assume, size age 7-8) but that does suggest seeking one secondhand is rewarding at £15.

So obvious you're just supposed to want the brand. You're not THAT great Ralph Lauren. ;)

No the bugger is not that great but I don't know why people in Europe go gaga over the brand it's very popular with faux poshos here, no idea what the UK equivalent are, high earners but always pretending to be more high earning than that. (I should confess, do have some Ralph Lauren fitted sheets though that are good but I only bought them because they covered in my ridiculously thick mattresses, not a wanky polo player in sight, why you'd want duvet covers with them on is beyond me).

Did a quick search on my local Vinted, found this one in all wool Flo, happy to forward. It looks a bit big to my eyes though, size 15-16 but someone else is selling a 14 for €30 which looks unworn and a different colour. Also spotted a 13 but forgot the price, possibly €52?

@floisme not sure I could bring myself to buy from a hunting shop, but have you considered some kind of hacking jacket? I had a tweed one once and it was really quite nice

hunting shop

What I liked about the hunting shop there Faustina is the categories boys/youths and girls/maids. Maids! Am I in a Devon time capsule?

It's fabulous isn't it !

Never mind girls / maids, what about 'Whips, Thongs and Lashes'?

bo thanks for the thought and thanks too Xing and faustina for all the ideas. I'm going to wait first and see how I get on in the Margaret Howell sale (if it ever happens...). If I do well there, I'll have to pause and save up again but it's really useful to see what the possibilities are and that there are more than I thought. In the meantime I've got a cheaper H&M option to keep me going.

faustina I'm going to confess: I have zero interest in either the countryside or in country pursuits but I absolutely love a good tweedy country clothing shop. And from a purely aesthetic point of view I think those red hunting jackets are gorgeous.

Good morning maids which is common parlance here in Cornwall too!

I must confess to a smothered snigger at the Whips, Thongs and Lashes section ; should this be considered for our next title as we'll need one soon? We might attract the wrong sort of poster though.

Whisper it quietly, the rain is rumoured to stop for a few days tomorrow, just in time for MrXing's birthday, and I cannot contain my joy at the prospect of ditching the wellies and waterproofing, even briefly. I nearly got hit by a tree falling at the weekend and the mud, the mud... I fear trench-foot.

Aye we wouldn't want to be attracting the wrong sort

I have bought two pairs of Arket trousers off Tradera, one of them being a larger size of a pair I already own because that's where we are, my maids, that's where we are.

If we talk about maids with Whips, Thongs and Lashes, we will almost certainly be cancelled

Great to hear you might be able to briefly escape the mud xing. I may be mistaken, but did you decide to get the black boots? I fear the pink might be irredeemable after a few long squelchy walks. This is my first UK winter in a decade and it’s been a rude awakening, although my decision to buy a load of super cheap Chinese factory stock fancy wellies was worth DH’s teasing.

flo I’m another one who loves the tweedy shops and occasional items without loving the ‘countryside look’. As a long-term urbanite who now lives in’t posh North, it’s hard to get the balance right without inadvertently going full hill-farmer.

bani that’s where we are indeed. There was a lovely thread over in Chat about celebrating deepest winter, and lots of posts of ‘January diets be damned, pass me some more warm bread with my stew’ that I can get on board with but is deeply unParisienne.

It is Shang, it is. Am WFH today and eating crisps flavoured with browned butter and salt. Not even sure I like them.

I tried whipping my maiden self into enjoying January to no avail so far Instead, I am thinking about the spring and considering various shoes options on which I am going to ask for your advice.

Having had multiple orthopaedic issues, and only have worn shoes by one orthopaedic brand, I am not sure at all what is in fashion and what would complement my newly found quick streak in clothes.
I have plenty of sandals and trainers.

Shall I buy brogues (?) - doesn't it mean I will need to wear them with tights (brrrr) if I go for skirts instead of the low socks? I also dislike seeing socks under the trousers, despite it being so fashionable now.

