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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Were you also reading it as oinkey? I was expecting cute pigs everywhere...

Yes the leather Arket blazer in that selection looks good too.

Yes I'm afraid I was deliberately being a bit circumspect about the MH jacket until I'd safely bagged it. Now I'm feeling peeved that no-one else seems to want it 😀

However bad their name, I like the shape of that Onki blazer bo - thanks for the link. The colour might be great or it might be too bright - hard to tell. And yes nice leather blazer, which reminds me, I think I forgot to say I've found another! It's much more the kind of fit and shape I'm after but unfortunately it also has a very faint charity shop odour, so it's hanging outside whenever there's a dry day. It's too early to tell yet whether I've just thrown good money after bad.

Oh, that jacket is nice flo! I have a similar one in black from a few years ago that I wear a lot in the spring / summer. I am very tempted to buy this one too!

I am disappointed in the MH sale, none of the things I wanted are reduced. I was tempted by the shirt dress in raisin, but it’s still way overpriced in my opinion (although I appreciate it’s probably handmade in the UK). I was after one of the bags, but it wasn’t reduced, and then it sold out at full price anyway

Not sure which bag you were looking for but this MH bag popped up on Vinted for €75 @missmoon.

Thanks everyone, the raincoat and the bag are destined for return. flo nice jacket, I am tempted too! I like a skirt in MH sale but it also, like with flo's choice, doesn't;t seem to be much wanted. Does anyone know if it's likely to be further reduced?

Oh, that’s very close bo, thank you so much! Will have a look on Vinted.

I have been dithering because it is very expensive, and other brands (e.g., Mimi Berry, Kate Sheridan) make similar bags. But I have another larger MH bag, and it is just right in terms of balance between stylish and simple, if that makes sense.

This is the bag I was after, now sadly out of stock: www.margarethowell.co.uk/womens/shop/accessories/leather-goods/day-bag-smooth-saddle-leather-black

Hmm, I can’t see it on Vinted, maybe it’s restricted to the EU site?

Yes, sorry it's the EU market, and it's just sold

Oh well, will keep an eye on Vinted!

I also bought these lowie trousers and intend to use them as my winter everyday.
www.ilovelowie.com/collections/trousers/products/lowieblackwoolpleatedtrousers?variant=36461518323862

Does anyone know about their sustainability credentials?

Re prices of shoes - I agree that they are expensive and never go down a lot, but that could also be an incentive to buy quality. For me that is definitely one part of why I am unwilling to buy "trendy" shoes, instead seeking those classical styles that perhaps don't exist and end up dating me.

Footwear in Sweden is more English/British than European, if Bo's picture of those yellow Lanvin trainers are anything to go by. Half the year has to be sensible anyway, so dark colours and sturdiness carry a lot of weight here. Legero, Ecco and Rieker do well for themselves. Vagabond is the trendy brand, like.

Hahhaaaaa at the sinister bread!

I'd agree that France has a class system, and not just socioeconomic... based on au-pairing 25+ years ago within the French nobility. I mean it's bourgeoise really but there's something else there too. However I wonder if un-noble people care about that aspect that much. The British system is very special alright.

I really like that rust-coloured trench. Lovely colour. Can't really see shape issues (which is why I don't count among the style gurus here haha).

Love the MH jacket Flo, fingers crossed for you.

Thread almost full!

I'm all over the place with shoes. I'm very heavy on them and a bit of a lazy slob when it comes to looking after them which means they tend to wear out quickly and and so I never used to see the point in spending much on them. But lately I've begun to admire the craft and the skill that goes into them. I've also got myself a good cobbler and discovered Solovair (albeit at 60% off through the factory outlet shop). I've even caught myself wondering if it's worth saving up for Joseph Cheaney brogues. But I'm not doing it while flat shoes are in fashion because right now they're vulnerable to every passing trend, so I'm waiting till heels come around again and fashion pisses off and leaves us flatties alone. It can't happen soon enough for me.

France still has nobility from pre revolution days. There's also a hybrid nobility of titles received from military service/accomplishments which aren't hereditary (some exceptions where they have been passed on though, I believe). And then there's the haute bourgeoisie, eg. the French branch of the Rothschilds. And that's just the upper crust, there's lots of subdivisions at several levels.

I don't know how much they care but like British aristocracy there's an insular language and code of conduct that wasn't necessarily designed to keep others out but that's what it in reality does. If you look at the fashion and cosmetics world (one of France's largest industry) there's a lot of recognisable names that continually pop up, it's not accidental, they continue to hold sway.

