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

Thank you all for the kind words. I'm always careful how much I say over the internet but it's treatable and - hopefully - fixable. I've enjoyed good health all my life so it's something of a shock to discover in my 69th year that I'm only mortal - it's outrageous but there you go.

Anyway it looks like a much anticipated trip to London will have to be postponed so I may need to console myself with some spending.

Some spending is the best way to console yourself. Will it be fashion related? Share with us (if you want) or at least share the different options and musings about what to spend on.
Glad is treatable.

Oh definitely fashion related - I'll have little else to spend my spare money on for the near future. Travel will be out, I'm not interested in cars or learning to walk on hot coals and I've already got plenty of books and chocolate. The trouble is, I'd been planning to go to some real shops while in London e.g. Colenimo which I keep hearing about, the YMC store at Spitalfields and Alfie's Antiques in Marylebone. It's infuriating.

I have piles of books, too - the trouble is I get sidetracked with books and go down a rabbits hole and buy new ones while I've still got loads yet to read.

Sorry to hear that Flo. A friend bought some lovely things when she was ill, and had time to have a good look and a full consider, and she enjoys wearing them now.

Thank you all again. The priority should be shoes / boots - I've been moaning forever about being bored with what I've got. But I'm so fussy and I've seen hardly anything I like. The only things that have struck any kind of chord were some cowboy boots but the ones I've tried were just too uncomfortable, and they'd also need to be flat.

And obviously if I see a jacket I like there's no accounting for what I might do.

How is the shoe/boot hunting Flo?

I saw some parts of the SB board slacking barrel leg jeans and left me confused… have they just been discovered?
I love them, I know Flo also does.

I am trying to think if I have some fashion news and … answer is not - although I have been thinking about another trench and also saw a deep lovely red coat and I wished I had one…

I've been looking at ballet flats again Red and quite like some of the pointy toed ones that end higher up the foot than they did last time around. H&M ones seem to be getting a lot of love. I need to try on first though - I won't buy shoes online cos I'm too fussy - so it'll have to wait until I can make it to some decent shops.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Sainsbury barrel leg jeans thread! Also the one on skirt suits which have quietly started looking fresh and modern all over again.

And thank you to whoever first recommended Collagerie. I've only recently taken a close look but I'm hooked. Love the mix of high and low end and all the edits. It reminds me of Vogue in its 'More Dash than Cash' era, before it went all worthy.

I hadn’t looked at Collagerie … now I have and I am enjoying it.

yes, I read the one about skirt suits too and is enjoyable/amusing.

i agree that shoes is best to buy in person, I don’t think I have ever managed to buy a pair online that I not returned.

I've bought some online, which I kept and wish I'd returned them...

Hello, everyone, got prodded in the PMs so figured I'd pop my head in. Sorry to hear you've had a rough time of it Flo much belated

Not sure if the thread is still active but in case anyone is wondering about my absence, I decided to step away from MN after the whole posting of child sexual abuse images that were left up for hours overnight was met with a response of, pay us through a subscription or with the sharing of your data. I know they were unrelated and the latter was just unfortunately scheduled, but to be pretty much written of as a leech for not wanting to share my data while MN is unwilling to pay for overnight moderation and leaving volunteers with limited tools exposed in such a way really rubbed me the wrong way. So I had a flounce and figured I'd return or have my account removed if I still felt as strongly about it when I cooled down after a week or so. I didn't expect it to last this long but here we are and tbh I'm still on the fence about whether to stay or go permanently. I miss the chit chat with you all on this thread but the rest of the site not so much, and going by a quick glance at the traffic perhaps I'm not alone in that?

I have lots of thoughts about Haider Ackermann and Sarah Burton's debuts at Tom Ford and Givenchy respectively but writing all of the above out is apparently all I'm up for in this post. Hope everyone is as well as they can be.

Hey good to see you again bo. I'm ok thanks, falling asleep at ridiculous times but onwards and upwards.

I missed the child images at the time but I was pretty shocked to hear they use volunteer moderators at night. Hope you will decide to stay but totally understand if you don't.

My main recollection of Sarah Burton's show was a tailored trouser suit in dark grey wool (?I think) with the extreme hour glass shaped jacket and sharp shoulders. And some lovely dresses in very striking shapes - I was less taken with the net ones over big pants but kind of curious to see how they'll be interpreted on the high street. I can't remember the Tom Ford collection I'm afraid.

