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

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

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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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I agree. It I think it’s a shame prices are now so high. I think the internet has been an accelerant to all this, everybody knows what the desirable styles and labels are and can check prices on say ebay in a few seconds. Back in the day the mostly elderly staff manning these shops often didn’t know or care. I remember walking into an Oxfam in the late 80s when I was a student, seeing a coat I liked and asking if I could pay £5 for it and I’d throw in the coat I was wearing. They said yes. The coat was a beautiful 1950s woollen houndstooth waisted affair, I still mourn it ( left it behind in Bucharest in the 90s). With the likes of Cancer Research Marylebone high street I’ve pretty much given up on some charity shops.

Thanks for the input about selling my boots. I popped into a local dress agency and they said to come back in September when they’ll start selling boots. I managed to resist buying a rather nice dress, and have a made a note in my diary…

That makes sense SeaRabbit, my local dress agency has switched to sandals for the time being. There were also some great tips about second hand buying and (I think) selling online a while back but I can't remember how long ago and who it was. I've had a quick look and I can't see the posts on this thread so it might have been the previous one.

When I was looking I did find a London charity shop discussion, in which ShangPie specifically advised looking outside of central London and I chipped in that I was going to try Clapham next time - shame I didn't remember although I didn't really have time to travel far.

Hellooooo? Are you all locked out of the app or have you run away and joined Netmums?

Got the men's suit jacket back from the cleaners and I still like it. I'm now trying to turn up the sleeves the professional way, where you turn it inside out and then pull the sleeve through. Or something. It's a bit like trying to pull your brains out through your ear with a seam ripper.

I am still lurking. I have been very uninspired as I broke my wrist snowboarding a few weeks ago so have just been wearing whatever I can get over the cast. It’s off on Monday though, hooray!

I am also lurking.
snap @Voltefarce !
change the words snowboarding for skiing; wrist for knee: broke for torn a ligament…
Luckily looks like a minor overstretched one and I am walking now.
That will teach me.
although I have order via eBay a Zara broderie anglaise top , I will give it a good wash first … anyone remember smelly clothing chat some threads ago …. 🤢

Sounds beyond my abilities Flo what you are doing. Want to see the end product.

Still here... busy with settling MIL into the new care home and searching for some new nighties for her. Must be sleeveless, cotton, very thin (she only likes them worn threadbare) and no lace or trimming.

Hellooo I’ve been lurking just don’t really have anything terrifically Parisienne (even a cosplaying one) to offer so am very keen for you to get the sleeve length sorted out Flo because we all bating our breath for the photos!!!

💐for the injured snow bunnies. And hurrah for EBay when you can’t get off your bed of pain but can be distracted by virtual treasure hunting! I have learnt to my cost that it’s always good to wash on purchase second hand stuff (I once bought the most beautiful pinky red leather jacket for £1 only to discover it had appalling baked in BO which nothing would shift - yes I should’ve checked before I bought but it didn’t occur to me!).The worst I had was buying a pair of cream cotton MHL trousers which were in dire (and I mean truly dire) need of a launder. It was a mighty shock and I’d instantly chucked them in the washing machine. The seller was mortified and said she hadn’t checked the inside and offered to take them back but by then the trousers were clean. Anyway I think the seller might be more thorough in her inspections in future!

Xing do you remember Lunn Antiques nighties, it sounds like your mother would like a very plain (or even stripped of ornament) one? The cotton is so fine it’s almost like Indian cotton if I remember correctly.

Yes miss flo, I’m here!

Have been lurking while recovering from Covid. I finally succumbed after an Easter trip to France, despite my 5 vaccines (had two before leaving China which apparently didn’t count, plus three in UK) Feeling pretty much back to normal but am still testing positive so am keeping a low profile.

red and volte hope you are healing well

On the charity shop front, I have been wasting time and money on the eBay store for British Heart Foundation and a few others. Picked up some lovely bits for DS, as well as some great bargains for me. Will do a show and tell photo post when I’m feeling better.

