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.

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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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Thanks for that bo, I'll see what the shampoo I ordered is like and bear the pepper one in mind...
I am determinedly not looking at Uniqlo U.

Bo, I don't know whether I am paying any extra yet. Delivery was fairly pricey so I hope not.

Yes, bo, Auld and others, the Jean Myne Black Pepper shampoo is great. The bottle has lasted over 18 months, so far. I also use a clarifying/chelating shampoo (Malibu Un doo goo). My hair is curly and quite shiny, might be the low porosity, though.

Love the bag, Xing, looks great quality and versatile too.

Thanks bo! I'll have another look. Not sure there is anything else I wanted, but there may have been some returns...

I've supposedly signed up for MH e-mails, not sure why they are not coming through

Some newsletters are strange like that, I've never shopped online with them so don't know why I get special treatment.

I found some before and afters for the shampoos here, no grey on there though, I did find this video featuring grey hair but for the poppy seed version which is darker than the pepper one. Also looks good, maybe a better choice for the in between stage as it gives depth where the pepper version lifts.

"I ordered my brother a book for Christmas, online from Blackwell's, on Dec 14th.
It arrived yesterday."

I ordered one in October and am still waiting! Not from Blackwell's though. Amazon couldn't provide it and refunded me, so I ordered it from the publisher, who say their distributor won't release stock. I don't really understand why the distributor can't just post me the book to be honest.

Think everything is taking extra time at the moment thanks to Omicron and Brexit - I have some house stuff that was meant to be here within 7 days, it's now 22 and counting.

Ooh, the poppy seed looks good, too, bo. I have had lots of compliments with the pepper shampoo and been asked what I use. It looks a bit more natural and is gentler than some of the purple shampoos I've used. Also, a big thanks for recommending the Gallinée products for a sensitive scalp - I've used some of their skincare too, which is really nice.

Ugh, the parcel and delivery issues are such a pain. A few European companies I've used, now won't even deliver to the UK anymore, as we're not EU. As for across the Atlantic, I bought a secondhand jumper last summer from Etsy that took 3 months from Canada...

Note to self: consult Botemps before ordering anything. I'll try the anti-yellowing shampoo I ordered once it gets here, but I have the pepper one tucked away in the back of my mind, too.

The delivery thing is complicated. Stuff within France is quick now, but not between the UK & EU.
Bikes were like gold dust in September, there were none to be had for miles around. Popped into Intersport yesterday and there were loads. Just in time for the sales and DS2's birthday.

Thanks bo for posting the link to the singapore's Uniqlo U. I see there's been lots of disappointment with this line. Is it the quality of material or the cut? I've stopped buying high street fashion as it makes me very upset when tops lose their shape after one season. COS for instance is the same for me, last time I bought a top, it lost all lustre after 2 washes and was delegated to homewear. Would Uniqlo U also fit in this category? I quite like the look of some stuff but I am afraid I might not be able to discern the quality of cotton before it's too late. What should I beware of?

@microbius I think COS has really gone downhill in terms of quality, sadly. With Uniqlo I’ve found that their 100% cotton t-shirts and joggers hold up well, although I only wear them around the house / children / walking the dog, so not sure how smart they still look!

I’ve lived in Uniqlo U joggers and fleece-lined hoodie for the past two years, and only change out of them when I have a meeting or have to go in to work.

I machine wash them at 30C and then line dry them, I did try drying them in the dryer once (on the low setting) but they shrank a lot!

As an aside, I don’t understand why UK websites provide so little detail on e.g., materials and photos. The MH Japanese website has at least 10 photos for every item, compared to 2-3 on the UK website

That is odd about the UK vs JP website, I tend to look on Net A Porter or similar sites as they usually have the most pictures and often video too.

I agree laundry habits might come into it. I'm always confused about people saying things fall apart or lose shape quickly after purchase, maybe it is just about how discerning I am when I'm buying but I think it's probably much more down to washing and drying (I always dry knitwear flat and avoid washing it as much as possible) and the occasional bad batch. I'm not convinced avoiding low priced items automatically mean you're less likely to encounter it, you're just somewhat reducing the odds. The only issues I've ever encountered quickly after put, and that's at all price points is stitching or buttons coming lose.

I've not noticed a decline at Cos but I think I last bought a dress there in lockdown one and only visited the shop occasionally since.

Uniqlo U, it depends on the person, materials have changed from previous collections so the quality or fit of it isn't what it used to. For me it's a combination of boxy fits and that the size (xxs) I need is based on an Asian average height (it's their size xs) and that is a couple of cms shorter than me so it fits weird but the boxiness means a size up that utilises the western average height feels much too big.

