Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet: Emergency thread!!

[Papyrophile]

Bonjour Mariannes. Sans botemps, I've taken action; if I am one of many, I'll ask MNHQ to remove this.

I've just ordered the Uniqlo C culottes Red Expectations aren't high but curiosity finally got the better of me. I'll report back.

I will keep that in mind poppy
and flo you must report back!

I have to say that the LE velatura balm on my lips is the best colour I have found as a daily lip colour!
the staying power is not amazing on your cheeks but that is not an issue as is so easy to carry as is like a slightly fatter lipstick, so easy to reapply.

The culottes arrived yesterday Red. (I paid for express delivery cos I was too impatient to wait.) I like them a lot and my fears of flimsiness were unfounded as they're in quite a sturdy cotton with a 'utility wear' vibe, so totally fit for purpose.

I got the brown and it's slightly darker than I expected but that's fine for me. There are two deep pleats (one on each leg) that are sewn down as far as the hips and that also face outward so you don't get the dreaded tummy bulge.

My only beef so far is that they don't have belt loops. I normally go for a loose waist, so that the hip fit is ok, and wear with a belt, but instead I had to size down to the smallest waist measurement I thought I could get away with and hope they weren't too tight on the hips - they're fine.

I'd also say they're definitely culottes i.e. a divided skirt. They bring to mind those cycling suits that intrepid Edwardian ladies used to wear. I really like them but anyone who really wants cropped wide leg trousers might not be impressed.

Link: https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/products/E483042-000/00?colorDisplayCode=34&sizeDisplayCode=003

They sound really good flo! Hurray for striking gold with them.

I don’t like brown, but not sure if I want to order black or cream … will ponder ….

I just heard Fashion Neurosis with Thom Browne and I really enjoyed it, I wasn’t familiar with him but really enjoyed this episode. Thinking that Flo might enjoy it
here

Hello all, catching up. Poppy sounds like you had an amazing trip, I'm going to suggest visiting South Korea next. Korean spas are next level in comparison to Japanese Onsen culture.

The teamLab installations do travel sometimes, worth keeping an eye on. There's going to be one in the Saatchi Gallery ( I know, I know, but the repugnant man does know his art) in London this summer.

Flo, I'm not entirely sure about the shopping habits of Japan, but I've always wondered if their very difficult address system has halted the wide adoption of internet shopping. Could also just be down to being economically stagnant after a major economic boom.

Thank you Red for the intel on the LE balm, I have a little bit more confidence buying it blind if the colour I thought would work well for you is the one that actually worked best. I like the Sweed mascara with the little comb, no clumps either. It's a tubing formulation so no panda eyes and easily removed with warm water. It replaced one by Sisley for me, which is also very nice but very expensive.

I was going to skip the upcoming Antwerp designer sales because the offering has been getting less and less but suddenly there's a new flurry of brands joining in. This time including Sophie D'Hoore and Merryll Rogge so I'm looking forward to it again.

In other news, I'm bikini shopping, no idea why. I suddenly want one, preferably in a nice dark brown. Apparently this whole Iran 'excursion' is going to massively drive up textile prices, especially synthetics, so I'm telling myself I'm being prudent before the price hikes hit.

Bo if you find any good bikinis let me know. But for me they need to have padding , not a lot a light padding is enough.

Reading your Antwerp info , I am confused and not sure if you are going or not … as you said the word skip but also looking forward. I also tired so must be me .

Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear Red, I am going now but wasn't planning to initially.

WRT Bikinis from the ones I've tried on so far, the ones by Pain de Sucre have the most substantial bit of padding. The push up one is extreme, so you can ignore that type but the non push up ones have a good bit of padding that doesn't lose its intended function when wet. You can mix and match tops and bottoms and they have lots of choice of colours but not a nice dark brown 😑otherwise I'd probably have bought one of theirs (very flattering cut for me, I'm debating getting the blueberry blue if all else fails). Chantelle have a softer padding and are more bra like in construction so holds shape through construction so should also keep you secure as well.

