Les Parisiennes des Mamanset: A Sin of Pride

[botemp]

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

---

Favoured Parisian addresses:

Second Hand Shops

Outlets

Favoured London addresses:

Charity Shops, Dress Agencies, and Outlets

Favoured NYC addresses:

[[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FdQbdNEUpGqOyH2oqBQZBVsKISieRgxW_F67mgRLSrw/edit?usp=sharing Consignment shops, Vintage, an
d Restaurants]]

---

Previous thread

Ahhhh … That Vogue article was tremendously satisfying to read - initially.

I remember reading the HTSI feature on Old Stone Trade’s Shetland collaboration - and excitedly disappearing down rabbit holes. So I was glad to be able to click on a website and see what they have.

But two things give me pause. The origin story and the romance of craftsmanship is so hugely appealing - but I can’t help feeling the frenetic stress of the 10. am drop of six items is the antithesis of the timelessness and slow heritage and sophisticated ease the business posits. I feel the same about Cristaseya and Nanna Pause - hugely attractive concept and things - but all obscured by this cloak of exclusivity, secrecy, only for the few, race to the deadline urgency. Buying clothes shouldn’t be like vying for Taylor Swift tickets.

And then - I see Arran sweaters on an American website and even as I’m wondering how long they’d take to arrive … I remember I live perhaps 4/5 hours drive + ferry from Arran. I have friends and colleagues who live there. (I also don’t forget the Arran sweater I made my mother buy me when I was 18 - from a shop in Bond Street. The guilt and shame didn’t hit me till decades later …)

Just as I don’t need to order a Savile Row coat from America - I can saunter down Savile Row any day of the week. Or a counterpane handmade in Wiltshire … Even with the items sourced in Europe - it would be nonsensical for me to order them from the US.

So while I still find the whole presentation compelling and delightful - it seems I’m now ‘too old’(!) to be entirely swept off my feet. Which is a strange thing to realise.

Oh dear - that was definitely thinking aloud, rather than conversation …

My mind is very much on kilts at the moment, @NatashaDancing, so your MaxMara links seem apposite, even though they don’t describe them as such. Wondrously dainty! I wore my own La Fetiche kilt properly for only the second or third time recently and felt tremendously cool. (In both senses.) Suspect I could probably find room for one more in my wardrobe - longer, in tweed, more like the Old Stone Trade version, but with a less complicated delivery journey.

I sort of viewed OST as a one percenter version of Wolf and Badger, in which it's good for browsing but when you want something from there you go straight to the source to avoid the ridiculous pricing and loopy storytelling.

Just browsing the kilt makers atelier's boutique from OST, they have the most lovely little collars made from excess fabric at democratic prices. The linked one is sold out but there's a black and white one that's only £50. The cuff version looks good too.

Oh btw, sorry Bani didn't mean to glance over your spilling the blood of the innocent, keep it up and you'll have your sailboat down in Saltsjöbaden soon enough. Best start thinking of a name.

Just to not slander all those who sail, all the people who sail I know vote and are active in parties further to the left of me but then again none own (proper) sailboats 🤔

I've just been on the kilt maker's website, admiring the multitude of special kilts that she's made. I have various lengths of superb quality Yorkshire woollen fabrics bought when mills were closing in the 1980s that she would be able to make me a kilt with, and I am very tempted.

There are some vintage (1950s/60s) wool and tweed jackets on that kilt makers website at pretty reasonable prices if the condition is as good as described.

Go for it Poppy it sounds like a good destination for the fabric. It's not cheap but considering the work involved probably fair.

I agree Flo, their vintage items are very reasonably priced, I assume she's got acces to some good charity shops. The upcycled jumpers are also really reasonable considering the extra work.

I like the high low mix approach of their business much more than the exclusive OST pitch. Was reading an article about Peter Do's upcoming inaugural show at Helmut Lang this morning and was thrilled to read the following coming from a designer:

“We’re going through a very complicated chapter in the fashion industry and it feels like there’s a need for honest value clothing that doesn’t cost you a mortgage,” Do said.

I always liked Helmut Lang and have been taken with Peter Do's work (though not so much the price tags) so I'm hoping it delivers. Article is behind a paywall but it's free to read here if you remove [dot] for an actual dot and stitch it back together (I think MN still automatically hides post with archive links so better safe than sorry)

archive [dot] ph/BAdWQ

Yeah I can still unearth cheaper jackets in charity shops but it's getting harder and you have to put the time in. If I were just starting out now and still had a living to earn I'd be all over this one It's cheaper than that Mango version that's been recommended a lot.

Thanks for the archive link - your instructions work!

I came to post the exact same one Flo.
Tempting. Very much so.

Go for it Red, before someone else does!

I can't see anything about size though, apart from 'narrow in the shoulders'

I just asked for measurements and I am afraid it would be narrow for me, is an 8 really. Shame

Oh that's a shame, sorry Red

While I think of it - did anyone get to the Raey sample sale over the weekend?

(I may weep with envy if you did!)

