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.