A wardrobe malfunction and some further thoughts on legible clothing

First, a HUGE SHOUT-OUT to xoxo and her delightful blog Will Work 4 Shoes, for starting off my day in a condition of utter delight. If you haven't seen xoxo's post about the LaRedoute website/catalog and its inadvertent inclusion of something more than scenery and less than typical North American beachwear, go over there right now and have a read.

LaRedoute is an enormous French mail-order catalog and website business.

I've never ordered from LaRedoute, but friends who have ordered, say, sheets or picnic baskets have regaled me with tales of arbitrary and capricious customer service, and there's enough of that going around in New York that I don't need to look elsewhere. I've been familiar with the catalog for years though, ever since a desperate and creative French teacher used it in vocabulary lessons (saving the bracketing of desperate and creative for another post, possibly for when I'm feeling desperate).
LaRedoute doesn't have a dedicated cult following, clothing sales are mainly outside of Paris, and the most popular sizes sold are in a range of US 12 to 18, although you can easily find smaller sizes. Larger sizes, too. And guess what? They also have a Designer/Collection department.


The LaRedoute web site recently featured this tee,




which was removed after much ridicule and indignation, reportedly not because of the puzzling exhortation "Keep the move," but because in the white background motif lurks another direction: "Enjoy holydays." I was reminded of a J.Crew "holidays" tee which directed those who beheld it "Voir la joie," or "to see the joy," or possibly "See the joy," but in the tone of  a user's manual or old-fashioned recipe.

I figured if there was one howler in marketing/production chez LaRedoute, there might be others, so I scrolled through the site.





 I've ranted about the awkward use of almost-French on tees like this and and also on not-quite-Italian on tees. None of these wearable bloopers are cheap, so it's not even a question of supporting the ravenous family of the tee-shirt guy on the corner or in the stadium parking lot.










I guess Bushfire has something to do with College Academy W?

And of course most of us, while traveling, have seen tees bearing indecipherable
exhortations or memories in not-English, that are sold to tourists, preferably when stoned.











When xoxo sent me to LaRedoute, I thought it was a good opportunity to see whether the trend to surrealism in grammar, usage and vocabulary had reached the solid, respectable citizens of France. Reader, it has.
All of the pics in this post were copied from the LaRedoute website.

Including this one, which is not only surrealistic
but anachronistic and politically incorrect.

Oh, the canvas shopping bag at the beginning of this post is also LaRedoute.

You're wondering, what is French shopping? French shopping is to New York shopping as rugby is to football (soccer). It's like war games gone bad, the enemy is - unquestionably -the store's personnel.

By way of example, here's a conversation that took place about a year ago between me and a sales associate in Printemps:
Moi: Good morning, Madame, I am so sorry to disturb you, but would you be kind enough to tell me if this coat is available in a size 38 or 40? (US 6 or 8 or 10, depending on manufacturer) 
SA, looking away from me into infinity: We don't carry large sizes. 
Moi: Ah, non? So then where do you shop?
heh, heh, heh. Yes, it's a rough game, and you take your chances when you feed me lines.

16 comments:

  1. Those are some good howlers!
    Thanks for the laughs this morning Fred.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some of the sayings on those tops are pretty funny! I may be wrong but isn't La Redoute owned by the same company that owns Printemps? I ordered from La Redoute once several years ago, but it was such a difficult experience I never attempted it again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well, THERE he is! Perhaps the editor is near-sighted.

    I am not a fan of writing on clothing, but I do have a #12 Brady jersey for this weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fred, you are hilarious. The Bushfire and Academy W are a bit perplexing. Irony perhaps?

    Thanks for the shout-out.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi, Dani, yes, this time of year we all need whatever giggles we can find.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi, Louise, it wouldn't surprise me at all. BHV is notorious for being the absolute worst shopping experience in Paris, now that more and more bakeries and charcuteries are staying open during lunch, but I'm saving all that for another post.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, Lane, well, I can't wish you luck on that one. I'm with Jay Leno:
    GISELE (is) ASKING FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO PRAY FOR HER HUSBAND, TOM BRADY THIS WEEKEND…TO BE HEALTHY, CONFIDENT, AND STRONG, AND WIN THE SUPER BOWL.  DO YOU THINK GOD’S GOING, “I MADE THIS GUY 6’4”, HE’S HANDSOME, HE’S RICH, I FIXED HIM UP WITH GISELE, I HELPED HIM WIN THREE SUPER BOWLS…HOW MANY PRAYERS DO I HAVE TO ANSWER FOR THIS GUY? 
    YOU KNOW GOD’S GOING, “IF I DIDN’T DO IT FOR TIM TEBOW, I’M NOT DOING IT FOR YOU.”

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi, xoxo, I guess anything's possible.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi WFF, I'm a long time fan of yours (before this blog, from the time you posted occasionally on JCA). I never commented but your blog is the one I enjoy the most.

    When I was in Paris last year I saw many French kids (elementary age) wearing Abercrombir & Fitch graphic tops and was wondering..."they have the best kids clothing in the world (had been buying Catimini for my two girls since their birth) why Abercrombie?" Maybe those graphic tops sell very well there?

    Thanks for the good laughs this morning!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, that's hilarious!! DH made a comment in the same vein after the news last night, that he thought Tebow had that account wrapped up. I totally understand your football sympathies. As for Tom and Giselle, I think they are the forerunners of some future suprahuman race.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi, Ji, welcome and thank you!

    I've never understood the A&F phenomenon at all. I've seen whole school trips standing on line in sub-zero weather just to get into their 5th Avenue store. I imagine they believe, as only teen fans can, that inside the stores it's just like the ads only more so.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi, Lane, sounds dangerously close to The Boys From Brazil.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hilarious conversation in the store! I have often wondered why the european shopkeepers are so snooty. Don't they want our money? I've had a different experience in shops in the French part of Switzerland though, and was completely shocked. Everyone was friendly there.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi, Rose, it was explained to me that in days of yore, shops were tiny, one or at most two rooms, and the shopkeeper and family lived right in the same space as the merch and as the artisan. Thus, to this day in France and Germany, you the customer must greet the shopkeeper effusively if you have any hope of leaving with a purchase, because you are stepping into their personal space. OK, this is interesting, but it doesn't explain department stores and supermarkets. Tis a puzzlement.... Actually the staff in wine shops in Paris are getting a lot more sociable, come to think of it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. When my son was younger I used to buy from La Redoute quite frequently as the boys' trousers in particular were very neat in the waist, ideal for my skinny lad.
    I do have some La Redoute linen trousers and cotton vests which have lasted for years and years. I'm now wondering why I stopped buying from them?!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi, Trish, sometimes we just need a change of scene?

    ReplyDelete

As Alice Roosevelt Longworth said, if you've got anything bad to say, sit next to me! No, really, please remember to be kind, and don't say anything fred's mother would not approve of (Diner's mom didn't approve of anything. Including fred.)
Wellfedfred and the Whining Diner reserve the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to this blog without notice if we find:
1. Comments deemed to be spam or questionable spam
2. Comments including profanity or objectionable language
3. Comments containing concepts that could be deemed offensive
4. Comments that attack a person individually
and since there's been a flood of spam lately, we're trying the Robot thing to see if we can block some spam...