Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: JesusFlo Superstar in a Back Lit Kaftan (Toyboy Not Included)

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

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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:

Un

Deux

Trois

Quatre

Cinq

Six

Sept

Huit

Neuf

Dix

Onze

Douze

Treize

Quatorze

Quinze

Seize

Dix-sept

I have not seen succession yet, so please no spoilers.

Just finished The Diplomat and disappointed that she need to wait for the second series!

I shall be 🤐 about Succession, I need to do a rewatch anyway, I probably missed loads.

GAH, the Diplomat is hot trash, I mean it's enjoyable hot trash but it's really off in a lot of ways, the bag is just one of them. For something filmed in actual locations it somehow came across like it was all filmed in Canada for tax purposes. I won't be back for season two though, I was very much done with it by the end, too soap operatic borderline fanfic, and I was back to vowing not to watch English language stuff on Netflix again (Transatlantic was an absolute fluke).

I agree the styling (clothes and interiors) was very odd. The 'I don't care' sartorial choices were obviously modelled on Carrie in Homeland but there was way too much care in it, mixed with Keri Russell being ridiculously attractive (I may still be salty from when she cut her hair as Felicity, I don't remember why it made me so mad at the time but I'm still mad about it) it just isn't very believable and indeed leans into Parisian insouciance, a granier filter and some Gauloises would have pretty much got her there with enough je m'en fous to spare. Also, the supposed glow up moments really didn't come across as night and day as intended as a result.

Best show (aside from Succession) I've seen recently, although it came out a few years ago, is Valley of Tears. Not very S&B or Parisian though, I do love Israeli TV shows. Netflix bloody removed Shtisel but a spin off might be in the works 🤞

Good to hear you had an enjoyable time in Spain/Portugal Desmond, any decisions made on moving there?

Completely forgot to post what I came here for, Sœur and Leandra Medine have a new Collab, she's a bit late to the party having only discovered the brand last year 😏 Not sure what to make of the Collab though, I don't know if it's just a bit blaher than I'd expect from either party or just not presented well or if the whole Manrepeller branding has sort of run its course and this just a sad distant echo of it now. Haven't really been paying attention to MR much tbh, it all went a bit, eh, shyeah, for a bit.

No decision on moving there yet, bo. We both liked the Castelo do Bode, and it is so beautiful it makes your eyes weep. We have also loved inland Spain -- Ourense (ancient city, now very poor but awesome buildings/relics) and Lugo, which has the only complete Roman perimeter fortress wall still standing in Europer, and an awesome C16/17 city inside the Roman wall. Galicia is my preference, but DH is all about the emotional connections and prefers Portugal. I like Portugal but the langauge is much more difficult and the food is 1000 versions of bacalhau... mostly with a ton of spuds. Wholesome. But we do both like the northwestern corner of Iberia. I don't feel we want to rush any decisions, but we may be feeling our way there.

Definitely visit in the height of summer before you make any decisions. Or is it more of a halfway set up that you would spend the winters there? I've always assumed Portuguese isn't that much harder, it's just the pronunciation that seems more challenging? IME most younger Portuguese speak a really high level of English these days. So from most expats living there I've heard it's harder to learn the language as everyone will switch to English.

And, with regards to languages, it will be me who learns them first so I need to understand what and where we're ending up to choose a teacher. I think I need to learn Castillano Spanish from a Galician tutor, as Portuguese isn't a million miles from Galego.

Even supermarket checkout operators and petrol gas jockeys speak a bit of English and want to use it. But outside the cities, people are really pleased when you stutter through "two coffees with milk and two chilled bottles of water, please". I don't think it's hard, but my problem is that I have never heard it spoken so I don't know how it sounds. One hotel receptionist really helped by telling me that s was almost always spoken as sh in Portuguese.

Bo, the parts of Iberia that we are considering are all towards the Atlantic coast, so the greenest. and wettest, parts of Spain/Portugal. We're never ever heading to upcoming resorts like Comporta. Although I would move to Ile de Re in a minute, for winter, and leave June to August.

Oh exciting desmond! I did not realise the purpose of the visit.

@ToEllewithIt, YES holy communion in jeans. We shall move on though...

Re Loewe raffia bags, the saleswoman in Selfridges actually talked me out of it. She said to me 'You don't want one of these'.

My daughter thinks it's hilarious every time we go into Selfridges, the sales assistants are all over me, but I never buy anything from Selfridges. I'm not keen on their instore edit in Manchester, I do like a browse and a chat though.

Carrel shoes are great.

Have you all watched Succession yet?

I have not watched succession yet. I will have to wait till I am back in the uk.
oh so you have a dd to go shopping with rhadaman , my ds does not share my love of outfits .
sounds a sensible decision elle, more money for a proper bag or something else.

Someone (maybe bo?) liked the sleeveless gilet coat from the Collagerie/Jigsaw colab when we discussed it upthread. I saw that the price has come down by a third in the sale, as have the shoes I returned as being too big. I may revisit.

