tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post7275952440061756513..comments2024-03-16T13:04:56.689-04:00Comments on Passage des Perles: Talbot's goes girly: What is this?Duchessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-47551409458664114872017-12-08T17:06:18.897-05:002017-12-08T17:06:18.897-05:00lagatta: I find Bean's styling for things lik...lagatta: I find Bean's styling for things like coats to be generic and functional, which can be OK- or disappointing if longing for more cachet. You or others may find something you really like. A quality assessment should be applied garment to garment, with comparison to competitor's and I don't buy enough there to do that. For instance, I have no idea about Bean's cashmere or pima cotton tees versus Talbot's, Land's End, etc.<br /><br />I buy their sailor tees and the silk pointelle long underwear, that's it. <br /><br /><br />Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-62412622259809426142017-12-08T13:46:58.338-05:002017-12-08T13:46:58.338-05:00How about LL Bean? More basic, and sporty more tha...How about LL Bean? More basic, and sporty more than classic office wear, but has their quality remained? I'm thinking about items such as their sailor-type Ts and similar pima-cotton Ts (3/4 sleeve, rather long). lagatta à montréalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02610410709900333230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-185097532821866422017-11-26T08:19:08.976-05:002017-11-26T08:19:08.976-05:00Susan: Even five or six years ago they sold good &...Susan: Even five or six years ago they sold good "Equipment-style" silk blouses.Now look! <br /><br />In its beginning era, Talbots sold clothing made in the US, of good quality fabric. Then they sold the firm and poly blends came in. Several years ago, in financial straits, they were bought by Sycamore Partners, a private-equity firm who also own The Jones Group. <br /><br />Another dive in quality, which includes fabrication, not just materials. I noticed, for example, that shirts and blouses are often made with cost-cutting techniques, like no plackets on sleeves or at neck. IMO horrible strategy, because Talbots' demographic, especially women over 45 or 50 are just desperate for good clothes and know them when they see them.<br /><br />Some women I knew in the '90s who could buy anything they wanted would still shop at Talbots for casual basics like t-shirt dresses and bermuda shorts. Now they would not enter the door.<br /><br />Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-59250131969949778092017-11-25T19:19:04.124-05:002017-11-25T19:19:04.124-05:00I had the most lovely silk dress from Talbots when...I had the most lovely silk dress from Talbots when I was 39. It was a soft white and navy with a tripe tiered skirt and short sleeves. Somewhere there is a photo of me wearing it at the Commander's Palace for my husband's 40th birthday brunch. These days, I don't find things of the same quality or chic design at Talbots. <br /><br />Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12756033682201519150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-12599226978663268732017-11-24T19:16:11.523-05:002017-11-24T19:16:11.523-05:00une femme: Le Duc calls Lanz nightgowns... birth c...une femme: Le Duc calls Lanz nightgowns... birth control.<br />Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-16963613737847216342017-11-24T17:46:54.862-05:002017-11-24T17:46:54.862-05:00There were a few years in the mid- to late 90'...There were a few years in the mid- to late 90's where I relieved heavily on Talbot's suiting pieces for work (more affordable than Lafayette 148, and one of the few lines available in Petite cuts), and they actually had some stylish, if conservative, choices back then. This current stuff is pure nostalgia. It's almost as if they're trying to channel Lanz.Susan Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16005855250089328310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-25416304230711356162017-11-23T12:24:55.086-05:002017-11-23T12:24:55.086-05:00Mardel: Not sure if your last sentence was cut off...Mardel: Not sure if your last sentence was cut off- but I think we ought feel no Frill Guilt. Once a woman buys her own clothes, all girly choices are on her shoulders. <br /><br />Deane Sanders: I miss those "better dress" departments, the time when Evan Picone, Anne Klein and the original Peck & Peck made tailored clothes in good fabrics, made in the US. There are a few decent brands left, like Lafayette 148, but pricey. Talbots filled a useful niche: big size range including hard to find ones like Woman Petite, and some actually very good fabrics like their double-faced wool. Not the most exciting styling, but for work, very useful. <br /><br />Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-32395795135951417402017-11-23T10:39:41.681-05:002017-11-23T10:39:41.681-05:00
