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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Swedish Crown Princess Victoria is definitely all about the Swedish designers. She seems to have found a way to really enjoy dressing up (ie being a mannequin) when she can combine it with always promoting Swedish design (one of her job specs). So I find that interesting, esp for female royalty, so see if/how they try to adapt the constraints of being scrutinised for their dress.

I read that it was def a ball gown and def because she was on her way to a party?

Yeah I find it interesting too. And for all my noseying, I don't envy any of these women trying to get it right. Diana might be held up as a style icon now but she wore some shockers in her time, and I think she only really found her look after the divorce.

I'm sure TM will have been on her way to a do, but I also imagine she thoroughly enjoyed the statement it made.

sorry can’t seem to post a link . But Daily Mail has photos. I googled “T May ballgown to vote” and it came up; although the photo was from a different evening, she rewore this particular dress so you get the gist.

I've seen the one it's supposed to be but one would rather like a photo from the actual evening, what.

Other articles and complete change of topic: There was an article in a Swedish paper last week about a shoemaker who makes solid hiking boots, favoured by a particular unit in the Swedish military. He makes 1200 pairs a year and people on hiking forums speak of them mythically. Fantastic reading. He hasn't answered the phone since 2003 "Why should I, only bloody customers ringing. Grown men who don't know if they're a size 41 or 47". He doesn't have time for journalists "If I spend 15 minutes talking to you then I have to work another 15 minutes and I'm the one stuck in this glue and dust hell almost all day". Won't claim pride for his work "How should I know if I'm proud of the product. You shouldn't think you're anything special anyway." Other quotes: "It's not a fashion shoe. Feet look the same, what's to change?" "The fuck I can call myself a user of my own shoe. It'd be nice with a hobby, like fishing, but I spent all my time making these fucking boots."

The anti-hero we all need.

Haha that's the most Swedish thing I've ever read 😂 and now I inexplicably want these hiking boots.

I appreciate the heads up of pictures to be found in illicit places but I think at this point I much prefer my own imagination where she's not going to a party but instead sitting in her living room, sparkly feet up surrounded by a giant poofy ball gown that eats up half the room with some wedges of cheese and port while tossing the rinds at the telly whenever Johnsons's face comes on and booing him.

I did stumble across an old article yesterday in search of pics where the Russian press took aim at Theresa May's fashion choices, comparing her to some Ukrainian feminists (probably meant as an insult, I'd take it as a great compliment).

Wonder if they'll ever attack Johnson for the whiteness of his tired flesh. Nah, they'll probably just go after Truss instead because they're boringly predictable like that.

Good lord "whiteness of her tired flesh" - what an arse. Sending a thought to all Russian women. ✊

Realised that I forgot to say something about curly hair and stylishness - IME this has not been a thing here in Sweden. I don't recognise, from my childhood/teens, curly hair being seen as "lesser". We did have the straightened hair phase of course but not to the extremes of Britain (or Ireland) I think. However, I suspect we have fewer natural curlyheads genetically. Purely going by feeling there.

The boot: www.tegsnasskidan.se/produkt/jornkanga/

the picture In your head is much more amusing! Lambasting TayMay for “tired flesh” rather than actual policies is so lame it does rather flag up they’re scraping the barrel (not sure how many more cliches I can fit into sentence but you get my drift… 😉)

Ps The Swedish boot maker sounds absolutely brilliant, how refreshing, what a fantastic curmudgeon!

The tv host also continues to whine about TM's lack of decorum for not holding her wine glass by the stem (I'm fairly convinced I'm the last person alive who actually does still hold it by the stem). Just when you thought the bottom of the barrel couldn't be scraped any further.

Yes, indeed, life in Russia for women isn't great, thoughts with them. Russian TV is bonkers though, they seem weirdly obsessed with the UK, they even took shots at Queen Elizabeth, calling her a moss covered queen. I guess some of the insulting impact is lost in translation, it painted her more as something mystical out of Tolkien in my mind 🤷

Yeah, I think you might be on to something with curly hair to straight ratio, Bani, the thing that's scarce/exotic suddenly becomes desirable, etc. Statistically there's more curly hair than straight though and there's a lot of people you just assume have straight hair and it turns out to be straightened hair. I can be a bit like one of those MRA types about women and makeup about this, feels like some deep form of betrayal somehow.

You never fail to make me laugh Bani , that shoemaker is a true legend. Brilliant.

I love those quotes about the boots, bani!

I agree that British Royal style is generally quite rigid. I did read some of the discussion about the fit of Meghan's outfit. Totally agree with bo about having quite a straight up and down figure does not lend itself to that style of formal wear (not that I am anywhere as skinny, but as someone with wider shoulders and a not very defined waist, I speak from experience).

Curly hair, I think, has often been treated as an "other". I stopped straightening mine at about 16/17 after doing lots of damage from the very 80s big hair crimping, back combing etc. Like flo, I used to get stopped and asked which spiral perm I had!

Hi all! I am going to Barcelona for work. Was thinking of retinol as apparently you can get (cheap) one just in the pharmacy. Any shops / brands worth looking for? It'll be a very short trip, but maybe there are some gems.