I haven't seen Succession yet either... will have to agree a viewing slot with the other half!

I had a look, do you mean the sleeveless parka? I think it was the only thing I liked out of the collection but not in a I have to have it kind of way, but thanks for thinking of me anyhow.

So we have to keep quiet on Succession indefinitely 🤐 who will I discuss Mark Cross bag choices with then? I made the mistake of venturing over to the Succession subreddit and I'm once again traumatised.

I'll let you know when I start watching Succession bo although I'll have to go right back to the very first episode and by the time I've caught up everyone will have moved on to the next thing.

I'd been wondering where you were Desmond, completely forgotten you were in Portugal. Your plans sound very exciting! I also admire your ability to ignore news and social media when you're away, I can never switch off now which probably has its roots in 1977 when I picked up a newspaper and found out Elvis had been dead a week.

I won't lie, I'm not really a dainty shoes person, I prefer them stompy and clompy, but some of those links are exquisite - it's like looking in a patisserie window.

Yeah, that's the downside of dainty shoes, like patisserie, two bites/outings and they're gone. With the sales starting I'm eyeing too many footwear choices ATM. Need to keep a hold of myself before I buy all the shoes.

I did find a silk camisole from The Fold at my local consignment shop, thought it was a bit pricey but figured it was okay since it obviously had never been worn (then I saw the online prices, still not a bargain but not as overpriced as I initially thought). Nice quality material and really well made. The same person probably dropped a bunch of other unworn The Fold pieces, not the most exciting design wise, but all really well made and nice materials. I guess the price is why they're not more popular on here?

I also tried on a Can Pep Ray dress in lovely N. Irish linen (they specify country of manufacture for fabric as well), I didn't like it as a dress but did like it as a coat but no pockets . Probably could have gotten over the inflated price tag at this consignment shop had it had pockets but someone else will have to buy that.

For some reason in speed reading the thread I read Mark Cross and thought of Mark Fast. I hadn't seen the episode at that point so I was really perplexed about that designer choice! So it turns out the choice isn't quite as strange as I first thought, but it was a pointless bag and quite distracting. I'm not familiar with Mark Cross at all. Tell us more.

//////Minor vague spoilers on Succession/////

I don't want to do spoilers, but I was broadly satisfied with the way Succession ended. They resisted the urge to try to do too much and it felt true to the spirit of the show. The scene in kitchen was way too long and I was rolling my eyes by the end, a minute of that would have got the spirit across. I loved the scene in the room off the Boardroom at the end, that was everything. I read that they thought about having Geri show up in that last scene and I'm a bit sorry that they didn't. It would have been cheesy, but I like a bit of cheese.

/////end spoilers////

You're right about the Diplomat. All those gorgeous sets and they don't do it justice. I'll watch on though! Also watchin Rough Diamonds set in Antwerp.

I really rate The Fold. I know the design can be a bit bland, but the fabrics are great. I have two wool blend dresses, that keep the best properties of wool and also look great after sitting for half the day. They're properly lined and the fit is really thoughtful, they skim rather than hug and necklines are cut so that I never worry about flashing my bra etc. I think they're a really solid choice for that - giving a big presentation / must look professional moment.

Must admit I've watched along to Rough Diamonds with only half attention. There's a bit of whatever the male equivalent of Mary Sue is going on. I'd hoped to see more of Antwerp in it but their location scout seemed to be phoning it in (or more likely, limited budget). The premise is interesting though, when I lived there it was a bit of a mystery what exactly went on in all those little offices.

/////Potential spoilers, maybe?////

Mark Cross is an odd brand, it's expensive but when it first hit the scene it was perceived as super expensive. It was sort of the tail end of the it bag era and it was definitely an it bag for fashion insiders. But the whole it bag era sort of thrived on that you could just about afford if you cut down on lattes or takeout lunch for the month but Mark Cross was just another stratosphere so it kind of caused a defining rift. This was also around the time that influencers (but bloggers/street style icons) were on the rise as being more relatable so the Mark Cross exclusivity read more as unrelatable and the whole being an insider with all the freebies was more and more frowned upon (ah, if only we knew what was about to come).

So I thought it an odd niche bag for Shiv to own, they're clunky and heavy so it's not something you randomly buy, they're too small to really be a work bag. It's purely a status symbol and not one I'd align with her (prior to the corporate wear she looked to be dressed by her granny). I think it was supposed to be a sort of throwback to the ludicrously capacious bag.

Tbh the wardrobe department has been very up and down, the first two seasons were fairly close to the mark, I felt, but it sort of wavered thereafter, most notably in Shiv and since I do consider it part of the story telling it does sort of feel half assed (but not that distracting either). I got the sense the wardrobe department had more interest in the male characters.

Geri definitely felt underutilised this season but I get why they did, otherwise it would have been circling back too many previous storylines.

