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.

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I'm going to the Marie Antoinette exhibition on Sunday, assuming no hiccups on Eurostar from Paris.

I'm in Paris just now, having had 2 nights in London, then Eurostar to Paris. Here for 4 nights and then back to London, then home.

Musée D'Orsay was only half open today due to the industrial action and they said they will be refunding the tickets. As Casey Casey in Rue Solferino is less than a hop ,skip and a jump , I looked in. The coats and jackets are beautiful beyond words- lots of incredibly soft wool, lightly padded and lined in typewriter cotton. They'd carrry you through all winter weather.

I bought this dress. The website doesn't do it justice. The skirt is actually New Look full when on and the material feels wonderful.

https://caseycasey.eu/collections/dresses-women

I'm having a last hurrah on spending. I stepped down as a partner in 2024 the year I turned 65, but have stayed on as a full time consultant- this will be until at least March 2026. Once I retire I won't be poor by any stretch but I won't be in the position of being able to stay at The Ritz and buy dresses like this without even asking the price.

Gosh that’s rather special. You’ll be able to wear it for a long time. Which colourway did you get?

But it’s a shame about the exhibition. Am I right that there’s a Marie-Antoinette exhibition coming to London?

The print browns.

The Marie Antoinette exhibition is at the V&A. I'm going back to London to see it on Sunday, then back to Edinburgh by train.

At the Louvre now and discovered if you arrive in time for your timed slot they make you queue at the Pyramid but if you've missed your slot they send you to an entrance in the original building - Which has no queues !

I was last in Paris in 2018. Everything is queues and fully booked. I don't remember it being that way in 2018. In 2018 I wandered into Saint Chapelle without a booked ticket because it was near my hotel- The first available ticket slot now is next week. The Orangery is the same.

Castle enjoy the last spending spree time!
report back on the exhibition please

poppy I am getting confused , I thought you are coming on Nov with us to see at the V&A in London the Marie Antoinette exhibition?
a few of us have tickets already and will be there. I am counting on you too!
check your private message 😀

Exhibition was fabulous. Lots of lovely frocks , sparkling jewellery and beautiful shoes, but also very humanising of Marie Antoinette. We (husband too) came out thinking she had been very unfairly maligned.

I've been getting ads for this Zimmerman dress, which is surely M A inspired?

Zimmerman dress

Sorry Red. I’ve just been in and seen and replied to your message.
I’m on MN using my iPad and it’s a right performance finding DMs in that.
As I mentioned I would love to come and meet everyone again, but can’t spare the time off work as it’s planned for a Friday in November- any time from Feb to August would be fine but we get very busy from the autumn onwards. I am sorry.

I love the Casey Casey velvet dresses. Enjoy your spending spree, Castle, retirement is always an adjustment, I think, but there are compensations!

I was nursing this dream about a slow and relaxing trip to Paris but Castle and bo have brought me back down to earth. Maybe next year.

I was about to walk out the door in the new Uniqlo skirt with old 1940s jacket when I decided I was deluding myself about them working together. So it’s gone back.

My only other news is that I’ve had pizza.

Snap, Flo, I wanted that velvet dress too!

Ha, Paris is very sloooow in August, would not recommend though. I feel other French cities unnecessarily get passed over which are a lot more manageable and you can dictate your own pace. I love Lille (also reachable by Eurostar from London, I think), also being so close to Belgium, Kortrijk is very close and another great city in its own right so easy to do visit both in one trip. Rennes and Rouen are great too, Bordeaux is about as close as you can get to a mini Paris in terms of liveliness and things to see and do, but a lot more relaxed with some nice secondhand shops without the inflated prices. And then there's the 'just like a postcard' places like Carcassone and Beaune, the latter a bit more unknown as most seem to bypass that part of France when it's a really lovely region.

Good news, I've managed to get my hands on the Uniqlo shirt in XXS and that size is perfect for me. It is indeed a fair bit shorter but not too short and it actually looks good untucked as well so that's a bonus. Sleeves are a touch short as well but not too bad and it helps even out the excess volume in sleeves. I did try on the cocoon shirt in the shop when I went to pick it up as that had rave reviews online but it's a no from me. Even when sizing up, it didn't have a particularly cocoon feeling, it just felt a bit ill fitting. Might be down to the shoulder construction being incompatible with my pronounced shoulders. Shame the skirt has gone back Flo, didn't see any of those in store.

