Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: Maids Cosplaying as Schoolboys are Going to Get Themselves Cancelled by North Korea

[botemp]

Lovers of Parisian style and fashion with a conscious mindset and lots of chatter in between. Feel free to join in.

---

Favoured Parisian addresses:

Second Hand Shops

Outlets

Favoured London addresses:

Charity Shops, Dress Agencies, and Outlets

Favoured NYC addresses:

Consignment shops, Vintage, and Restaurants

---

Previous threads:

Un

Deux

Trois

Quatre

Cinq

Six

Sept

Huit

Neuf

Dix

Onze

Douze

Treize

Quatorze

Quinze

Thanks microbius, that's disconcerting to hear although not entirely surprising as charity shops where I am have also been poor recently. I'd put it down to a shortage of volunteers returning after lockdowns ended (which is what one manager told me) so that new stock is piling up waiting to be sorted. But of course the second hand trade can only thrive if there are enough people buying new in the first place. The success of Vinted probably isn't helping either - I remember EBay had a similar impact at first. Hopefully it's a temporary thing.

Yes now you mention it, I think that Brixton shop might be TRAID and not Farrah.

I am probably a contributor to the menswear desert

And thanks mm47

I love the Traid windows, Microbius, they’re amazing, they literally make me want to cross the street to look at them more closely. I discovered Francesco Colucci dresses the windows for all of the Traid shops, he’s on Instagram. And there’s a Traid shop in Clapham Junction …

Just googled Francesco Colucci. Really like what he does. Thanks for the tip mm

I'm kind of second guessing the title of our thread after waking up to the news this morning (I know different dictator, but still).

What are the fast fashion shops doing in terms of trade? Micro's experiences confirm much of my suspicions that charity shopping is trending now and that people are shopping there in larger numbers now but in the same manner as they did in fast fashion shops (grabbing lots at low prices).

Since we've now pretty much mentioned all possible charity shop areas, can my sewers chime in on what's worth going to in London? I've got some notions and other tailoring supplies shops close to my hotel but I don't see many fabric shops nearby, I assumed there would be near Saville Row but that's probably a bit silly to think. When I googled where Joel & Son was I got all sorts of results suggesting it's a very unsafe neighborhood . I've seen Goldhawk road mentioned but I suspect that's all focused on low prices as opposed to quality and I can't take back much back fabric anyhow with just a carry on.

(Also, what is it about Pimlico? It was my conclusion too that it was the only place worth going for charity shops. I only ended up there as a poster on here tipped us off then, but it's such an odd bit of London. The real estate is still ££££ like everywhere else but it sort of looks a lot more rundown than it is, also feels less part of London when it's very central).

From what I remember, the supply shops around Savile Row and Jermyn Saville Row are for traders, which probably doesn't mean you literally have to be in the business, more that you'd have to buy in humungous quantities.

The two fabric shops I know best in London are a bit scattered I'm afraid:
Crescent Trading - off Brick Lane is a proper old fashioned cloth merchants, not massively cheap but beautiful fabrics. I'd check before you go because it was run by two guys and I believe one of them died during the pandemic.

The Cloth Shop at the far end of Portobello Rd (past all the markets). They have a great range of linen. Again check before you go because looking at their website, they may also have moved.

There are loads of others - they're just the ones I've stumbled on.

I've not been to Goldhawk Rd - it sounds like a really interesting place but I think you need to know your stuff better than I do to get the best out of it. I think the Cloth Shop might be reasonably close so might be possible to combine the two.

My view, for what it's worth, is that the current charity shop trend will peak and die down once people realise it's a) very time consuming b) totally random and that, unless you either enjoy the actual hunt (and I do) or have the good fortune to live in a neighbourhood with great shops, then it's not the most effective way of building a wardrobe. I hope I'm right!

I'm afraid I only know about Pimlico because we literally got off the tube once to see what was there.

Thanks Flo, crescent trading looks like a proper treasure trove and according to Google still open. I might see what Goldhawk road is about if I venture out to Portobello as it's roughly the same direction but I think it's mostly seconds and I suspect they've suffered a lot economically from the pandemic.

Maybe I should pack an extra bag, I'm flying BA so do have a bit of flexibility...

I must look out for your fabric shops, Flo. FWIW, Bo Joel & Son is definitely worth checking out - they sell ex couture fabrics and the staff are super helpful and knowledgeable. Church Street also has Alfie’s Antiques which is pretty glorious. The Cloth shop has moved to Golborne Road - again it’s really worth seeing.

The apparently dodgy street or area can be off putting to a non-Londoner but I’ve lived here for nearly 35 years and it really is just how London is: smart hugger-mugger with deprived. I was robbed at a cash point about 10-15 years ago and it took place in South Kensington at 11:45am in the morning- there were masses of people around and I ran after my robber screaming “thief thief!” And nobody stopped to help. So even in a smart area there is a lot of crime. Sorry this sounds like London is a pit of iniquity which I don’t believe. (I hope I’m not stretching this analogy but) I think in some ways it’s a bit like in the late 80s when people were still very wary of coming to London, fearing IRA bombings etc, when actually there were a few bomb scares but no real danger, if you lived here it didn’t feel scarey at all.