Thanks for putting into words what I felt about t...<br />Thanks for putting into words what I felt about the Talbots catalog and offerings this year. Not much was appealing to me — no bows, frills, etc. I am still wearing pants and sweaters to work from 3-4 years ago, and I hope I can get through this season with them. It’s tough to find good work clothes and quality T-shirts for casual wear these days.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04616644094904296964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-83744132108505406132017-11-23T07:42:00.766-05:002017-11-23T07:42:00.766-05:00I really find this obsession with bows and girly t...I really find this obsession with bows and girly things does a disservice to women, infantilizing, as you point out above, and I have long objected to it. But right so much clothing everywhere seems to be cheaply made and so focused on the idea of women as girlish or a decorative object. I'm really surprised that women buy into it, even young women, although I understand their wish to be feminine at least some of the time. I wonder if my generation has failedMardelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04850551308931710502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-58355553971687477662017-11-23T06:35:57.133-05:002017-11-23T06:35:57.133-05:00Really appreciate the conversation here! Thank yo!...Really appreciate the conversation here! Thank yo!Laura Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07407623692994033212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-12507818677989877782017-11-22T16:19:05.185-05:002017-11-22T16:19:05.185-05:00Noelle: I agree, and I can't imagine this seas...Noelle: I agree, and I can't imagine this season being a resounding success for them!<br /><br />lagatta: My neighbour in the building suffered 2nd degree burns when when her bell-sleeved sweater was set ablaze while cooking.<br /><br />LauraJantek: These clothes are too girly for me, but I do like some vintage styles like Fair Isle sweaters and sharp tailored jackets versus the modern ones without darts. But this would not be the retro I'd like, with its disturbing presentation of women (Talbot's core client is 40 and over) as a young girl.<br /><br />Evelyn Cushman: Flamenco dancers look sexy to me, in their form-fitting dresses- ruffled, but a whole different register. And they are communicating something quite different via dance. Ans I get your daughter's perception. Ruffles on a tartan down vest are just weird.<br /><br />Venasque: Thanks! I have bought from both at their boutiques and am very happy with quality. but if a woman wants colour, the two B's have them beat. ça va de soie have only a bit of colour; I find the styling more intellectual and modern than the other Canadian boutiques you mentioned., though it all comes down to what you want. Also, for cashmere accessories in gorgeous colours, there is Golightly Cashmere, the US company. They have just introduced a woman's sweater. Have not seen that but I have one of their watch caps which is luxuriously thick.<br /><br />Melissa Hebbard: Oh, I hadn't thought of her but she does have some very girly ensembles. However, she is still young, couldn't Mrs Trump be her mother?<br /><br />LauraH: If I had to dress for work, I would be desperate, or broke!<br /><br />Mary: Thank you, it is remarkable how certain sensory inputs bring her back. Maybe such purveyors of the frllly/girly just are not thinking of 50+ women much.<br /><br />satsumi: Notice there is never a name attached to Talbot's> And- I think this has to be the work of a man. I know that sounds sexist but I can't imagine a woman thinking that other women in the Talbot's demographic want to present themselves like cupcakes.<br /><br />Jeannine: When we were pregnant then, women covered their bodies loosely. There were those stupid smocks with bows ("I am pregnant so I guess I'll dress like a toy") but also if you really looked, some simpler things. Since maybe 2000 I began to see pregnant women in tight tees or dresses that clung. A big shift from pretending nothing has changed with your body. <br /><br />Wonder if we'd wear shoulder pads again? I had them in everything, even wore those camisoles with built-in ones. Now, hmm- but at least they aren't girly, they just change the way clothes fit.<br /><br />susie @ persimmon moon cottage: Ha, you're on to something. Given the shortcuts re thread and finishing it is even a challenge to preserve clothes.