Oh lord, I'm very sorry to hear of all this sickness and misfortune. Five vaccines and you still caught it Shang 😮

I don't think I can help with photos at the moment as I can't post on the app at all any more so I'm back on an old laptop, and even that's throwing me out sometimes. I tried updating the app and it made no difference so I'm about to delete and download it again - if you don't hear from me for a while, that's why.

Anyway turning up tailored, lined sleeves is an absolute headfuck - apologies for my foul tongue but there's no other word for it. I've always just done it by hand but got it into my head that I wanted to learn the proper way. I can only conclude that whoever first thought up the method was on drugs.

Xing my mum also preferred plain, sleeveless cotton nighties but this was back in the day when you could still get that kind of thing in M&S. I can't even begin to think who might do them now.

Lunn Antiques is a good shout, thanks, mm47. It must be their generation,, Flo, but M&S is cuurrently unhelpful; my not-so-dear SIL has bought several, which have been rejected out of hand. I have bought a couple from CyberJammies' old lady line because I have one that's pretty much on the money. she tried one for size and I am washing the starches out as write this.

All good wishes to the injured winter sport fiends for a fast recovery and flowers].

Xing there was a post here a while back about nighties for wearing while haunting the moors wailing ‘Heathcliff’

Not sure the flappy Bronte style will suit your MIL but it might be worth looking up for brand recommendations. IIRC a few posters suggested eBay searches for Past Times, which I had totally forgotten about

Straightforwardly, I think the real issue is that DMIL is only comfortable wearing very very soft (worn out) garments because her skin is so thin and fragile. Even the softest fabric feels too hard and new.

Delurking for a moment to suggest The Prial for light cotton nighties. Someone recommended it here a couple of years ago. Lots of styles including very simple sleeveless. The one I got is a full - on flouncy Wuthering Heights number but the cotton is super thin in a good way and it's oh so comfortable. Sorry I can't do a link but maybe worth a look. And big thanks to whoever suggested them in the first place.

I'm lurking as ever, though I hate the new format: (which for some reason turns my full stops into colons - how weird is that??)
I've been in sick bay, too, with e-coli and a severe kidney infection: Recovery slow, and clothes not on the radar as I've barely left home in ages:

Bonjour to all, though:

godness me … we are falling apart … I hope you recover well Auld, and to the rest hope we are all on the mend 💐🍷🍸🍪to us all.
I am following with interest the cotton nighties talk, I hope you find something suitable Xing.

Blimey Flo… no words for that sleeve turning …

xing the other thing that occurred to me is a knitted viscose nightie? Although I’m a fan of 100% cotton I wonder if the super softness of viscose or tencel or lyocell or what-have-you is the level of softness your mother might need? I imagine she’s well past all the sweatiness of menopause. I was also thinking that clothes laundered by care homes take a real battering so maybe it would be stronger than incredibly fine cotton?

Testing, testing. I've been struggling to post for a while now due to the whole new site thing. If this does actually get through for a change flowers to all those in the infirm bay hope you all recover soon and to full health.

News in my absence, I've noticed Uniqlo have a Marni Collab coming out later this month, I like a balloon skirt but I'll probably pass as I'm doing an avoid things made in China thing as much as possible and most Uniqlo Collab things tend to be made there iirc.

Not all that exciting after the whole announcement buildup they did, Uterque is now part of Massimo Dutti, called Massimo Dutti Studio and it's exclusively online. So, meh.

I'm still the world's slowest embroiderer, I've got a 1/3 of each sleeve done.

Hanro has some nice sleeveless nighties btw Xing. I would normally say Calida which is cheaper and just as good but they've often got bits of trim.

Ooh it actually posted, hello again everyone (I dare not try an emoji again but imagine a nice one inserted here).

Hello everyone and so sorry to hear about broken and torn limbs and ligaments and all the other illnesses. In terms of my fashion news, I went to a Vivienne Westwood sample sale. My son made me. It was a very interesting experience.

No one was my age. There were some very interesting looking evening and wedding gowns but I didn't try them on (but did think of flo and her upcoming Ibiza wedding). The deconstructed dresses I did try on looked completely awful on me. Basically everything I tried looked awful and especially around the neckline. And I did think I would suit that aesthetic!

