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Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: Always Have a Ball Gown at the Ready in Celebration of Your Enemy's Demise

996 replies

botemp · 19/07/2022 14:42

Lovers of Parisian style and fashion with a conscious mindset and lots of chatter in between.


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Outlets

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Charity Shops, Dress Agencies, and Outlets

Favoured NYC addresses:

Consignment shops, Vintage, and Restaurants


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206
microbius · 12/01/2023 21:40

How wonderful, Red, and then Bo, in Paris! Great buys, bo, would be great to see pictures. Don't get the jumper you don't quite like

I've fallen down the rabbit hole of goodyear welt and other types of shoe construction. I am sorry for being pathetic, but OMG, how could I have never known any of this!

Flo, also very impressed with your knowledge. That's why there is a curve around the leg. And curved seams too. Of course, thats what it is! It all makes sense now.

Now off to examine all of my shoes. And trousers.

My fashion news is that I went to Jill Sander sample sale. As usual bought nothing but admired other people, specifically lots of South Asian women trying on white maxi airy dresses; they looked stunning and all congregated near size 30. I, on the other hand, with my slavic hips went straight to the other side, near size 40 :D Beautifully constructed dresses, but I am trying to limit my buying to my life as it is, not imaginary events (like mm's weddings)

botemp · 12/01/2023 22:54

I think I've already decided I'll get the red jumper anyway. I've tried on far too many others and come out disappointed with the colour and this is the perfect shade of red. I'll try it on just the once to make absolutely sure. But it's an oversized design it'll probably be fine. Sales associate wasn't refusing to sell it to me for a change and also thought it was fine.

Pics, I didn't take a picture of the Rick Owens top but it's a fairly classic staple of theirs. I have it in a thicker army green fabric that isn't transparent. As it's on the bias it fits me very differently (I fill it out so it's shorter and it accentuates my curves).

DvN skirt, better pics of it here, despite it technically evening wear I'm confident I'll be able to wear it casually.

Scrap the above I'm struggling attaching pics. Link for the Rick Owens top

OP posts:
mm47 · 12/01/2023 23:58

that skirt is fantastic bo. Love the trompe l’oeil effect of the feather print. micro I bet there were some amazing outfits worn by your fellow JS sample sale shoppers, I remember a few of the south Asian women at the MHL sample sale were so put together it was just a pleasure to see them. flo that sounds a really nice exhibition, did any of it give you inspiration for how to style your own look?

Sooverthemill · 13/01/2023 07:05

@botemp I'm a long time lurker and very occasional poster on her. Where's the Schiaparelli exhibition? I am going to Paris at the end of January for 3 nights ( so 2 complete days ) and am up for inspiration. We will inevitably do the d'orsay, Rodin and may hit the Pompidou just for the fun of that but this is my first child free trip to Paris for 22 years and I'm interested in any recommendations for art, culture, food ( shopping, but this is an anniversary trip so sadly DH will be coming along). I am going to Sézane and want to go to soeur and sessun if possible ( I may leave DH in the Louvre). I lived in Paris for a few months a frightening 40 years ago so know the areas quite well. Staying in the Marais. Apologies for sidetracking the excellent conversations on here

ShangPie · 13/01/2023 07:51

No Paris tips from me, not been (well, outside CDG airport) in years 😭 There was a poster who went just before Xmas and got lots of tips, so maybe scroll back to mid-Dec and have a read in case?

Just came by to say that there’s grumpy model and grumpy model, and bo’s Rick Owens top is A-grade maximum grump.

Very jealous of exhibitions, sample sales and the like. How cunning to go with the tiny Asian influencers micro - let them battle for the mini-sizes while you get the rest of the sale to yourself!

botemp · 13/01/2023 08:38

You Brits always confuse me when you say South Asian, as Asian seems to often be shorthand for Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi in the UK, so what is South Asia because I only remember seeing Japanese/Chinese/S. Koreans at MHL sample sale and South Asia means India/Pakistan/etc. in the rest of the world.

I need to have a closer look at the London sample sales as the trains to London are going more often now. How far in advance do they announce it?

Shangpie, yes, that's SSense for you, I think Canadian winters make them extra grumpy over there or something. They also always pick the skinniest models so I assume they're freezing in summer clothes and potentially hangry. The influencers here are driving me batty though, they're everywhere and it's all about video now, they take up so much space as a result, shops, museums, anything is just a prop and a backdrop to them. They're not even looking at the exhibit, just looking for empty spaces they can be filmed in to share a few seconds clip of look I was here. I used to grumble and rant about everyone only viewing museums through the lens of their camera phone, it's so much worse now... Grumble, grumble, I'm on my way to looking like a SSense model.

Sooverthemill, the Schiaparelli exhibit is at the Musee des arts décoratifs (there's also an 80s exhibition with some fashion) but I think this or next week is the last weekend.

I think the YSL museum is reopened but not 100% on that, if you can book ahead and they offer the English tour I'd recommend that.