<br /><br />Adele: Talbots' closed here maybe 6 years ago, but Montréal is not a Talbot's kind of place. The whole Talbot's assortment, laid out on their tables, was laden with garish green, screaming orchid and jolting prints in mostly fair to middling fabrics and things like gingham- just not the aesthetic here. (You could find exceptions but had to dig through a lot of eyelet and poly-blend tees that used to be nice cotton.) <br />Though I missed an easy way to get my jeans, I could see why the Mtl boutique was closed. <br /><br />Laura Jantek: Rickrack! Yes, I tried to find a black maternity dress in that Yorkville boutique that had the nicest maternity clothes available in 1987 and all they had was pink. <br /><br />Barbara Schieren: Thank you for pointing out, it's the shoes. Iris Apfel (not a style model for me but applaud her élan) said, If you have good shoes and a good haircut, you can wear anything." <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-13929164955561467402017-11-22T08:28:36.116-05:002017-11-22T08:28:36.116-05:00Does Fashion Industry want us to look like "S...Does Fashion Industry want us to look like "Stepford Wives"?<br />I loathe ruffles and bows, an most of the prints too.<br /><br />I'm with Karl Lagerfeld who recommends women of a certain age to add a bit masculine elements to their clothes. <br /><br />A simple V-Neck sweater, a good pair of trousers/jeans with modern shoes/boots give a modern and current look.<br /><br />As always, thank you for your thoughtful writing.Barbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05152552416077663835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-21049816645339698162017-11-22T08:16:11.520-05:002017-11-22T08:16:11.520-05:00I ended up sewing a couple of things for maternity...I ended up sewing a couple of things for maternity wear as I wanted a black dress and navy and NO bows ruffles or (gasp) Rickrack C1981Laura Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07407623692994033212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-71655845159680984902017-11-22T06:54:13.291-05:002017-11-22T06:54:13.291-05:00Thank you, Duchesse, for saying so articulately wh...Thank you, Duchesse, for saying so articulately what's been on my mind for a while. For me, the absolute no-no's are sleeves that are puffed at the shoulder, empire waistlines, anything ruffly and cold shoulders. Funny, there was a Talbot's store in our town that closed several years ago and has recently re-opened in a different location in the same shopping area. I haven't been in there yet, and don't have high hopes (though perhaps I should check out their jeans). I used to love their boatneck, three quarter sleeve tees tops when they were made from a nice heavy cotton-lycra blend but those haven't been available for at least a decade.Adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09260644975736198228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-5233269161214825812017-11-21T22:28:47.222-05:002017-11-21T22:28:47.222-05:00Wow, those styles are channeling old style, and no...Wow, those styles are channeling old style, and not in a good way. And here I thought that the overabundance of bell sleeves, strangely cut cold shoulder, overly long hi lo, shark bite hem tops and tunics that I see in the lower priced catalogs that I shop from were getting tiresome. I guess the catalogs that I get in the future will probably sooner or later catch up to the style trends you showed us. Those styles aren't going to work for me either. I think I'm going to start hand washing every clothing item I currently have to extend its wearable lifespan.susie @ persimmon moon cottagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01653330247272673990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-27242486359495424832017-11-21T18:53:55.103-05:002017-11-21T18:53:55.103-05:00I simply put this down to the cycle coming around ...I simply put this down to the cycle coming around again. Looks from the past always come back in some form. Soon the shoulder pads will return again! I was pregnant in the late 80s and very early 90s and was happy to see some (only some) maternity clothes which weren't childish looking - more tailored and simple lines, rather than puff sleeves and silly bows and fabric patterns that seemed to be the only kind of maternity clothes one could ever find. What I'm saying is, we've been here before and likely will be again.Jeanninehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08899506698574749866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-89441766487326073242017-11-21T18:08:04.673-05:002017-11-21T18:08:04.673-05:00A fine example of your most interesting posts! I ...A fine example of your most interesting posts! I parse this aesthetic as a symptom of the Trump era, namely an unabashed nostalgia for "better" times, i.e. times when white males could count on unearned supremacy, the affirmative action program that refuses the name. It pains me that even innocuous Talbots has debased itself in the [Michelle] Obama backlash and pines for a time when the "ideal" woman was an expressionless Stepford wife like Melania. satsumihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13703079136764945282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-33084570816892010862017-11-21T17:42:58.180-05:002017-11-21T17:42:58.180-05:00I