Charity shopping is definitely a different game from years ago and certainly not as cheap but I suppose what has always been true is you have to go often to find treasure.

looking forward to seeing the next thread title .. although I fear with gas and oil shooting ever higher especially now with Russian supplies being cut off, I for one will be dressing like a Babushka!!!

To clarify: I don’t live in Golborne Road or Old Church Stret - I wish!!’n

Morning from cloudy France. Quite glad of a break as my retinol-sensitised skin didn’t enjoy the sun yesterday despite my SPF 50. Still, I can always be the hypochondriac in the pharmacy and ask for advice rather than be followed around like a shoplifter.

An old friend of mine grew up in Pimlico and it’s really not very convenient at all. It’s in it’s own little loop of the Thames and the transport is a bit crap. Lots of gorgeous neoclassical terraces mixed in with grotty 60s concrete slabs.

IIRC Goldhawk Road is the bottom end of Shepherds Bush Market and home to N African, M Eastern, Ethiopian etc restaurants and communities. You’d probably find all kinds of interesting kente prints if you fancy a splash of colour, and you’re practically guaranteed a good lunch.

My grandmother did always justify her stockpiling for if the Russians came. We always laughed at the ridiculousness of it, feels a little less so these days. There was a bit of a Babushka look going prepandemic, it was very odd seeing very young women dressing as such.

Yes, I took the warnings of dangerous area with a grain of salt. I wouldn't go gallivanting there late at night but I'm sure it's fine during the day. London has always struck me as a place of a lot of inequality but not to the point it's a dangerous place for a tourist beyond feeling a bit dispirited by it. I just have no idea how it's fared through the pandemic, some friends have come back from various major US cities recently and were unanimously horrified but the US has always been more extreme.

The only thing really halting me from visiting Joel & Son is that they're very expensive, at least their online shop is, if they have better prices in store or special priced end of roll pieces then I'll happily go, just to travel there to lust at the fabric probably isn't very productive...

I don't think we ever pinned down an exact day for the meetup but I've been assuming March 30th, can we agree on that date?

Thanks Shangpie xposted with your suggestions. I looked at a street full of fabric shops near crescent trading when I added it to Google maps and that appears to be African wax cloth central. Goldhawk road seems to be Asian mostly, silks and lots of seconds, it could be worth my time but I'll have to plan my time carefully when it's all at other ends of London.

Also, get a good sun hat, hats are the first line of defense with retinoid sensitive skin, pretty much non negotiable if you're using prescription strength. If there's a Uniqlo or Muji nearby they sell some UPF ones, usually.

Thanks for the hat tip and hahaha to Muji or Uniqlo. I might conceivably in theory find something suitable on the market tomorrow or in the far reaches of HyperU.

So long as it has a wide brim you're usually good, hoping there's a lovely little seller at the market 🤞

Correction sorry not March 30th but the 31st for the meetup.

I asked the friend who introduced me to Joel & Son, for nice fabric shops (but not so £££ as Joel) and he suggested the following (he used to be a professional dressmaker)

“Try the Goldhawk Rd (Shepherds Bush) the part between the common and the railway bridge must have at least a dozen fabric shops. Nicest is Misan West: sister shop to their Soho ones. Classic Textiles sometimes have designer cabbage and they are also good for cheap linen. What kind of fabric do they want?

(I said I didn’t know and also what was “cabbage” and he told me end of rolls / surplus fabric.

Then

Ah! Well that stretch is certainly brilliant for 'Fabric' in general. My other favourite (but it's just one shop so hit or miss if you're after anything specific) is Simply Fabrics in Brixton. Good website to show the type of stuff he has.

Message ends

Just for the record (are you going to set up a fabric shop directory Madam Bo?) this same friend recommended Shepherds Bush market as a complete treasure trove for glorious idiotiic you never knew you needed it till you saw it “stuff”. The one time I went there I bought a T-shirt emblazoned with “I don’t do mingers” and a tonne of fake gold jewellery for a bad taste 80s party (although some might say that is a tautology!)

I think there is a date set up further up thread but frankly my diary is very free that particular week 😉 so not a problem whichever day is decided!

And of course there is always Southall and the sari shops…..

I probably should add a fabric shop directory but I'll do it after I've been so I can make a decent selection. Thanks for asking and thank them for the useful information, Simply Fabrics looks great if a bit far away.

I'm probably most interested in wool, I can get mostly Italian wools easily here and it's predominantly light weight suiting stuff and crepes so it's a limited selection both in terms of type and colours. And otherwise deadstock.

