Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: It's French charm, you know, beheaded people, red wine and blood all over the place - it's romantic, it's normal.

[botemp]

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

Previous Thread

Last minute title is a nod to the Olympics and one of the better acts of the OC.

Merci for the new thread! :)

Merci indeed.

Thanks for all the fringe thoughts.

I think I'm just going to wing it until I'm in the chair and see what happens.

I need to see the closing ceremony.

New thread, new name.

I could have done without seeing the closing ceremony, I only really watched to see what the terminally online would take issue with now... It was better for outfit watching though.

Let's see if MN will allow my archive link Fashion Triumphs and Missed Opportunities at the Paris Olympics. I'm not ready for a Ralph Lauren revival, getting flashbacks to major dickheads and their stupid horsies on their chest 😖

Thank You for the new thread.

It doesn't have much to do with anything, but I am reading Journal of my life during the French revolution by Grace Dalrymple Elliot. Apropos beheadings I suppose!

Adding that book to the ever expanding reading list.

Yesmen, forgot to ask on the last thread, have your holiday plans switched from Marseille to Nantes or are you heading to both?

Thanks for the thread.

I was at Glyndebourne over the weekend. Glorious Wagner. Totally bonkers seeing men in evening dress with cows and sheep behind them. It was a perfect day for it - warm into the evening but not too hot.

Although almost all the men wore black tie, only about half the women had pushed the boat out to match. Quite a number wore ordinary day dresses, which surprised me as it's usually women IME who like the opportunity to get dressed up. Anyway it was still good for people/clothes spotting. Some lovely slinky red dresses, and a yellow one, stood out.

Thanks for the new thread. My only contribution to the French Revolution reading group is the Scarlet Pimpernel, which I stayed up all night reading when I was about 12.

I also remember seeing a portrait of Marie Antoinette in some palace or other in Vienna, painted when she was a mere Archduchess of 13 or so, probably just before she was married off. It was quite spooky and very poignant seeing her then - a pampered and rather petulant looking child with no knowledge of what lay ahead.

I switched @Botemp.

I researched Marseilles a little more on the back of your observations. I think Nantes is better for dd.

It has a certain charm and works well for dd. Tomorrow is a hunt for hair dresser, clothes and fish.

Mind you, half the town is shut up for the August holidays. 😃

@PoppySeedBagelRedux

It is wonderful experience.

I went twice. Once the women were amazing and once I was disappointed!

Thanks for the new thread and wonderful title.

Popping back up for the fringe discussion - @Tatare I am going to buck the trend (I think). I am Team Fringe - I think bringing the beautiful grey to frame your face would look lovely (it’s the contrast).

I don’t know why, but money piece sounds rude to me.

Volte, yes, it sounds way too similar to money shot, it squicks me out too as most women probably don't want one of those near their face 🤢 I think it's supposed to be some old money reference or something, I just like it because it's a bit like a mini mallen streak.

Yesmen, oh dear, did my mention of safety at night in Marseille put you off? I don't think I've been to Nantes but if you're by car I'd recommend a day trip out to Château de Chenonceau that's near Tours, it's like something out of a girlish fairytale fantasy.

Does Glyndebourne have a dress code or is it just that everyone dresses up for it because it's classical music in a fancy place?

What did you wear poppy? Haven’t been but would love to.

Great title - top marks Bo

I heard really good things about Nantes, hope you have a great time there Yesmen.

I am in Italy tricking the Italians to think I am French. Not sure why, but every time I wear this white smock sleeveless dress, the waitresses insist I am French. One even asked me and I said no, and they looked at me and after I ordered they said Merci, and then said their goodbyes in French… I think my first stop in France might have rubbed off.

The difference between money here and Britain is striking, in the sense of how is worn. We had dinner at this very upmarket seaside town and I was blown away by the parade of head to toe of Gucci, Loro Piana, LV, Dior, and many more.
The fashion by the pool or at the bagnios is also striking.

Would also like to say that The Rest is History podcast had a series on the French revolution over the Olympics which is worth a listen (zoned out for most of it so can't say it made me an expert).