Shall I buy pointy shoes (?) - and what kind? Reading through past threads I noticed them appearing quite a lot in pictures. Are they still something worth getting? Is it ok to wear a pointy on a small square heel? Pointy ballets are a no-no for me, I need serious cushioning under my heel so more sole and a small heel is preferred

Or? My imagination ends here. What shoes for spring are you entertaining?

quirk streak

I think if you incorporate whips, thongs and lashes into your next thread title you will get many new posters! (but they might not stay long)

I would not be surprised if whips, thongs, and lashes was the email header for Boris Johnson's illegal BYOB garden party (as a Dutchie I'm most shocked about the bring your own booze bit, we may be cheap but we'd never ask anyone -especially employees- to bring their own booze ) I'll see how I can incorporate it without inviting the sleaze in, maybe change mamansnet to maidsnet? Although there probably is a maidsnet but I suspect I'm better off not googling that.

No, no, it's too early for spring, the worst of winter hasn't even started yet. Aside from that the last couple of years we've hardly had a spring bar a few days, sartorially speaking anyhow. It's either been winter into an early endless summer or an extended mildish winter and then suddenly it's a summer full of heatwaves. It used to be that I refused to spend too much on summer clothes as they were of little use but it's spring clothes I pretty much avoid buying for these days. I just switch out dark for lighter and brighter colours and a bit of pattern to acknowledge it. I'm eyeing up these trousers in the sale, suspect I'll be too short for them which is an issue with the split hem but I love the idea of them with stompy lug boots peeping out now and swapping for open toe shoes come nicer weather.

Pointy toes, I'm not sure if we all wear them are you keeping track with a spreadsheet 😱 I know I do and maybe Elle? They're useful if you need to be a bit more corporate without going formal everywhere else but you kind of need 'model' feet for them and there's a proportional aspect to them as they slimline somewhat, you already have that going for you, might be too much? They work for me and they suit me but I don't see me buying anymore ATM, if you didn't get any by now I doubt you've been missing out on them. I quite like the idea of a square toe babouche/mule/slide/half slipper thing but that's probably reflective of pandemic times and not doing any long stretches of walking, but square toes is definitely the new shoe shape to give a bit of edge.

The Birkenstock Bostons are popular too, even worn with slouchy socks in cooler wheather with voluminous cropped trousers and skirts but it's pushing into being a little too ubiquitous. They're also a bit cute in shape so suspect it mostly suits petite women.

I am not creepy, promise!

Thank you, Bo, I spent hours looking at pointy shoes and it took your paragraph to convince me I don't need them.

How do people run in mules?

Pointy shoes do not work for me - I’m too short and do not have dainty feet, so they make my feet look half the length of my legs… for spring, I am thinking of getting some ankle boots which look “lighter” than my winter collection. Like the attached from Fairfax & Favor.

Which leads nicely onto the countryside…I have quite a collection of tweed and shooting clothes. I have a pair of tweed culottes which I adore from Laksen. They are a bit more fashionable than breeks!

Voltearce I like the colour and the strap at the back! Tweed culottes, now that's another thing to lust for!

What do people think, these from Yoox - do they make their own stuff?
www.yoox.com/uk/17106452RN/item#cod10=17106452RN&dept=shoeswomen&sizeId=-1&sts=sr_shoeswomen80

or these from solovaire?
uk.nps-solovair.com/products/s0-1022-bk-g?variant=21314092302400

I realise I will be be like a gnome in pointy shoes, I am already size 8: they will need to be so long to accomodate my toes it is probably worth getting them just for the comic effect

Personally I prefer the second pair @microbius. The first look a little school shoe-ish to me (although maybe that’s not such a bad thing).

Regarding the boots, you can’t see in that picture but there is a cut out piece at the back (under the strap) which makes them spring shoes to my mind.

I don't like either shoe, sorry, just not my cup of tea. I only mentioned square toes as despite their appearance the current incarnation somewhat evolved from a pointed toe. Those got squared off first and then it became this very flat/low elongated square toe. It's very different from previous square toe incarnations but I suspect it'll suit the same pointed toe people, although it may not require 'model' feet so it may have expanded the pool somewhat.

Thanks, all! flo I think I like similar things to what you like, do you wear loafers? What do you wear between winter boots and summer sandals when not trainers?