Weather has really turned here, was still a balmy 26 at the weekend but now its cold and with some sort of wind direction that makes feel temps even lower and I've had to accept one of my favourite autumn coats is well past its best and it's time to say goodbye

I'm going to pack up all things summer this weekend and take stock of what's in my A/W wardrobe. I'm in the mood for some newness but I'm finding most of the offerings atm wholly uninspiring, it's like it's been stuck on repeat and every autumn it's just a variation of the same thing now.

Ah, your dress is excellent, @IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle - a very worthy addition to your fabulous wardrobe. (And your post reminded me of just how rarely I’m in physical shops now - I last saw Casey Casey clothes in the flesh in Marseille about three years ago. It’s shocking.)

I’m currently envying a poster on another thread with what sounds like a glamorous and joyful pub lunch engagement party to go to - mostly because, during some wardrobe husbandry I’ve realised that an old La Fetiche fair isle jumper of mine will go perfectly with the ice cream striped Zimmerman dress I bought over the summer and haven’t worn yet.

BTW, are any of you going to this:

https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2025/event/caroline-guiela-nguyen-lacrima

I desperately wanted to go but, as misfortune would have it, am obliged to travel to a family thing that will take up the whole weekend. Am praying it will eventually be available to watch on a screen, though it won’t be the same.

In the meantime I’ll polish all my boots in anticipation of suitably dressy invitations arriving with the new academic year …

x-posted with Crkd, a bit short notice to head to London over but it is scheduled to be in Antwerp in May next year so I might try and catch it there.

Oh - you’ve given me hope, @botemp - Antwerp next Spring is a good thing to plan for. And actually perhaps a much better location for the show. Thank you!

I’ve never entertained Lille as it always brings back bad memories of a French exchange when I was 14, but maybe it’s time to let that go. Some good ideas for small-ish trips there, thanks all.

I have surprised myself by really liking a lot of the new autumn stuff even though there’s nothing remotely new about it. I seem to have become reconciled to never seeing anything original again and instead I think more, ‘Oh hello, you’re back!’

Well, there’s a challenge, @Floisme - finding something you haven’t seen before! (Though you may be right; I just don’t tend to think of clothes from that angle - I like seeing the past recurring.)

Dare I ask about the horror of a French exchange?

If you're scouting for hotels Crkd, August is quite nice and near the venue hosting LACRIMA but it is a bit out of the way for the rest Antwerp unless you're happy to rent a bike.

I feel autumn fashion is essentially a perennial now, the only switch up is the dominant colour (it seems to be olive green and if you're pretending to be anti prevailing trend, all black). I'm not anticipating much newness considering the economic climate and terrible financials being reported from fashion houses but there are an unprecedented 15 new creative director debuts at the various fashion weeks this month. I haven't really been paying close attention, caught a bit of the new Gucci and while everyone seems to be excited about it, I'm a bit 'eh' about it. I've never really been into Gucci or Demna so my lack of excitement was rather predictable.

It wasn’t that dramatic really bo, just a bit of a shock to a 14 year-old who thought she knew it all but who had never been away from family or friends before. I’d been told I’d be staying in Lille but it was miles out of the city - all fields and cowshit. I’d been matched with a girl with no shared interests. If we’d been even a couple of years older, we’d have muddled through to find some common ground but, as it was, we just gave up trying to talk. Her family were kind and did take me into Lille a couple of times - I still remember the patisserie windows. Apart from that there was nothing to do.
Worst of all, I had a gross period malfunction and was caught trying to rinse out my bloodied underwear in the bidet. (I’d never seen one had had no idea what it was for.) Just thinking about that moment 55 years later makes me want to run and hide.

Not Paris, but New York…any must do/see recommendations for the Big Apple? I have a weekend alone there as I’m travelling early for a work trip. I feel like filling my days with museums, perhaps some shopping, and enjoying eating alone.

Oh, Flo 😳never has your name been more apt (or is Auntie Flo as a euphemism for TOM an American thing only?).