Regarding laundry, I wash a lot of my tshirts and knitwear on a delicate wash and hang them on the towel rail in the bathroom. I don't wash knitwear too often either, I often wear a layer underneath anyway.

Thanks for the Singapore link bo. It's helped me take a few things off my list but that men's overshirt / jacket is still in the frame if it's not too big.

I think the reason I find Uniqlo U so disappointing now is because their first couple of collections were so damn good (for me). From memory it was when that dominant skinny jeans / slouchy top silhouette was starting to um...shift (I'm trying to choose my words carefully because I don't want to bring angry posters to the door) and I thought they interpreted it really well. It felt fresh and modern but also very wearable. I don't know if Christophe Lemaire's taken his hand off the tiller but it just seems to have lost that touch. For me, there's not that much difference now between this range and their mainstream stuff once you see it in real life. And yeah, the quality's also fallen off a bit although, to be fair, I think for the most part you get what you pay for.

I don't know what these Margaret Howell final reductions are but everything else I had my eye on is the same price and I can't be bothered with that rigmarole again (even if they did redeem themselves by refunding the delivery) so I'm hanging on to what's left of my money.

Thanks everyone. Suddenly I have this idea that I must get a pair of long, long leather gloves.

Like the ones here

I wear a coat that is a bit too short in the sleeves (boxy and long silhouette) and I have another beautiful one, a bathrobe type, again with turned up sleeves, I don't wear at all on account of sleeves (and poor closure) in cold weather.

I suddenly seem to be thinking that all of that would be fixed by such gloves and it will be my salvation, the thing that's been missing in my winter wardrobe. However, not willing to part with £80 for a pair.

Any thoughts? Let's talk leather gloves?

Cos leather gloves are not great, quite crude and industrial. I thought Sermoneta gloves had a shop in London but maybe it was New York, can't remember now. Anyhow, good leather gloves don't come cheap, especially long ones, and need to be fitted to you and they should then last you a lifetime, the Cos lining will go within a couple of years. I know of great shops in Antwerp and Paris but not London but I'm sure there must still be an old timey traditional glove shop hidden somewhere in a picturesque arcade (in my imagination) although I've always gotten the impression that leather gloves in the UK are more geared to country life. Xing mentioned a factory she made a detour for once, somehow related to Susannah of Trinny and fame. And there was gossip about the Royal family too, but I haven't retained it all.

Oh, I'm sure we had a conversation about long, leather gloves on a previous thread.

Xing will know more about the factory tour but I'm pretty sure it was Dents which I'm also pretty sure (although google hasn't confirmed) had something to do with Susannah Constantine's family at some point. And yes Susannah used to date a humble furniture maker called David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones aka Viscount Linley, son of Princess Margaret. And why I never made the grade as a Royal correspondent I will never know.

I've got some over-the-elbow leather gloves from Mark's and Spencer - a present a few years ago. I'm not sure if they still sell them but I'd better warn you I kind of gave up on them as they were always slipping down my arm. I think you need a Rolex and a shitload of jewellery to keep them in place.

Oh and Shakespeare's dad was a glove maker I believe.

What is all this useless stuff doing in my head?

I read Ma'am Darling after you mentioned it on here Flo (very enjoyable, thanks, bit depressing with all the creepy men surrounding here from a very young age though) and that humble furniture maker came across a bit of a dick in the aftermath of her death so Susannah probably dodged a bullet.

Through my googling for the gloves Xing had mentioned I found a different royal connection, I stumbled on Cornelia James, she makes the Queen's gloves and they look quite nice tbh and are not extortionate (but in line with most premium glove prices which comparatively aren't that expensive when you take in account materials and finishing, leather gloves are a rare thing that haven't massively inflated prices).

Long gloves shouldn't slip down, I suspect they're too big or just cut to a common average that actually suits few people, that tends to be an issue with these large scale industrial manufactured gloves.

So far I have discerned that elbow gloves are opera gloves, and from what I can see from Sermoneta, they are really tight around the arm. So, wearable with a short sleeve dress but not over other clothes to go under the coat... Then there is a glove with a gauntlet.. Some are fur trimmed... still talking from the inside of a rabbit hole.

bos link. cornelia james, features a glove over a naked arm as well. When your long gloves slid, flo would they totally collapse around the wrist or just be uncomfortable? Maybe I should get long wool ones and under gloves in the hope that they wouldn't develop holes instantly?

apologies for spamming, found these beautiful gloves. Sadly out of stock. They are Swedish, maybe bani knows something about them?