About 2 years ago now I first came across Stephanie, @stephxohaven, on Instagram and I started to follow her because I loved everything about her page.  What first caught my attention was how much positivity she spreads and the fact that she seemed like a super down to earth girl.  Once we started following each other, we instantly became internet friends and started to plan when we could meet at an event.  At Escape Wonderland 2015, we met for the first time and I could have not been happier!  That night was certainly unforgettable!  I will never forget the first two pieces of kandi she traded me; the first one said Starpower with a kandi star attached and the other said Oceantokes.  Perfect for a ganja babe like myself!  I wear those two pieces of kandi to every rave now because they are just so special to me!  I was lucky enough to sit down with Stephanie recently and interview her!  Let’s get to know more about the rave booty queen! 

So what first sparked Stephanie’s interest in raving?  When she was young she participated in sports such as: dancing, ice skating, and gymnastics.  “I have always loved dancing and dressing up.  I would see people go to underground raves when I was in high school, but my mom was too strict to let me go.”   Stephanie has always loved all types of EDM music even before she was introduced to the scene.  She also made kandi and other jewelry before she started going to events because she loved expressing her creativity!  “Going to raves were something I always wanted to experience because all these things I loved were combined into one amazing place.”  In 2013 she attended Hard Summer, her very first event.  Now when Stephanie first started raving she did not dress up much.  

“I thought outfits were all about rave bras, fluffies, and booty shorts.”  Of course those are staple pieces in a rave girl’s closet, but there are so many more endless possibilities when it comes to festival fashion.  “I always made my own rave bras when I first started attending raves, and this was before I made a lot of kandi, so most of my creativity went into that.”  As she attended more raves, her viewpoint shifted.  “I learned that it’s what YOU want to wear, not what every other girl wears.  The more that she became comfortable with her body and expressing herself because of raving, her festival fashion began to evolve.

Most of you know Stephanie on Instagram as the rave booty queen.  When she first started posting “belfies” she would ALWAYS get the peach emoji in her comments and just really liked the “peachy” theme people were starting to give to her.  At EDCLV 2015 her friend Jackie, @jacquelynnn___ on IG gave Stephanie her rave name, “Princess Peach.”  Stephanie made her friend a unicorn cuff, telling her the story of why she made it for her and how much it meant to her.  When it was Jackie’s turn, she started her story of her peach cuff off with, “So I know you don’t have a rave name yet, so I thought this would be perfect for you because of your peachy booty!”  It definitely was such a happy moment for Stephanie!  “What I love most about it is that in the middle of EDC, amongst all the festival madness going on around, it felt like it was only us there at that moment.  Ever since then I have repped my rave name and even made fun outfits because of it!”

Stephanie’s rave fashion has definitely evolved so much since we have first met.  A few fellow ravers have been such an inspiration to her when she first started raving, one of them being Michelle, @ladycasa on IG.  “I first met Michelle at Escape 2014.  Her sparkly unicorn outfit was amazing, I was completely in awe.  Not only was her outfit amazing, but her aura radiated such warm, good vibes.  She was so uplifting and sweet that it made me want to strive to be on a wavelength like her and also felt so inspired for my next rave outfit, (hence my awesome unicorn outfit for EDCLV 2015).  Jake Ryan, @jakeryanduh on IG also has been a huge inspiration to her as well!  “Jake and I recently became friends, but I had seen him numerous times at events before, we just never got the opportunity to actually meet and hang out.  I love the fact that Jake has a different theme to every outfit, it helps me relate and I love seeing how he pieces everything together.  Jake has shown me so many different companies from his outfits and I am so thankful for that!  Jake also inspired me to start incorporating headpieces into my outfits, and I feel like it has really helped pull my outfits together.”

Lastly Stephanie, @__zomgsteph on IG has inspired her in so many different ways!  “I met her in the crowd at EDCLV 15, and what drew us to each other was our outfits!  We traded kandi, and when we found out we were both named Stephanie, we realized we were obviously destined to be friends.  Her outfits are also always themed, which is probably one of the reasons why I love everything about them!  What I love the most is she chooses themes that you wouldn’t really expect to see turned into a rave outfit, and it always turns out looking so beautiful on her.”  Being inspired by these three beautiful ravers, is why she has become so passionate about styling and designing outfits over the years.  “It makes me so happy and helps my creativity thrive in ways I never knew possible until I saw my ideas really coming to life!”