I thought we had decided on 31st or the 1st but hadn't pinned one date down. It was only really Red who wasn't available all week where everyone else was flexible iirc.

mm47 I always gazed at windows at Traid with my mouth open thinking it is some very talented shop assistants [oh naivety!] Following your lead, just found an interview in Vogue with him. Apparently, you cannot buy off the window display. I vividly remember a white suit spluttered with scarlet paint. Seems to suit the aesthetic of today's events.

flo I hope you are right about vintage shopping. Although it might be that the younger generations view it as default shopping and it would be a while before they get off it. Let's hope

bo in terms of things to see; I've seen Life Between Islands, Caribbean British Art 1950-now [Tate Britain, handy for Pimlico; it would still be on when you are here]. Its not a bad show although unsatisfactory in their choice of works 1990s-now, not very much experimental media work of the last 20 years is there. But overall, a big good heavily packed show with lots to see

There is Francis Bacon, Royal Academy of Arts, I haven't been yet. And what everyone calls the flying squid in the turbine hall of Tate Modern [don't know if it's still there?]

Oh I've been to Simply Fabrics too! It was clearly very popular but I'd barely started sewing again at that point and it was quite cluttered with a lot of fabrics not labelled and I just didn't know enough get the best out of it. I'm sure it's a great place if you're knowledeable.

I don't remember seeing much in the way of wools at The Cloth Shop, it was more linens and cottons. But Crescent Trading had some lovely looking wools and tweeds. I'm glad it's still going although I wonder what will happen to it as both the guys were pretty old and had clearly worked together a long, long time and had a great double act going on between them. A bit sad to think of one of them carrying on without the other.

And I think I got Goldhawk and Golborne rd mixed up before so ignore what I said about Goldhawk being close to The Cloth Shop, it's probably not at all.

Further thoughts on vintage shopping: I think (and of course I may be wrong) that charity shopping is niche and that the current famine is largely down to a perfect storm that will settle. I'm less sanguine about the vintage / second trade as a whole. It seems to be turning increasingly corporate - I know we've mentioned those big 'vintage' stores before that are opening up in every town, presumably chains, and then there's the sell-by-the-kilo people who turn up with their trucks mostly full of tat and then drive away the same day. I mean I go to them and they're quite good fun but, in the words of Butch Cassidy, who are these guys? (Was talking about this on a thread yesterday) More to the point, who's financing them because they must be blowing the small independent traders, who used to be the bedrock of this industry, out of the water? Who are Vinted's backers because I don't believe it's all just down to one clever app writer? I know everything changes but something smells off. It's partly why I went back to sewing, even though I'm not that good at it. I felt I needed an exit plan.

microbius you are not alone, I also assumed the Traid windows were dressed by the shop assistants! I only found out when I asked which assistant had done them because I thought they were amazing, they told me all Traid windows are done by Collucci and how he does it - and then I went home and fell down an Internet rabbit hole looking him up.

flo Crescent Trading sounds amazing I really need to sew something more than a duvet cover. As a sensory experience all these fabric shops are just phenomenal, it’s a bit like going round art shops Eg Cornelissen, I can’t paint but oh the paper and pigments. Although tbh probably better (looking at the one and only duvet cover I have ever made) if I try to find a good dressmaker… 🤡

Oh not labelled is no good, but I suspect that'll be the case in most places. Thankfully UK produced wool usually has its content woven into the selvedge.

I don't know if there's still a squid in Tate Modern, micro I do really want to see Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirror Rooms there (though I suspect they might be the same as the ones I saw in Rotterdam previously) but tickets are sold out for my dates but occasionally there's cancellations so I'm keeping an eye on it but it's very popular. I'd like to see Louise Bourgeois at the Hayward as well and there's also a new exhibition opening in the V&A about menswear and masculinity that looks promising (although I must admit I'm a bit about the exhibition price when it's obviously a filler exhibition) but that also seems to be selling fast so deciding on when to schedule it in is annoying when all three probably require booking well in advance, it's really annoying for tourists. I suppose we could go to the V&A exhibit as part of the meetup although it's not really in the same area?

Ooh lots of xposting Flo you're right in thinking about who are these guys (and yeah they're mostly men). Apps like Vinted and Vestiaire definitely started out small and somewhat idealistic but they quickly got investors and I assume they're just like any old venture capitalists and it's all about the money.

I'd really like to see a closer examination of their sustainability claims, I suspect it's a lot less rosey than presented. I also find it tough to say if people buying secondhand all of a sudden is such an improvement as I doubt they're doing it instead of but rather more a little less of and maybe overall consuming more. And there will also be a bit of justifying poor choices like a Shein haul with an offset of good behaviour by getting some things secondhand (or what they think is secondhand, I suspect there's also a bit of deadstock being sold as older than it is).

There's also the issue when you get dominant market players, Vestiaire is known to work with luxury brands to launch trends into their new lines with a 'revival' of sorts. The Dior saddle bags are an example of that, demand was faked on the app, influencers were gifted the vintage ones by VC and then boom the brand relaunched the bag after this 'sudden' interest.