Or this one via The Sartorialist:

In Jill’s case, she’s looking to add some edge to her wardrobe without going over the top. Jill is tall and slim, which means that most styles would hit her above the hip and look more bolero than baller. She needs a jacket with sufficient length, but that still has that iconic cropped style. This challenge was a lot of fun for me. It even inspired me to rekindle my relationship with Pinterest (which was pretty much kaput due to it being overrun with ROBOTS).

Here are some of the best styles I pulled together, broken down into four categories: Affordable Faux, Mid-Range Real, Luxe, and Uber Luxe.

Based on my research, Canadian brands Soïa & Kyo, Danier Leather, and Mackage have the best selection of colours and textures in their Spring 2013 collections. All Saints knows how to do leather and would be a worthy place to splurge on a classic moto jacket, with Muubaa out of the UK being the the ultimate in splurging.

I found a decent selection of affordable fake leather versions ranging from $29 to $69 from Forever 21, Uniqlo, and Piperlime. In my opinion this would be the best bet for Jill until she is ready to invest in a jacket that might be pricier, but will be a high quality legacy piece to add to her wardrobe.

To see the whole lot, if you’re so inclined, you can visit the Pinboard!

PS: I realize that in most parts of the world it’s unheard of to wear leather in late spring. But this is Canada. It snowed last week!

Images via pinterest (*please let me know if you know the source for this photo), the sartorialist, Uniqlo, Soïa & Kyo, All Saints, and Muubaa/ASOS

I love this video featuring Jenna Lyons talking about shoes. And I love the offerings from J.Crew in the shiny pony department.

Emerald Lattice Top via Obaz / The Coletta Bow Blouse via Shop Sosie

C’est géniale, non?

Et vous, mes poulettes, ça vous plaît ?

via Prada

We’ve been home for just over two months.

But I still check the mailbox on Saturdays and avoid running errands between the hours of 12 and 2.

DUMBO, I would kiss you if I could.

It feels good to be back in North America and in the same time zone as our loved ones.

But France suddenly feels really, really far away.

This includes, but is not limited to: last runs through the parc, last visits to the zoo, last croissants and pain au chocolat at Maison Tixier, the last lattes at Café Mokxa, and last cheese dégustations with Matt.

Needless to say, la France va vraiment me manquer. Saying goodbye is really hard.

Tomorrow we set out at 5 AM for Lille, then London, then Southampton, then (7 days later) New York, then (5 days later) TORONTO!

Can you believe it’s been a year? Oh la la!

See you on the other side of the North Atlantic…should the icebergs and U-boats keep at bay.

Bises from the Miseners!

It would have been a very different year were it not for these lovely ladies. I’m a lucky girl.

Why fly when you can take an ocean liner instead?

We will be sailing from Europe to the new world (AKA New York) via The Queen Mary 2, Cunard’s preeminent ocean liner, and the largest seafaring passenger vessel in existence. Hilarious, non?

And the decision was easy. Why pay exorbitant flight prices when we can sail for 7 nights on a luxury ocean liner, with all meals included and premium accommodations for half the cost of ONE airline ticket. Yup, you read that right.

But the price wasn’t the only bonus of taking the Queen Mary 2 over flying. Sailing affords us the ability to take back our luggage without the crazy airline fees or restrictions. It also means we won’t suffer from jetlag, as we gain an hour for every day we’re at sea. Additionally, we can spend 7 days recuperating from a rather strenuous year in Europe in the on-board lounges, five pools, casinos, and premium gym.

Sure there were some downsides to consider…internet access on board is expensive, as are the libations (which, if you know us, are not minor things). No BYOB on this vessel. Also, I’m someone who suffers from motion sickness, so it might end up being a complete cauchemar for me. On top of that, it’s the North Atlantic in December. I’m guessing it might be a bit chilly on deck, hence why the fares were so cheap.

But in the end the positives and all-round hilarity of the idea far outweighed the negatives, especially when you add in the fact that we’ll be spending the holidays in New York City. Needless to say, I’m almost excited to be leaving France. Ok, not really. But this eases the pain of our year abroad coming to an end.

Because what better way to cap off this amazing adventure then with another one…on the high seas!

PS: The Cunard customer service has been terrific (so far). Our representative, Carlos, spent more than two hours on the phone answering about a million questions. He’s such a pro. But I’m pretty sure he needed a cruise vacation of his own after having to deal with me! We were pleased to find out that they make the embarkation process really simple. They’re even picking us up in London. Go Carlos!

Also, a big thanks to Rosalind Went who blogged about her transatlantic crossing experience on QM2 last December. We both read every last word of her chronicle and it really helped us to take the plunge (bad pun) and buy our tickets. 

Photos via Cunard

I am particularly fond of the episode on how sewing machines work, which helped me to finally me understand bobbins. These machines are pure engineering genius.

Here’s part one of the episode:

And if you’re a real keener, parts two and three.

Did you know that the sewing machine was really the first machine of any sort to enter the home? It’s the reason why early sewing machines were so decorative and beautiful – they were considered a distinguished piece of furniture back in the day. Now I think they’re mostly relegated to closets and basements, collecting dust.

I’m looking forward to getting back into the sewing game next year. A little bird told me that Santa is bringing me a new machine! Fist pump.

All three seasons of the program can be streamed off YouTube. We also really enjoyed the episodes on washing machines and vacuums.

PS: Have you ever seen this animated gif of how bobbins work to create a lock stitch? I could watch it for ages.

(via swissmiss)