Not me, alas, would have liked to know what was on offer.

Ehm, quick glance towards the S&B boards, I see, M&S, skinny jeans, ageism, and more. Have the gremlins descended over the weekend 😲

Getting back to the useful style column discussion, I don't know if this will be a regular thing but FT (no paywall, I think) has an ask the stylist thing and while a bit unexciting it's solid advice. I would have preferred a bit more explanation so that you can exactly see why X should do Y bit so you can apply it elsewhere but I do get that for stylists that's a bit the cow giving away the milk for free territory.

Was intrigued by the Rise and Fall link, looks to be a direct to consumer setup but I've yet to see them compare so directly to other brands, with charts and everything. I'd say the designs are too basic and lack the finesse to what they compare themselves with but at prices not far off Uniqlo if it's well made and nice materials and a lot of it made in Europe it's probably worth looking at for quality basics. I actually like the look of the card wallet as I'm in need of one, don't want to pay a ridiculous price for the sake of a brand name but I also want something made well within Europe. However, their EU shipping policy is unique to say the least £40 flat rate for shipping and all taxes, so kind of annoying to just buy the one thing and also annoying that it encourages big hauls.

oh dear just crawling on here (after my attempt to stir up a storm elsewhere) to flag up there is a Connolly sample sale soon. This is one of my fantasy shops, the clothes looks like they would stroke you while you wore them. Purrrrfect.

mm you're supposed to be the well behaved one on here, what have you been up to 😱 Did you get bitten by a Gremlin (I think that's how they spread, it's a long time ago, I was young, I didn't even see the whole movie as I found it too scary)?

🤡 I just flipped. I need time off from trying to be a goody goody occasionally.😘

Madness over. Back to normal Parisiennes’ biz: I really liked Acme Atelier, I don’t think I’d ever heard of them. Lots of lovely things!

I'm just going to assume the heat got to you mm, otherwise we're going to have to have some words, young lady 😉

Incoming breaking news, Sarah Burton is leaving Alexander McQueen. I'm shook, I thought she'd just sort of stay there forever. I don't know if she's going elsewhere or stepping out completely. Must admit I'm getting a little concerned with the number of high profile female designers cycling out with seeming fewer coming back in to replace them in the high profile spots. Also struggling to think who would be a suitable successor. I'm nominating (not that'll influence it one jot) Martine Rose.

(Shuffles back in line). It was crushingly hot although that is a bit of a fudge if an excuse.

Anyway, quickly moving on to other things: I just saw the news about Sarah Burton - but why do you think it could/should be Martine Rose the menswear designer (never heard of her, just did a quick Google but I obviously need to know more in order to Keep Up To Date?)

I feel like I'm back in primary somehow, reasons why they should hire Martine Rose at McQueen:

Cynical business perspective, Kering has had too many high profile scandals (Balenciaga etc.) and doing the usual fashion move by planting a gay male wunderkind edgelord with a very niche but large social media following is asking for trouble considering the McQueen archive which had many amazing shows that simply would not fly in the current restrictive cultural environment. No one wants to see Highland Rape 2.0, it was barely stomached the first time round but a woman with Jamaican heritage exploring colonialism's legacy, would work within the current climate. The only people you'd be upsetting is a bunch of terminally online anti-woke whinos who were never the target demographic anyhow and they'll inadvertently bring further publicity.

I'm not that cynical, she's actually a great designer in her own right and I feel there's a lot of overlap with McQueen in her approach to design. She's got a cult following and in that sweet spot of known with 'serious' fashion heads but not that known elsewhere which should allow her to grow into the role. Similar to McQueen in his early days, she has a good sense and connection with London underground subcultures and associated music scenes. Pulls a lot of material choices from there much like McQueen did. Yes, officially a menswear designer but her clothes are not that gendered (McQueen also got his start on Saville Row doing men's tailoring and branching out). Burton carried on the brand well but at this point it could afford to be a little less Kate Middleton and explore the rougher edges of the brand's DNA alongside the impeccable tailoring and she would very much bring that.

I think it turned into a good thread mm, feisty but not overly fighty with a range of points of view, some of which really made me stop and think. You should drop in again. And the thread that I think inspired it got back on track too in the end so all good.

So what's happened to Sarah Burton? Fashion design houses are turning into the equivalent of Premier League football for manager 'churn'. I've given up trying to keep up.

Well, only speculation, but my TKMaxx is filled to the brim with McQueen stuff, a whole wall of the trainers everyone went mad for for a while but also tailoring and other bits. Otrium seems to sell a lot of it for peanuts (and if I understand it correctly Otrium acts as somewhat of an intermediary on behalf of the brand). So it's probably not performing as they'd like and Kering's other big cash cows like Gucci have been on the decline as well so I assume there's a lot of internal pressure.

Whether that pressure is making her want to leave or whether it's a resign rather than be fired situation, I don't know. On the other hand she spent her entire career within McQueen so it could just be the need for exploring something else.

I just assumed she'd been fired as there was no mention of her moving on to another house or starting her own label or whatever