Lori Andrews, The 10 Cent Designer

Photo by Lori Andrews

“Life is too short to wear boring clothes on your bike.” This playful twist on a well known fashion quote, often attributed to the design team at Cushnie Et Ochs, is something Lori Andrews wants us to know.

Andrews, who goes by the online moniker The 10 Cent Designer, describes herself as “an insanely happy interior designer and photographer”. “I identify as a self-portrait artist as I use myself as model for most of my stock imagery and my fine art photography,” said Andrews. “I also do photography work for a variety of clients.” The unique nickname started roughly a decade ago and refers to the budgets of some of her earliest clients.

To her nearly 20,000 followers on Instagram, Andrews’ style is instantly recognizable even though some of her most well-liked photos rarely reveal her face. “I started taking headless photos (images where my head is not included in the photo or where I cover my face with objects) fairly early on,” said Andrews. “My initial motivation was to keep a sense of privacy online, but I quickly saw that by eliminating the identifying face from my images, I could create a sense of ‘every woman’ that resonated with the viewers.”

Photo by Lori Andrews

“I have a thing for Wonder Woman,” explained Andrews when asked about another of her very popular photo series. “It’s been a lifelong love as I grew up watching Linda Carter playing Wonder Woman on television. She was the ultimate early feminist symbol for me. Powerful and feminine at the same time. She kicked butt and always was in control of the situation.”

Andrews’ Wonder Woman series brings her self-portrait style to some of Canada’s most iconic landscapes. “My mother-in-law custom made me my own costume for my fortieth birthday and I have been using the costume in images constantly since that time. I actually traveled to the sites, hiked, and took the images.”

When it comes to her “live for the moment” sense of adventurous style, Andrews credits her photography. “Bright colors and bold shapes stand out in photographs. I can’t imagine wearing basic black everyday. I tend to buy the colorful option rather than the safe black staple.”

Living with her husband in Calgary, AB, Andrews describes the duo as committed bike users who chose to live close to downtown to minimize impediments to cycling regularly. “I have my city bikes and my country bikes,” said Andrews. “I love my Globe cruiser with its extra large built-in basket. I also have an original 1972 Raleigh cruiser in orange that I keep for guests and shoots.” She is also into road biking, cyclocross, and mountain biking and has a bike for each “country” activity.

“Bike culture has really been taking off in Calgary over the last few years,” shared Andrews. “I see so many more commuters now – and more women – riding for the ease of it. The city has been building cycle tracks, which is making my routes easier every year. We have a large group of dedicated bike activists who we can thank for this development. Calgary also has over 435 miles (700 kilometers) of pathway systems running along the rivers and elsewhere. Family cycling is a favorite Calgary pastime.”