felt like I was sitting at the kitchen table wit...I felt like I was sitting at the kitchen table with you, watching your sister. Your description was so striking and heart-breaking. And your pain so vivid. How sorry I am for your loss which sometimes must feel as though it just happened--especially when memories are evoked. <br /><br />The cause provoking those memories is disturbing for grown women everywhere. The 1950's most childish fashions re-imagined--with no imagination at all--by folks who seem to think women want to return to the status of "the little lady" - please, no. Never wore frills in the 1950s as a child, and I'm certainly not about to start now. I do appreciate the listing of some places where fashion and fully-operating frontal lobes combine to provide decent, (somewhat) affordable clothing for those who prefer not to revert to the worst of the 50's fashions now that we ourselves are well past our own 50s.Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11587652444835060129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-91606188453763654272017-11-21T17:33:00.293-05:002017-11-21T17:33:00.293-05:00Apologies for the spelling mistakes...autocorrect ...Apologies for the spelling mistakes...autocorrect strikes again.LauraHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03402103522466794364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-63358032748425912522017-11-21T17:31:17.938-05:002017-11-21T17:31:17.938-05:00Agree, the new Talbots catalogue was amazingly odd...Agree, the new Talbots catalogue was amazingly odd. I'm sticking with very simple clothes, dresses up by jewellery and scarves. Thank goodness I no longer gave to dress for work.LauraHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03402103522466794364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-66767939085651179472017-11-21T17:11:38.562-05:002017-11-21T17:11:38.562-05:00I think that Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is th...I think that Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is the one to blame for this. I think that the Trump women are taking their style from her.<br />If you look at her recent clothes, you will find puffed sleeves, pussycat bows and other frumpy fripperies.<br />Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07669497791582808521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-81276096371581315292017-11-21T16:51:48.412-05:002017-11-21T16:51:48.412-05:00To your Canadian suggestions, I would add The Cash...To your Canadian suggestions, I would add The Cashmere Shop and Black Goat. Both have online shopping (as well as actual shops) and the quality is outstanding.Venasquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07408402847632756910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-55036962737915983942017-11-21T15:53:33.078-05:002017-11-21T15:53:33.078-05:00My 25 year old daughter says she doesn't want ...My 25 year old daughter says she doesn't want to look like a Flamenco dancer, with all the ruffles and bell sleeves. I'm with her - hate the ruffles on puffy coats and vests (and everything else).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17485947758357435395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-8493302889485478292017-11-21T13:54:40.005-05:002017-11-21T13:54:40.005-05:00The infantile styling would be an odd choice consi...The infantile styling would be an odd choice considering what's going on with sexual abuse revelations. The power patriarchy concepts of the 50s and 60s! And would women want to dress like that era??? But it may be a sort of retreat to an airbrushed past like much of the retro looks one sees around. Hmm let me see if this circle pin fits on my Peter Pan collar. Aargh!Laura Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07407623692994033212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-61908413278203535272017-11-21T12:03:20.477-05:002017-11-21T12:03:20.477-05:00Oh dear. Yes, Melania and Ivanka...
First of all...Oh dear. Yes, Melania and Ivanka... <br /><br />First of all, I'm very sorry to learn that your sister died so young. <br /><br />I didn't like that clothing even when I was eight. I wanted to be an artist, and in my youthful imaginings, painters and writers didn't dress like that. <br /><br />Bell sleeves are everywhere. And in some fields of work, they can be a seriouus hazard; I'm thinking for example of the hospitality industry in which many workers have to dress up but still face risks such as fire (candles, grills) and kitchen machinery. <br /><br />There are even scallops at the hems of tartan skirts. How twee... <br /><br />I'm sure the new mayor of Montréal, Valérie Plante, had her swearing-in dress made. Probably her deep pink coat as well.lagatta à montréalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02610410709900333230noreply@blogger.com