Since you call it retinol I'm going to assume you're not that knowledgeable about it. Sorry, patronising, I know, but this requires a prescription (including in Spain, there's just a weird loophole) for a reason. Your average pharmacy will only stock a percentage that's in all likelihood too high for someone with little to no experience with it and you could end up doing some serious damage to your skin. You're better off going through a subscription prescription service like Skin+Me or Dermatica in the UK who will guide you through the process and gradually increase the dose and make it a far smoother and hopefully painless affair. Also, summer probably not the best time of year to start on prescription tretinoin.

Fairly useless with Barcelona recommendations, it's on my list of least liked cities in Europe along with Basel. Some excellent restaurants though. I like Loreak Median as a Spanish brand, they might have a Barcelona shop.

Thanks, bo! I had my worst - and two - food poisoning in Barcelona so am going to be very careful with food. Would be grateful for restaurant recommendations

It's been a while since I've been and a lot of those restaurants seem to have closed. Tapas 24 still seems to be going and there's a new place, Compartir BCN that's a new venture of one of the closed restaurants' chef, looks promising. In general just steer clear of the high traffic tourist areas and the universal never eat anywhere where the waiting staff shirts or aprons match the table cloths.

Any recommendations for fabric shops / charity shops near Mayfair/Soho/St James’s? I have to go into town this weekend and May as well have a look!

Thanks! trying to think whether I've ever been to or seen a place where staff's shirts/aprons match the tablecloths. That's a new frontier.

Volte I liked Macculloch & Wallis (sp.?) On Poland Street. There's a lot of fabric stores in the street parallel to it, Berwick or Bernard's street iirc.

It's usually a check table cloth/shirt combo, micro but sometimes it's more subtle, see attached.

Lucky you micro! I haven’t been to Barcelona for several years but have happy memories of vermuterias (bars specialising in delicious aperitifs) in Raval and Gracia.

Here are the Jil Sander boots that I got for an immodestly low sum off eBay. The toe shape is longer than I prefer, but I think they will grow on me. Normally I’m very anti superfluous zips, but this is so OTT and on the outside that I kind of like it. A bit of scuffing to polish away, but otherwise all good. Also the colour is much better IRL than the crappy web pics, so overall I am happy to have taken the gamble.

Enjoyed reading the TM outfit chat - I had the same image as bo of her dressing up specially for the vote!

Thanks, ShangPie! I like the toe, at least on a photo it looks good!

And thanks, bo, for teaching me to see, once again

I have done two more things that could be of interest. I went to York (for work) and visited the designer outlet that I had thought had a much cheaper Margaret Howell outlet. It was in fact much more expensive than the London one, and a year, rather than a season behind. A coat I saw slowly reduced from 1200 to 400 in the London one is back up there for 900. Weird.

I also went to the Studio Nicholson sample sale. Apparently sample sales are unusually good this year. I got this mac (prototype of it). I did hesitate but I am now loving it. It looks like some Japanese ceremonial wear with the rombus-like sleeves. It is hard to see on photos and I would struggle to photograph mine but it has a very funny thing going with shape. I gave up for now on the idea of waterproof and hood. Currently the weather seems to be exactly right for my new mac

apparently it's convex sleeve

Oh shangpie you lucky thing. I like those boots.

that is the sort of Mac I have been wanting for a while Micro, you lucky thing.

today I popped into my local dress agency and got these ‘babucha’ trousers, in a very thin fabric, perfect for summer and easy to wear.
Lighting in the dressing room was rubbish, irl they are perfect as new condition and a great colour.

Hi, it's annoying cousin under a new name change.

Re curly hair, Patti Smith is my hair hero. It's taken me over 30 years to accept my textured hair, I think acceptance of curls and waves came along with acceptance of grey. I just realised I was fighting against so much I just needed to learn to go with it and as soon as I did it's been amazing. The young Japanese women in Selfridges seem particularly anamoured by it, which thrills me every time.

I do think the world is more appreciative of natural hair than it used to be.

Clothes-wise I came over all 80s this week and bought this Jumpsuit

And then decided it needed a gold-hardwear elastic belt and gold Fendi mules.

It's all very glam, I'm always caught in a juxtapose between minimalism and full-on disco-queen.

I like big hair and heels!

I also like militant simplicity.

I think my style would be best described as angular natural glamour...

Regarding 'Royal Style' I honestly find it the most boring thing. It's uniform. And has to signify not the wearer, but the institution.

Ah Patti Smith - love that woman. The photo on 'Horses' blew me away as much as the music. I miss album covers. I miss music and fashion and art and hair and poetry all being mashed up. Well ok maybe I don't miss the poetry too much.

Anyway (and I might have posted this before so sorry if I have) I once heard Patti Smith talking about trying to buy a new T shirt while she was on tour and I can assure you all, she gets our frustration.

Yes, Patti enjoys her clothes musings a little bit too much too. She and Ann Demeulemeester are besties as well and refer to each other as mutual muses which is a concept that's always intrigued me and I feel is worthy of some high brow play or art house movie.

Speaking of artist mashups, I greatly enjoyed nosing around through . I also really enjoyed how not precious the Christie's staff are about the items and encouraged that the items continue to be used. Bit miffed the exposition/opening days thing is so limited in time as it would have been great to see in real life.

Sigh, they don't make fashion designers like they used to, and the best ones all seem to love gardening too. I might need to feign an interest in it again as a result and I also want malachite green velvet everything now and desperately want to bid on the two Claudio Bravo paintings.