The French assigned the current nobility in the Netherlands when they invaded, they're still considered new money 😂 by the ones they booted out. There's these little booklets and everything and it used to be a thing to check someone's last name in those, there was the good book with a truly old name, no titles and the lesser book with titled names. Granted it followed the French nobility system where you received a title for services rendered, so you were essentially a collaborator in the eyes of many.

The only people I've ever known who had titles were French. Make of that what you will.

Talking about the French , I saw this a few days ago and firstly I was attracted to the photo of Betty Catroux and her husband François.
Then I stared to fantasise about going to the Sotheby’s auction . It is a fantasy, I wouldn’t be able to buy anything…
French power couple

24 Feb auction

Yes, I was seduced into reading that article too with that excellent picture. I don't know how it is in pandemic times but Sotheby's over here is usually fine with the general non buying public visiting the viewing days.

To get used to people and shops, and new clothes, again, I decided to take a day off today and wonder around town. So I bought this skirt. It is on sale at Wild Swans, and has been for a long time. If anyone is a tall person, this is a great a find.

I also got these trousers - again, I was amazed that they were long enough; but they are a size bigger and so sit lower on the hips shortening my legs and slightly bulging in the front (could be solved with a belt). I am not sure about these ones. I did think for a long time and I thought they looked good on me, in movement, but looking at the picture now I am not sure anymore.

I went into two (actually, three) Margaret Howell shops - and tried flos jacket. Too small for me. The outlet doesn't have much

This is the link to the skirt if anyone's interested. Go small size
wild-swans.com/collections/clothing-skirts/products/naja-lauf-betty-moleskin-skirt-beige

microbius, I really like your red top in the first picture (misses the point).

I love oinki and the cute pigs, bo.

quirky Thanks! It sat in the cupboard for most of its life because it is such a bright red and it felt too much when I tried pairing it with black. The solution it turns out is, pair it with white!

flo very interesting what you say about shoes. I wondered why the one safe company I always bought shoes from just deteriorated... Waiting out is a good strategy. I tried MH trainers, in the faint hope that they will go on sale, and they were very uncomfortable. I liked the look of these [[https://www.joseph-fashion.com/en-gb/british-loafer-jf007116_0010.html?dwvar_jf007116__0010_color=Black&cgid=shoes&position=14&list=Shoes Joseph loafers]] but this is way above what I can pay

missmoon could you tell me more about bags? I've been looking at the ones you mentioned, and it seems they fall into two sizes, a smaller bag, 17 cm in length or a small satchel 27 cm in length. I'd like quite a deep one but also long and wide enough to fit a standard book. Anyone knows a structured bag that looks like a brick and can fit a book/A5 diary?

No bag suggestions from me microbius

I had to share this … was doing my usual search on some of the preloved sites and saw a new American vintage wool and alpaca jumper , the price enticed me to look at it and this is what appeared in front of my eyes … I wasn’t sure were to look and then curiosity got hold of me and looked at what other items the seller was listing and quite a few came up, with different hair colours or styles.
In a different context but somehow reminded me when Bani sent those curious houses for sale (although those were way more stylish, but you could see more potentially about the person selling …)

Hmm not sure if the MH jacket is going to cut it. The colour might not be right - you know when navy nearly matches with another navy but not quite and it looks worse than if it clashed? Well that's what I think I'm getting. But worse than that, I'm not sure about the shape either - I think it might have a bit of the Kim Jong-uns after all.

There's a shorter, boxier shirt that might work better. But then again I can make a boxy shirt myself - ok not as well as MH can, but do I really want to spend £170 of hard saved money on one?

I'll take another look in the morning - the light's gone now anyway.

I adore questionable secondhand listings, Red. The floral shirt picture wouldn't look amiss in a modern art gallery, much like that toilet in the living room pic Bani found (I still have that stored somewhere ). My best bargains have always been poorly presented listings, completely crumpled on the floor can hardly make it out type things. So far the gambles have paid off but then again I'm not buying those that often so I've probably just been lucky so far.

Shame about the boxy jacket not being it immediately, Kim Jong Flo I feel you with the but I can make this myself train of thought. I've been toile-ing out the split leg trousers I posted previously (I'll attach again to save from scrolling). I just wanted to see if I actually like a split hem trouser like that before ordering and how much work would be in altering it as the length and opening probably won't work for my length. Now I'm thinking I should just make it myself and save myself the expense 🤷

microbius thanks for the link - I liked the skirt but didn’t get any clothes, however the store sells my friend’s favourite Scandi chocolate licorice so a small box is on its way to her

flo that’s disappointing. IME, if you have to convince yourself about the fit, then it’s a no. Perhaps it’s worth waiting it out until the March sample sale?

red that mannequin! The tape on the walls! The cryptic post-its! MY EYES