The pricing was much higher than MHL sample sale. I did buy a scarf from Anders Kronthaler very similar to this www.yoox.com/uk/46722000/item?from=kelkoo&gclid=CjwKCAjw9-KTBhBcEiwAr19ig47P5cZMRKzyTzNvyh9gNLI3of59HRDD9e2FWRzVHQ7LoTqOfHkNBBoCVVcQAvD_BwE#cod10=46722000&sizeId=1

Sorry don't know how to post links anymore!

My son liked the way other customers were dressed, (to me they looked emo) but said they were not dressed in what you could buy in there. We got a shirt and trousers for him, more classic with a bit of a twist.

It looked like a place where people who want Vivienne Westwood label displayed prominently on the bag or a signature blazer in purple check go to get those but otherwise not a place I want to return to

Marni Uniqlo mmmmm!
Balloon skirt does look good, and the blouse it is worn with. Thanks, bo

I'm glad you found your way back to us bo and that all is well. Hope the others are recovering too. I am still communicating through the medium of laptop - it's quite good for me cos it means I can't start scrolling whenever I'm bored.

microbius I adore Vivienne Westwood so I'm very envious of your sample sale visit although I can see your point. I've got a trouser suit of hers that I bought several years ago in the final hours of the sales but, having checked every year since then, I now realise that was a piece of outrageous good fortune as her more mainstream stuff often sells out in the first couple of days - if it makes it to the sale at all. I imagine a sample sale would consist largely of the more maveric lines. I think I read that Andreas Kronthaler does a lot / most of the designing now. I'm pleased for your son though!

Thanks for the Marni/Uniqlo tip bo. I like the balloon skirt and I also looked wistfully at one of the floaty sleeveless tops but not for long. The check stuff in both the men's and women's ranges made me think of Vivienne Westwood again. Unfortunately it also reminded me of the tic tac man at the dog track and I couldn't get past that.

flo sorry, I didn't meant to bash Vivienne Westwood. I imagine most good things sold out by the end of the second day, which is when I was able to get tickets for. And I also quickly got lost in all the lines that were there, 4 or 5; you really got to know what you are looking for. You can see I am clearly a newbie to all of this, and learn as I go.

After joining you here I realised there is a major advantage to living in London – sample sales - so I am trying to go now just get a sense of what it can add to the life of clothes in my house (I plan next to visit Joseph sample sale). I was thinking of a long, oversized, waterproof and hooded mac. I quite like the look of some of the Studio Nicholson macs but none are actually waterproof. In Vivienne Westwood sample sale for instance I found a classic mac, which I didn't get (don't know if it was a mistake, a few months ago I probably wouldn't be able to resist). It didn't have a hood and looked fairly standard, with oversized padded shoulders. So now I weirdly find myself in a luxurious position of not buying a Vivienne Westwood mac while looking for a perfect one (!). What do you people think about this one from Norse Projects (learned from bo)
www.norseprojects.com/store/women/spring-summer-22/nw55-0142-0918-oda-20-gore-tex-infinium
I have never seen their clothes in real life. I am going to Denmark in June and could probably get to see it but I am realistically only going to be able to afford it if it goes on sale half price

Oh bash away microbius it's all just opinions and I'm sure Vivienne Westwood can take it! I'd love to go to a Joseph sample sale.

I like that Norse Projects mac although personally I'd probably find the high neck too uncomfortable. I became obsessed with finding a decent bad weather coat a few years ago and probably bored everyone on here senseless, but I ended up buying a Margaret Howell for Barbour waxed cotton coat, which isn't labelled waterproof but that works on all but the very worst days. I think Xing has had a mac for years that she rates highly but I can't remember the brand now. If money were no object, I'd probably go for Mackintosh.

Thanks, flo Naive me I didn't realise Mackintosh still exists as a label of its own! I re-read a lot of les parisiennes in winter and remember reading about your Margaret Howell Barbour mac with a hood. I'd go for that but I found all her Barbour collabs too short on me (I am very tall). I am afraid I'd be forced to stick to the Danes or wait if I can get another of her runway samples in the form of mac. I have no idea if this is a fairly standard find (runway sample) or I was insanely lucky with my runway coat.