Love that you're tricking Italians, Red. Agree on cultural differences on how you wear money, it's very interesting.

It is indeed. I don't think houses are as expensive relative to income in Italy (or maybe people are happier to live in flats, which are cheaper), so there's more to spend on important things like clothes and good food. In UK we show off by having a huge house: in Italy it's by wearing Gucci. Possibly.

Glyndebourne doesn't officially have a dress code but they show by example photos that men wear black tie. Maybe they don't make it as obvious for the women. The very first time we went, (years ago, before there was a website) we believed them when they said you don't have to wear black tie, and we felt underdressed and in my case envious of the people who wore gala stuff.

I had been going to wear my very pale pink or lilac Sofie d'Hoore full skirt which is New Look length, but when I got it out on the day I realised that there was a large stain of what was probably coffee, dripped in the serving at a previous dinner, on it, which didn't come out on a quick wash. It's currently soaking for a long time. Fingers crossed it comes out or I'll be asking for tips on dying!

So I went to Plan B, which is a full length, cream, fine linen skirt with gores at the bottom and gores on the gores, and gores on those gores. It's really long, so I have to wear it with platforms. It's about 25 years, old by brand called Sonja Speciale. I absolutely love it – all the gores make it flow around me and ripple when I walk and the linen is so good it never looks creased, it just drapes beautifully. Worn with a lilac lace jacket with a little sparkle on it. Unless you get really close, it looks very good, and chic. It actually came from Phase Eight and the finishing isn't brilliant but I love it too: it's a good shape and colour - a sort of dull lilac.

My platforms were as ancient as my skirt and were not expensive originally. The plastic in them had obviously deteriorated a lot, so I lost first the soles and then the lower part of each platform in the garden at Glyndebourne...

Memo to self - check one's outfit in full the week before a gala event, and check cheap shoes particularly carefully.

Having had food tipped on me at dinners a number of times I've never been one for spending a lot on gala clothing - both my Sofie and my Sonia skirts were lucky finds in sales. What does everyone else do?

Well thanks to this thread I spent half the morning thinking about what I'd wear if I ever had the chance to go to Glyndebourne. I concluded that my most spectacular dresses would either no longer fit or would be too fragile to risk wearing now. I do have a couple of fancy 1950s/60s coats that are sturdier and would probably work, but I'd still need something to wear underneath.

Funnily enough, I walked away from a fabulous 50s/late 40s frock at the weekend. It was in beautiful Moygashel linen - weighed a ton - in absolute mint condition, and it fitted me too. But I just couldn't justify the cost, although it was a fair price, without an actual occasion to wear it - a real event not a fantasy one.

Your Plan B outfit sounds gorgeous @PoppySeedBagelRedux but I'm very sorry about your Sofie d'Hoore skirt. Fingers crossed that a long soak does the trick.

I'm not even sure what Glyndebourne is (don't worry, I'll google it). But this

full length, cream, fine linen skirt with gores at the bottom and gores on the gores, and gores on those gores. It's really long, so I have to wear it with platforms. It's about 25 years, old by brand called Sonja Speciale. I absolutely love it – all the gores make it flow around me and ripple when I walk and the linen is so good it never looks creased, it just drapes beautifully.

😍😍😍

I was glad of the heads up@botemp . My friend was there at the time and agreed with you so the pivot was easy.

So far Nantes is charming, walkable, and very affordable. DD (13) found two boutiques that thrilled and we had swirls galore in our room last night as the new purchases were paraded! 😁

Ahh well, I went to see the new stylist (who is brilliant).

What you don't see is that my hair is extremely curly, tight ringlets at the back, completely different texture at the front. I can never be arsed to heat style. I'm a wash and goer.

So, we had a chat and he quite rightly said,

'The statement your hair makes is its length and colour, if I layer it too much or give you a fringe, it's not going to work'.

So I'm just going to tidy it up a bit and you'll look beautiful.

Was the right answer.

So Aiden is my new and best ever favourite hair person.

I whimped out of change!

He sounds good! I like that he gave you a solid reason for his opinion. Hair looks lovely!

Found you all! Perfect title, and loving all the Glyndebourne talk.