The last days of summer - a European photo diary

It's September. Yes, I am aware that normally September would be considered fall but thanks to the 28 degree weather we are having in the lovely city of Toronto I've decided to put together a little montage of some of my favourite summer vacation outfits. This summer I travelled to France and Portugal with my mommy and sissy (great girly/family trip full of love and spoiling) and it was amazing. In about a month or two, when it's cold and miserable, I'll look back at these photos and long for tans, sun, and freedom. LOVE YOU SUMMER. I'LL MISS YOU. SEE YOU SOONZZ.

- Heigh-waisted denim shorts (always easy) with red and turquoise accessories.

Above: vintage Gap jean shorts, black American Apparel crop top, red hair bow from H&M, Mango aviator sunglasses, and a collection of red and turquoise jewelry from Portugal and France.

- Peach coloured strapless bikini. Hint *match your bikini to your skin tone*

Above: peach strapless bikini from Ardene (I know rightt???)

 - Apres-Beach Boho

Above: Mango sunglasses, H&M button up shirtdress in tan, boho print cape/shawl by Pins and Nipples, AllSaints brown leather saddle bag, and tan suede platform sandals from Urban Outfitters.

- Sun-bleached colours and neutrals. Loving the fades.

Above: American Apparel cotton crop top in cream, vintage white-washed denim skirt, round-framed leopard print sunglasses from H&M

- The tail dress. Gonna miss the white-on-tan...

Above: White crisscross tail dress from Zara with a red and turquoise necklace from Satellite Paris.

- The Red Onezies

Above: Red romper from Forever 21, Satellite Paris necklace, and brown Minnetonka moccasins

Chic in the Shit - how to look fashionable when roadtripping

I discovered something brilliant this summer. Totally by accident though, but whatevs. As some of you may know, I am not exactly the most outdoorsy person in the world. So when my boyfriend proposed a 4-day bike trip from Toronto to Niagara I was a little concerned. He had it all planned out. We were going to strap sleeping bags, a tent, and a bag of clothes (ONE BAG..............) to our road bikes and bike to wine country, visit vineyards and sleep under the stars. Romantic.

I'm scared shitless of spiders and I am slightly claustrophobic so the idea of sleeping in the woods in a one-person tent didn't exactly strike me as "vacation". I'm more of a Victorian-hotel/sleep on the beach kinda gal. But then there was the wine tasting. I do love my wine. SO I DID IT! I bike 8 hours (straight.....I'm a tank) from Toronto to wine country Ontario. Good times. Slept in the bush, survived off trail mix and Luna bars, and was covered in a layer of permo-dirt. HOWEVER, I managed to look somewhat presentable (some might say fashionable) because I packed one super accessory - my bright red lipstick!

MAC lady danger lipstick, $15

JOT THIS DOWN : Red lipstick has the power to make anyone, wearing anything, look fabulous. It is a fashion backpacker's essential tool that will ensure survival on the road. Not everyone is okay with looking like Calamity Jane.... So next time you venture off into the woods, or on some path to nature land - REMEMBER YOUR RED LIPS!

Matis, Mifsud and Me for Ryerson Folio

Last semester The Ryerson Folio team worked super hard to get the first ever physical issue published for all the world (more like Ryerson population) to see! Apparently it looks amazing (I haven't set foot in Toronto since end of term and so I have not actually seen the magazine BUT IM EXCITED ANYWAY!) and I congratulate my fellow masthead members for all their hard work!

Check out the online version on the Folio website!

For those of you don't know, I am the fashion editor at Folio. For the first issue, I pushed to make sure the fashion section was top notch and as vogue-esque as possible. None of this sad model/bad makeup/H&M clothes/whoever photographer business. I wanted professionals. And that is what I got.

Thanks to designer Lucian Matis (one of Ryerson University's famous fashion alumni), from whom I pulled the majority of the pieces I used to style our glorious runway queen Mikayla Mifsud, Folio's first ever fashion spread looks absolutely FASH ON baaaaaybeee!

Greatest thing about styling: secretly wearing (for only 5 seconds of course) that designer piece you've been drooling over since you first saw it on the Fashion Week Runway. Woooohooooo! I got to wear the Lucian Matis lace gloves! The exact ones I obsessed over and wrote about for Dress to Kill! ....I wore them for about 10 minutes...for the ride back to the studio. BUT STILL! SOOO SICK.

Here's a little behind-the-scenes video of the shoot. ENJOY!

Ryerson Folio Magazine Fashion Shoot - Behind the Scenes from Ryerson Folio on Vimeo.