I saw one of the images briefly. I was also part of a small group of posters who alerted posters to the fact that images were also being sent via private messages. MNHQ eventually responded to that by disabling PMs. There are different legal consequences for the recipient about receiving illegal images compared to just seeing them posted.

And yet if I want to say that a certain type of traditional cotton shoe starting with P looks better with summer dresses than trainers my post will be deleted if I use the full word.

I missed that Bo, but having seen the amount of horror posts and topics it did put me off coming to mn as often as before. Completely understand you.

I am off now shoe shopping will go into Bobbies and selfridges. Need a comfortable, low heel, I want some colour, red could be good.
Finally the VW outfit is making its appearance for first time pretty soon too.

I’ve missed the chat too. Let us know how the red shoes hunt goes, Red. There seems so little choice in shoes in the London shops, so good luck.

I liked the Sarah Burton things that I saw in the papers - they seemed beautifully made. I also missed anything by Tom Ford.

So far my no-spend 2025 is going well except for some things to attend activity classes in, which were a. good prices (M&S) b. yet very nice, for ‘active-wear’, c. almost essential as my previous stuff was terribly old and faded d. not black or grey.

I've missed the chat too. I've looked for the thread most days while not having the energy to go looking for it!

Hello again everyone.... missed you all and the chat. I'm eager to read the result of the red shoe hunt red, so do keep us posted. So far, 2025 has been no shop apart from two pairs of socks -- which turned out to be the wrong size, so donated to my other half. However, I am deliberating over a rather divine (but spendthrift, even at half price) cross between a poncho and jersey in a blue grey cashmere.

I missed the whole images event, and was underwhelmed by most of fashion month, although menswear was good.

I got these. I am very unadventurous with shoes and wanted to have some colour choice so I decided that a classic red would be the way to start.
The shopkeeper a french guy complimented my outfit which made me feel quite well.
Dark blue barrel denims, a white tee and a fucsia v neck on top. With my ecru coat, as it was sunny some sunglasses and as it was windy a silk neckerchief in pale pink and browns.

Hopefully the red shoes image gets approved!

I went to selfridges and saw some Office dupe of the bobbies but plastic and nowhere near as comfortable.
But there wasn’t anything else interesting in the show world.

I also went into Farm Rio, which quite appeals to me, however I cannot see getting much wear of those pieces so I won’t probably get any of that.

Good to hear that the low/no buy is going well.
Red shows are my first purchase of the year.
well, second buy the first is a white preloved toteme top from Vestiaire.

I like them! And a lovely compliment on your outfit too.

I like them a lot too, Red. The heel makes them more interesting and i suspect you’ll wear them for many years. I’m a sucker for red shoes.

Ooh lovely shiny shoes to match your name Red! I've seen some red patent flats that are tempting me although I can't remember where.

Well I've not been as restrained as you lot. I succumbed on the final day of the Margaret Howell sale to some 'flight trousers' that had come down from around £260 to £80. With such a big reduction I fully expected something to be wrong - like that Kim Jong Un jacket from her sales a few years back - but they're great for when you're hanging around the house a lot but want something that feels a bit more dressed than loungewear. I can't link as they're no longer on the website but they're like a mash up of jogger and chino (choggers?) - jogger shape but in a woven cotton twill and with a fixed waistband and belt loops. They should work in the summer too with sandals.

And I was quite taken with Clare Waight Keller's Uniqlo C range which has never registered that strongly with me before. You won't be surprised to hear I went straight for the wide balloon trousers but, if you're tempted, be warned that they run large - I had to size down 3 times. I also liked the bomber jacket which, as I haven't got anything similar, might have been a better buy than yet more funny trousers, but I couldn't be bothered with yet more to-ing and fro-ing over sizing and now it's sold out in some colours. I might still stalk for returns.
https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/women/special-collaboration/uniqlo-c?path=%2C%2C107393&sort=0&categoryId=107393

Going back to Sarah Burton, I've already spotted long sheer skirts over big pants on some shopping website or other so it looks like the high street are going for it.

You do trousers really well Flo. I am in no doubt that you will pull them off.

yesterday I saw people wearing long sheer skirts over trousers, not sure if a la Sarah Burton or not as I have not seen / don’t remember her stuff.

In terms of Mary Janes I am also quite keen on these that I tried and are so comfy, and plus points for recycled materials etc.
https://flabelus.com/products/flaminia

I will look at Uniqlo C now…

I bought some wide corduroy trousers from last year's Uniqlo C range, but they are only suitable on dry days -- like today!