////End spoiler chat////

I haven't been on this thread much yet, so don't quite know if this is the thing to do, but I just wanted to share my joy at getting this Joseph coat in The Outnet clearance sale. I'm a big fan of Joseph, when I can afford it, but recently their styles have swamped me (like everywhere else, in fact). This coat is oversized but the material is so soft and drapey that it kind of works, despite my lack of height. It looks more modern and minimalist than in the photos. Double-faced, with 20 per cent cashmere, it's like a soft hug, and the colour goes with everything. I am actively hoping for chilly weather.

https://www.theoutnet.com/en-gb/shop/product/joseph/jackets/blazers/double-breasted-wool-and-cashmere-blend-blazer/1647597286378548

I'm sure you're all Outnet clearance sale veterans but just to say they're always worth a look. Not as good as they used to be - too many cold-shoulder dresses and ripped jeans for my liking - but still some bargains to be had.

Re Succession, just watched the final episode (tense!) and I have to say I found Shiv's style underwhelming in the last two series. I'm all for stealth luxe but nothing seemed to fit her very well, every pre-pregnancy. I LOVED the scene where Tom criticised the bag though. So revealing about values at that stratospheric level. https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/mar/30/succession-burberry-bag-bridget

No admiration needed Flo, often the wi-fi was shocking, and I broke my phone screen! Friends joined us in Porto for almost a week so we were out and about sightseeing. After that, we bored our friends with pictures of spectacular scenery until they stopped responding! If it were my summary, I'd say that Portugal is a nice place to grow old (but the food is 1001 ways to cook cod and spuds). I am sure that there are great factory shops to be found but on an exploring holiday (which this was) you are never there long enough to find the gems. We will go back.

Thanks for the tip about the Outnet sale. I've just ordered some Paul Smith boots to try...

I may end by sending them back as I have bone spurs (bony growths on the top of my foot, ewww) that may make them painful to wear after a while, but I hope that Paul will have designed them well, so there's enough room for my spurs.

I hope they work for you @MmePoppySeedDefage . Hopefully they will be butter-soft leather.

My current frustration with the Outnet is that things take about a week to arrive, unless you pay for express postage. They used to be very swift.

if anyone is looking for built-to-last Irish/Scottish knitwear (unlikely in June, I know) &Daughter’s sale has just started. I am craving a Fairisle cardie.
https://www.and-daughter.com/collections/sale

Welcome notwaving 👋

Yes, they moved the Outnet distribution to Italy. I'm not in the UK it gets here within two days usually. The Outnet has never been that great for me though as Yoox was always cheaper for the same items (and the same company for quite some time now) but they seem to be splitting some brands between the two so it's a bit of a headache keeping up with both.

There was another article in the Guardian by one of the writers of Succession about how a bunch of Brits wrote a New York dramedy. She mentions some consultant coming in berating them about how rich people don't do xyz, I strongly suspect they've integrated much of that consultant into Tom's outburst in things like the ludicrously capacious bag. The writing was something else on that show. <Sobs>

For anyone not bored to death with the dainty shoe saga, I returned all of them, so will make another run at it soon.

I find the Outlet and Yoox completely overwhelming, so very rarely delve in there now. I do pretty well with BA&SH for unexciting but easy to throw on stuff and they seem to be stocking a lot of that lately, so I grabbed a few things in the sale. Oddly, the Net-a-Porter arm seems to now hold some stock in Italy and some here, so it's the same in that some comes very quickly (same or next day in London) and some takes about a week. I'm pretty hopeless in that I tend to do 90% of my buying (and returning) from the N-A-P preview on M, W, F evenings, every once in a while from Matches, and occasionally from FarFetch, although that's another one that takes way too long to go through. I'm really appreciating these threads as they've given me some different browsing direction.

Does anyone have Veronica Beard jeans? I'm really liking them, but finding the sizing varies wildly, so can't quite figure them out.

We haven't got to this season of succession yet. Which Mark Cross bag? They don't really move me - their box bags scream 'child's lunch box' to me, although I will confess a weakness for a different colour internal lining, which I think theirs have.

@notwavingbutdrowning1
Gorgeous coat!

@MmePoppySeedDefage
Good luck with the boots

It was their iconic briefcase style one, that is indeed more lunchbox size. Mark Cross bags are really nicely made and somewhat warrant the price tag, the contrast lining is indeed lovely, but they've never really appealed.

I'm not familiar with Veronica Beard jeans but for that type of look I think I like Khaite's jeans better but they're probably four times the price...

Sorry to hear the dainty shoes aren't hitting the spot. I managed to snag the Dries van Noten floral platform sandals this afternoon as the boutique was hosting a private sale which made them less of choking hazard. Now to resist not buying all the other shoes I've been eyeing...

Saw Mango has a collab with Simon Miller, the pieces in store varied really widely, the dresses had boning but some pieces were horrible polyester. Shoes seem quite original but quite expensive for Mango, overall very cheery but also a bit confusing.

https://shop.mango.com/gb/women/featured/simonmiller-mango_d12795761