Thanks Red for the Fashion Neurosis tip, I'll look it up.

I've just listened to a recorded V&A interview with Kate Strasdin about her latest book, 'Dressing the Queen'. It's not about Camilla or Elizabeth's wardrobes (not that I'd be averse to that either!) but about some of the people, families and businesses who worked for the monarchs: the dressers, the stocking makers, the feather curlers etc, most of them unsung and often (despite Kate's best efforts) still anonymous: . Absolutely fascinating. I don't think you can access the talk now unless you paid in advance but I'll link to the book and I'll definitely be buying it.

I've become quite a fan of the V&A online talks. They're normally around £6 (sometimes free if you're a member) and although my interest level varies, I normally learn at least one interesting thing.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/dressing-the-queen/kate-strasdin/9781784745332

I look forward to Antwerp reports Bo

Flo I have ordered the Uniqlo culottes too, i ordered them in brown and cream to see what I prefer. I was ordering underwear and socks , so I decided to order that too.
Oh, and I also got this button down top.

Hope you like the culottes Red and that I haven't oversold them! I'm wearing mine a lot. Nice top as well!

Speaking of Uniqlo, I see there's a collab with Cecilie Bahnsen on the way. I'm slightly disappointed there isn't one of her great big voluminous skirts but I guess it was delusional to hope for that at Uniqlo prices. They're clearly expecting a big demand as they're limiting the number of purchases which I don't remember them doing since Jil Sander.
www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/women/special-collaboration/uniqlo-and-cecilie-bahnsen?path=%2C%2C143091%2C

Well, I was doing an order anyway and I haven’t bought anything new since probably last September and I am tired of waiting for finding a preloved alternative but I might keep waiting for months on the right fit.
But t
I was shocked at the delivery time!! 2.5 weeks to deliver!!! And if I wanted to pay for express delivery it was still 10 days wait…
what on earth is going on?
might be linked to the whole global pile of sh**
We have our flights to South America for October also just cancelled

Really? I paid for Express Delivery for the culottes and they arrived the next day but I generally get their standard delivery and it rarely takes more than a couple of days.

yes! Last month my son ordered something and arrived really quickly . Now the whole thing seems to be falling apart …

Oh no! about the flights. What will you do?

Thanks poppy , I managed to get the airline to give me alternative flights, although it means that I have to stop at São Paulo now for a couple of hours.
my main thing was to get them to give me the alternative as if I had accepted the refund, I would not have been able to find tickets for the same price and would be nearly 2K short!
Back on track now (touch wood)

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Met Gala presentations ?

Hi 👋🏼 marmalade I feel a bit bored of the met gala, feels a bit that has gone from a truly exclusive and sought after event to something that any billionaire can buy
maybe I am the naive one and was always that? But now is more in your face?
Anyhow, regardless I have not seen anything that I thought mmm that’s interesting, the only ones that I kind of like were the one that looks like a painting Emma Chamberlain wore it, also maybe the Maison Margiela one that Rihanna wore, but that is if I had to choose something.

Hi Red. <waving>

Yes - it is pretty dull now. It seems too big, too busy and maybe ... cheap?

The fashion element is gone I think. A few, like you said, but not much.

I had a look at the Vogue article on the Met Ball but I bailed out after about 30 pics. My first thought was, 'Who are all these people? I've never heard of half of them.' Admittedly that probably says more about me and my cultural life these days than it does about them.

My second thought was that it looked a bit tacky. The only art reference I spotted was Beyonce's tribute to Schiaparelli's skeleton dress (if you count Schiapp as art). I thought it all had a bit of a Versailles-on-the-eve-of-the-revolution vibe. Madonna even seemed to have borrowed one of Marie Antionette's headdresses.

But this kind of dressing has never been my thing so I may well have missed all the nuance.