Volte, hope you can travel without issues. There are some interesting secondhand shops, especially in Brooklyn but like many other large capitals it all tends to be overpriced. The Housing Works thrift shop chain that has shops dotted all over may unearth a rare gem and isn't all that expensive. I do also enjoy a good browse through the department stores.

For food on your own, I always feel Japanese restaurants cater well to that, they usually have a counter seat with a view of the kitchen for entertainment and you're never left waiting long for your food. Can recommend, Sakagura and Tempura Matsui. If you're up for a more unusual breakfast, Ho Foods is authentic Taiwanese that's very different from your standard Chinese food, also good for lunch/dinner.

I think the old staples of MoMA and Guggenheim are always enjoyable with some sort of interesting exhibit on. I quite liked the New Museum (mostly went for the building) last time I was there but it appears to be closed? If you're headed there soon you can probably catch the fashion exhibit at The Met that the Met Gala is organised around.

Oh thanks @botemp. I’m actually heading there this weekend, and the Met was on my list. I’m looking to fill my time moderately productively, at least culturally.

I haven't been to NYC in so many years that I can't offer any ideas but when I lived there, I loved just walking around and early October can be superb, not too hot and not cold. MoMA, Guggenheim etc are stalwarts and will always be wonderful.

I remember the euphemism 'My auntie's come to stay' bo, but not my namesake!

@Voltefarce it's been 10 years and a pandemic since I was in New York so treat anything I say with caution. If you want a change from the big hitter cultural sights, I really liked The Tenement Museum which is about the lives of late 19th / early 20th Century immigrant workers.
https://www.tenement.org/

I was quite bowled over by some of the consignment (second hand) stores - I'd never seen so many labels and some of them were pretty affordable. I'm not sure whether New York dress codes have changed as they have in UK and , Europe - if not, it might all look a bit 'off' now but maybe worth checking out a couple of them. I'd use an up to date guide for names and places but the one I remember best is Tokyo 7, which appears to be still going strong although, looking at their website, it's also climbed way up market since I was there. But it was a big shop, and I imagine some of it might still be more affordable and, if not, well it's a chance to get a close up view of labels like The Row.
https://tokio7ny.com/

Brooklyn was becoming very hipsterised very quickly and there was a big flea market on Sundays.

I cannot offer any NYC insights. I have actually never been there, people get really surprised when I say that as I have traveled so much but never been there.
I would like to though, but there is always some other place that takes priority for me and I just never get round.

Oh Flo your story about French exchange made me laugh. Every person that has been a teen has a story to match.

Not style or fashion related but I wanted to take a moment to mention Jane Goodall, who passed away yesterday. What a woman and what an impactful life she led.

Looking forward to this Radio 4 broadcast this morning:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002k4kh

Will be an excellent accompaniment to his runway show.

Thanks @Floisme ! One of my colleagues also recommended the Tenement Museum, so seems like a good one. The last time I went to NYC was maybe 2013, so I appreciate these recommendations.

Enjoy your weekend Volte, jet lag to New York is usually a pain so hope you can get the most out of your free time. Previously forgot to mention, I did like the boutique La Garconne a lot as well. Most of the brands are European or Asian and often more expensive than here, but you rarely find them altogether in the flesh like this, so not much for purchasing but good for inspiration.

Red, I was saddened to hear of Jane Goodall too, an impressive age but she was a bit of good in public life that's becoming vanishingly rare and now we're poorer for it

As predicted, I am indeed shocked, have you never visited the US entirely or just NYC? I'd probably avoid it for a while, Canada is a much nicer destination atm. I like NYC under normal circumstances and have distant relatives there who are always eager to meet but it is very touristy and that aspect of it is only really fun when you're a teenager.

Thanks Crkd, I'll have a listen tomorrow. Blasphemy, I know, but I thought J.W. Anderson's Dior women's debut was a bit shit The bags will sell like hotcakes, I'm sure, but it was all a bit sad and repetitive. Some of the best petit mains at your disposal to realise the most fantastical designs and it was all just a bit basic in design. Also, model casting was very

I was super excited about Louise Trotter's inaugural show for Bottega Veneta though. I had anticipated her to be more commercial but the silhouettes do look a bit challenging (the models all look to be my height, they clearly are not, but the proportions are definitely tricking the eye).

https://www.showstudio.com/collections/spring--summer-2026/bottega-veneta-ss-26