I'd definitely recommend seeing the Dior gallery, there's a bit of overlap with the exhibition but it's still enjoyable even having seen that. The (expensive) lunch there is also great and a lot of people seem to want to have a glass of champagne there (not sure what that tradition is about). Buy tickets in advance if you can. Mind your feet though, it's very dark in places and the floor levels changes are really badly designed, it's trip hazard central.

The Palais Galleria is sort of the unofficial fashion museum/Chanel gallery. Currently showing a Frida Kahlo fashion exhibit (with the Chanel stuff in the basement, I think), I'm off to see it today. Gorgeous building and grounds but check the dates as they sometimes host runway shows there.

There's a Louis Vuitton popup exhibit across from La Samaritaine in collaboration with a great pastry chef/chocolatier (I'm mostly recommending this one for the pastry chef, it's more of a commercial venture than proper exhibition, really, but still interesting). Bit outside of Paris but not far is the Louis Vuitton foundation, not really programmed for fashion but worth a trip if you enjoy modern art and architecture.

Not fashion related but de Bourse de Commerce is sort of newly opened, currently it's discounted as they're building an exhibition in some of the spaces but it's worth seeing for the building and marriage to new architecture alone. The restaurant/cafe is also great. If you're heading to Venice within the next year get the annual ticket, you'll have access to the two other Pinault collection museums (which are amazing) there too.

Musée du Quai Branly is another museum that I love and is always relatively quiet (see also Institut du Monde Arabe), they have a kimono exhibition going at the moment.

For shopping in the Marais and taking in consideration the brands you'd like to visit I'd go to The French Trotters and AB33 boutique. You might also like Loulou studio which also have a shop in the Marais now. Roseanna in the sale might appeal. If you're in Saint Germain I'd go to the Smallable for women boutique (it's not very big though, wouldn't make the trip for that alone). For food I have many recommendations but it sort of depends on preferences and budget.

OP posts:
botemp · 13/01/2023 08:54

*Palais Galliera stupid autocorrect.

Also, Merci, you have to visit the Merci shop if you're in the Marais.

OP posts:
Floisme · 13/01/2023 09:14

Good to see you on here Sooverthemill, I'm a big fan of your style on the 'What are you wearing' threads.

Sooverthemill · 13/01/2023 10:10

Floisme · 13/01/2023 09:14

Good to see you on here Sooverthemill, I'm a big fan of your style on the 'What are you wearing' threads.

Aww thank you!

@botemp that's really helpful thank you. I don't have the budget for designer brands sadly though I love to browse. I used to spend a lot of time in agnés b when I was younger. Will check out all those recommendations , they sound great. Food etc we are all over the place. Love the odd Michelin place, want to check out some Vietnamese places but will probably look online for places to try. My DH eats all day long

Voltefarce · 13/01/2023 10:52

Hello all, is it too late to say “happy new year”?

I’ve just handed in my notice at work - is there any better excuse for a new wardrobe than a new job?! What excitement!

Although I did set myself the challenge of a year without new clothes (excluding underwear, sports clothes and shoes). Handmade also does not count in my challenge as I am trying to encourage myself to get the sewing machine out more often.

How is January treating you all so far?

mm47 · 13/01/2023 11:26

bo regarding “South Asian” I was mirroring Micro’s terminology and didn’t think it through. It is pretty rubbish of me not to be able to distinguish between Japanese / Vietnamese / Korean etc but on reflection it probably would’ve been safer and more accurate to guess and say Japanese because MHL is huge in Japan so the odds were that it was the Japanese fan base who were there for the sample sale. I apologise for my clumsiness.

mm47 · 13/01/2023 11:29

Sooverthemill you probably know it- but hot chocolate at Angelina in the Rue de Rivoli is ambrosial.

mm47 · 13/01/2023 11:34

MHL sample sale - I rang the Music Room (or was it MHL itself?) last spring who told me when the MHL sample sale was happening quite well in advance. But in the autumn they refused to divulge so I had to wait for the email and I seem to remember it was not very much notice at all (so I couldn’t go 😢).

botemp · 13/01/2023 11:56

No worries mm and no need for self flagellation I'm not the anti racist police, I'm just trying to imagine who it actually is whose thriving in the sample sales.

Sooverthemill, just a heads up, don't be me and show up at the Palais Galliera without a reservation. It's a hot commodity and no tickets available for the next week and a half so book today if you want to go. It was also super busy at Dior gallery around the corner, you can book those two closely together in time.

Hny volte!

I'll be back with food recs later.

OP posts:
Floisme · 13/01/2023 12:04

Happy new year to you too Voltefarce - congratulations on the new job!

And hello all you name changers. I keep thinking it might be time to do it but I'm far too lazy.

mm47 apart from a burning desire for a silk, embroidered frock coat, the main take aways for me were the flamboyance and how you can achieve it without kitting yourself out head to toe but just through the smaller details. I was already partial to men's paisley silk scarves but I've recently found one that reminds me of some of those frock coats - my phones on charge at the moment but I'll post a photo later. I also thought it was far more respectful of British tailoring than the V&A was - special mention to Tommy Nutter, a name I hadn't heard in a long time!