Stephanie has created so many beautiful outfits over the years, so I had to ask her to pick her top three favorite outfits.  “My absolute favorite outfit I’ve ever created was my Princess Peach outfit last year at EDCLV 16. I first wore the outfit at Escape Wonderland 2015, and I did love it then too, but I revamped it and made it even better for EDC, and I felt like I was the real life version of Princess Peach at a rave, and people would even walk by and tell me that, which was really awesome.”  I actually dressed up to match her as Princess Daisy, my boyfriend as Mario, and her boyfriend as Toad.  Such a fun theme and we received so many compliments!

Another one of her favorites was her Unicorn outfit she created for EDCLV 15.  “When I found the iHR site, I fell in LOVE with their unicorn hoods and after I saw the white hood I was so inspired to create a whole unicorn outfit for it, so that’s what I did!  The unicorn bra I got made from @Reblkitty is so intricate and beautiful, and I have even thought about wearing it again and revamping this outfit as well!  I put so much thought and effort into this outfit, especially because it was my first EDC.  I dreamt up the bra myself, and the designer helped my vision come to life, & even more amazing than I thought possible.”  She has had the opportunity to work with @Reblkitty several times which has blossomed into a beautiful friendship.  “I have gotten head pieces, bras, and even sunglasses made from her and have never been disappointed!”  Her last favorite outfit was her Clown outfit she did for Escape 2016.  “I challenged myself, I wanted to be a sexy rave clown, but I love Halloween and all of it’s creepy elements, so I wanted to incorporate that in my outfit too. This was my first time actually getting my makeup done for an event, and I was extremely pleased with how it turned out and pulled my outfit together.”

Not only has Stephanie been inspired by others, there have been several times that others were inspired by her festival fashion.  Puffballs are definitely a staple accessory that she loves adding to her rave outfits and she for sure started a trend with them!  “When I started wearing puffballs in my hair, not only did I fall in love with them, but so did my followers! I have received tons of photos of girls with puffballs in their hair, telling me that I inspired their outfits!  Recently I have been getting lots of inquiries about where I get mine, so I have decided to start selling them on my IG @puffballprincess, & it has been a big hit so far!  Not only do I love being able to inspire people’s rave fashion, but when I can actually MAKE something for them and see them wearing it at a festival.. it warms my heart like no other!”  Another amazing memory that comes to mind is when she inspired the @iheartravesunicorns outfits this year.. TWICE! <3  “I love my iHR fam & being able to rock their styles, but when I know I can inspire them as much as they inspire me, it’s such an amazing feeling!  I wore these two outfits this year & the unicorns looked fabulous rockin’ similar looks to Wobbleland & Beyond Wonderland (pictured below).  I love you all so much and I am so GRATEFUL to be able to inspire you all in so many ways.”  If you could not tell, her two favorite accessories are glitter and puffballs, but glitter has to be her absolute FAVORITE!  “Glitter is part of my everyday makeup routine, regardless of if it’s rave day or not!  I have learned how to do a lot with glitter from my few years of practice, and although it is a mess and a pain to take off, I will ALWAYS be a glittery rave babe! Gems are included too, obviously.  Puffballs are a staple accessory for me as well though.  I have even worn them in different ways than in my hair to make them stand out more, like my mermaid outfit for Beyond Wonderland this year!”

When finding inspiration for outfits, Stephanie uses many different avenues. “My inspiration for outfits is all over the place.  It can be as simple as ONE item that turns into a whole theme for me, or a themed event to coordinate my outfit with!  (Her mermaid outfit pictured below is a perfect example.)  For all the ravers out there that are wanting to express themselves at events more, Stephanie has this to say.  “BE YOURSELF!  As cliché as it may be or sound, it is the MOST important part of your outfits!  What you wear and how you present yourself defines who you are.  No one is going to judge you or look at you funny for wanting to dress up as a dinosaur princess, a crazy clown (who me?), or plain tee and jeans look.  Have fun with what you wear because music festivals are one of the most creative outlets there is out there.  Outfit wise, music wise, art wise, and so so much more.  Be yourself and always let your creativity FLOW!”

I can definitely say for myself that Stephanie has inspired my rave fashion in so many different ways that not only helped my confidence, but also feel comfortable in my own skin.  I am so lucky to call this girl my friend, rave fam and festie bestie! Be sure to give her a follow on IG and catch her at many more festivals coming up!