Thanks for the book rec Flo, look interesting, lecture sounds interesting too. I do hate the whole paywalling of the internet. I also saw Buckingham Palace has a fashion exhibit with the late queen's wardrobe. Although maybe fashion exhibit isn't the exact right term. From what I saw of it, it was kind of eerie as it was all fitted to her so she's kind of there in a ghostly form and it feels more intimate with the inside of the clothes visible. In her absence it feels more like its about the woman in the clothes moreso than the clothes.

The book reminded me there was also a really interesting documentary with Patrick Grant about all the suppliers and makers who pulled off all the costumes for the coronation, I'm not much for royals but it was really enjoyable.

s

Sorry to hear about the flights Red, glad to hear you have an alternative though. Hopefully a few hours in Brazil is still enjoyable.

I've been to the Antwerp sales, definitely improved with the offerings although Merryl Rogge and Sophie D'Hoore were still very expensive so hopefully they'll revise that for the next time should they return. Dries seems to have realised they needed to drop their prices and were a bit more reasonable this time (I got a very unusual knit top). This was the first time I still saw tickets available, usually tickets are gone within hours of it going live so I guess I wasn't the only put off by the prices last time. The international crowd who rolled up with their empty suitcases seem to also have gone away, maybe the jet fuel crisis is to blame that one....

Must confess I haven't even looked at Met Gala stuff yet, most I've seen of it is activists dropping bottles of pee all over the Met over Bezos' involvement and rather witty guerilla posters in the NYC subways. This year definitely seemed to be the incorporation of the tech crowd when they appear to be in their arch villain era and that really just feels like nailing the final nail on it all. It was already increasingly becoming the Captiol of the Hunger Games, but they can't even embrace that with a bit of humor. Definitely feels like the last excesses of something that's already lost its relevance. Even the myth of Anna Wintour as the single arbiter feels a distant memory, no matter what the new installment of The Devil Wears Prada PR seems to want to reprise.

I do find the whole class aspect of it all interesting though. Cheap, tacky and all the other adjectives all tie into it. It's always been a grifty affair, it's just never been explicit and now they're embracing those that are entirely shameless about it. The mystique of it all is gone.

The Uniqlo delivery has finally arrived. You are right Flo the culottes are good fabric and cut. But I ordered a medium and is slightly big for me at the waist, but the small might be too small …I did not try them properly though so need to try them to see how they will look with a tee/tucked in shirt/fine ribbed top.
How are you wearing them Flo?

Having been rude about the Uniqlo stuff I saw at Tokyo airport I have bought myself one of their Comptoir de Cotonniers linen t shirts in dark green and like it a lot:
https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/products/E465761-000/00?colorDisplayCode=61&sizeDisplayCode=003

I saw the culottes when I was in the shop and agree they look good, too.

I'm glad you both like the culottes but that's annoying about the fit Red. You'd have thought they could have added belt loops or waist adjuster tabs but I guess it's by skimping on those details that they keep the cost down. I just got lucky and so they fit at the waist. For what it's worth, if you're going to keep them, I'd probably go for slightly too large and wash them because, although the fabric's not bad for the price, I can imagine they'll shrink a bit. I'm wearing them mostly with a tucked in shirt and - because it's turned cold - a knitted tank top (or sweater vest for bo!) It's quite a '70s look - I feel like I'm in a Charlie advert.

I remember the Patrick Grant programme too bo. If you enjoyed that, I'm pretty confident you'll like the Kate Strasdin book, it really is excellent. That exhibition about the late queen's wardrobe is sold out by the way! Are you still in Anwerp?

The Late Queens wardrobe exhibition isn’t actually totally sold out though on the booking line they initially said it was. There is some availability on and just after 1 August. I’ve just booked using my one year pass so I am seeing it a second time for free. The evening gowns are so beautiful it’s worth it!

Ah thanks Poppy! Apologies everyone for the misinformation