Sooverthemill · 13/01/2023 13:56

mm47 · 13/01/2023 11:29

Sooverthemill you probably know it- but hot chocolate at Angelina in the Rue de Rivoli is ambrosial.

It’s in my list! As is cassis sorbet from Bertillon. I could eat my way round Paris and 3 nights is insufficient!

Sooverthemill · 13/01/2023 13:57

Thanks @botemp . I always fail to prebook.

microbius · 13/01/2023 15:54

Should have said Asian probably, although this is a very loose term (I don't think I know how to use these terms actually). In terms of sample sales, bo, there is a company Arlette that you can subscribe to, who organises sales for high end brands. The thing is they are not really proper sample sales, I gather they buy/rent deadstock and they return what they haven't sold. I went to Maison Margiela, Jill Sander, a couple of others and never bought anything. It often looks like the very end of the line and the discount is not great. I vividly remember Maison Margiela's plain cotton top (a long sleeved T shirt, really) discounted from £340 to 170. So Arlette I don't recommend and I am thinking of unsubscribing from them. Their building is on Margaret street, just across the street from MH outlet. They do announce sales a bit in advance - you can see on their website.

The best sales are in the Music room and The Box in Hackney. The Box I think announces quite late, but I've been to two matchesfashion sales and they've been good. Not clothes-wise, but there was lots of shoes and I got to try all sorts of styles and sizes of relatively high end shoes which you basically can never do at sale points. I ended up with an unlikely purchase of men's 41-42 ankle boots western style with a very pointy toe which is my now favourite and elevates all my clothes. There was a lot of Isabel Marant's boots there (I can't get my foot into her pointy boots at all; and my feet are actually very narrow. I don't know what kind of women IM's shoes are for).
Quite a lot of jewellery too. The previous one had lots of bags. Quite a bit of The Row shoes.

Redandblue11 · 13/01/2023 18:30

@Sooverthemill , enjoy Paris. If you like a cocktails in understated places with great music , cosy I can really recommend Le Syndicat, in 51 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis. From the outside looks like a door with peeled paper, you can easily walk past. I went a few weeks ago and sat at the bar and the lady behind the cocktail gave me the best rum cocktail I have tried in my life.
Another place that looked great but more of an eating place was Andy Wahloo north of centre Pompidou.
Both with great music and vibe in general.
I personally don’t like Angelina, I find the hot chocolate way too much and to get in you normally need to queue and too full of tourists, but I suppose is a classic so if you like doing the main places then could be good.

That skirt looks great Bo and sounds like you are having a successful time in Paris.

Redandblue11 · 13/01/2023 18:32

I need to get to The Box in Hackney.

Floisme · 14/01/2023 11:08

A heads up that the Margaret Howell sale has started. I do like it that she still waits until the middle of January! There's nothing specific I've got my eye on this time though so I'm going to try and hold off looking until the final reductions. (We'll see how long that lasts....)

microbius · 15/01/2023 16:07

I might have been too negative in my descriptions of s.sales above... Flo, I studied MH sale in detail. The only thing I really like is sailor's trousers that sold out at full price long time ago... But I am trying to get my head around her knitwear. There seems to be a few repeated kinds: a very short jumper ending at your waist (does look good with her pleated trousers); and a loose one with 2/3 or 3/4 sleeves (does look good with her skirts). But I can't quite get my head around them. A jumper with short sleeves will I suspect irritate the life out of me, as I usually wear a jumper for warmth, and want my arms to be warm too! The very short jumper seems too short? Do long-standing MH users had/have those and have uses for them/can recommend?

[also to add, I have trouble styling her pleated skirts on me, no jumper/cardigan looks right, don't have a single solution]....

Redandblue11 · 15/01/2023 17:55

I didn’t see anything I like enough to pay MH prices, some of the cashmere tank tops look good but price and new cashmere puts me off. I also like the look of this dark navy organza shirt but I wouldn’t wear it enough to justify the spend. So I will not make any purchases.

I got a couple of things from the toast sale. This dress, which is immediately going back as makes a funny pull on my shoulders and doesn’t sit right and the bottom is floaty yes I get it… but just looks so big and shapeless on me.
I also got this olive top, which I am keeping. As a few of you know I am a fan of frills. I suppose it has a bit of South American traditional top (thinking Mexican) but in a muted tone.

Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: Always Have a Ball Gown at the Ready in Celebration of Your Enemy's Demise
Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: Always Have a Ball Gown at the Ready in Celebration of Your Enemy's Demise
Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: Always Have a Ball Gown at the Ready in Celebration of Your Enemy's Demise
Redandblue11 · 15/01/2023 17:59

micro, I have two MH skirts but they are not pleated so might not be the same… I cannot style them like they show them in the models, I prefer them with fitted tops like ballerina tops or polo necks. That works for me as otherwise there is too much fabric and oversized everywhere. But that might not work for you in terms of your style?

PoppySeedBagelRedux · 15/01/2023 20:52

Not MH but I often wear one of two cashmere short sleeved jumpers that I have. When it's very cold and I'm WFH I wear them under a cardigan but in the office I find them them warm enough on their own. I think they look more chic than a long-sleeved jumper would, bizarrely.

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