Together we RISE

      I cannot believe an entire week has passed since I experienced one of the most magical moments of my life.  Who knew that road-tripping it to the Mojave desert to light up a bunch of lanterns and release them up in the air would prove to be such a fun-filled, sister-bonding, rewarding experience???

     Although I admit that the stunning photos and videos of last year's Rise Festival was what initially drew me to go this year, ( with all those gorgeous lanterns lighting up the night sky), what really fueled my interest was to be part of this tradition.  Rise isn't just about illuminating the sky with the light of the lanterns.  Asian tradition calls for you to make a wish as you release your lantern.  I wanted to write my intentions for the year, my hopes and dreams for the future, any negative feelings I wanted to release, and also perhaps write a note to loved ones who have passed on. I imagined this experience of letting go in such an ethereal way would be so surreal and invigorating, maybe even therapeutic.

        I was in complete awe of what I saw that night, which was what I expected, though I did not come close to imagining what it was going to be like. My jaw was to the floor the entire time.  IT WAS LIKE A DREAM...

 I was so excited about all the things I wrote on my lantern! I wrote down things I wished for the future, things I wanted to manifest, but also wrote down feelings and thoughts I wanted to release and let go of.  I even wrote a little note to my father, to whom I had no real relationship to, but has since passed on.  You could say a lot was riding on the initial release of my lantern!

Super blurry but I HAD to include a pic of me and my lantern. :)

    Sure enough, while a lot of lanterns took off without a hitch, I had a lot of trouble with mine.  Both of my two allotted lanterns had trouble taking flight, and of course I took that personally...like it was a sign that all my dreams and hopes came crashing down...or that anything negative I wrote down was never going to be truly released...and also that...my father wouldn't get my messages of forgiveness for being absent my whole life. :(

         But with every negative comes a positive.  What was truly magical about the experience for me was with all the trouble I was experiencing, how I was completely surrounded by such beautiful, supportive, strong women who helped me (and my lanterns) take flight.  What I thought was supposed to be my own personal release to the world, the universe...only became more rewarding and fulfilling done as a group.  Had my lanterns not failed, I never would have experienced such love and bonding moments with such an amazing group of women.  I truly learned first hand that life isn't perfect, and will test you along the way.  How you handle these tests truly defines who you are, and that while it's important to stay strong, it is completely okay to allow others to support you.  There is a strength and beauty to unity, to community... for it is truly together that we RISE. :)

So grateful for this beautiful group of women, my Rise Tribe Sisters!!

*All photos taken were a group effort. Thank you to Tina Clara (whose photography site can be seen here, ) for capturing the dreamy photos of my outfit for Rise, and to Karen Herndon, Chris Caparro and Erik Borzi for all the breathtaking pictures of the sky we collectively lit up that night. From the bottom of my heart, I'm so grateful for all your beautiful captures.

xo

KAREN

Indian Summer

Sometimes I feel like I was a Native American princess in a past life.  Native Americans are thought to be extremely intuitive and believe that all things are alive and carry an energy on this earth.  Along with those beliefs, I have a strong propensity for wearing crystals for its energetic properties, and have a dreamcatcher in my bedroom not only for its beauty, but to actually ward off bad dreams.

The only thing that's missing is a tee pee in my home, and I'm actually getting one of those soon. ;)

What about you? Are there any aspects from the Native American culture that you can relate to in your own life?

xo 

Karen

All photos by Kelly Brooke.  Follow her on Instagram @kellybrookephoto or check out her site here.

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Guys Just Don't Get It

It's funny to me how every so often, I'll wear an outfit that I absolutely love and feel great in, (and get tons of compliments from other women as well) but will just collect a mass of strange, confused looks from men. These outfits are what I have categorized as outfits that "guys just don't get."

Outfits that fall under the "Guys Just Don't Get" category, (GJDG) are as follows: 

1.)boyfriend jeans

2.)babydoll tops

3.)high waisted shorts/pants  (I believe there is a petition going around stopping women from wearing these. Of course, this petition was started by a man. They would rather we show our midriffs, not cover them.)

4.)overalls

6.)jumpsuits (like this super cute one I'm wearing here by Mink Pink)

7.) harem pants (unless you actually belong to a harem.)

8.) basically anything baggy that covers our shape, unless of course, it was something of theirs like their shirt, in which case, that's an exception cuz that's sexy as hell if you ask anyone, man or woman.

Although of course being aesthetically pleasing to men isn't something we women are entirely opposed to being, I like to think that I dress for myself, and wear what I LIKE regardless of what anyone (male or female) else thinks.  Pleasing your man is important yes, but so is expressing yourself and who you are to the world.

Confidence is sexy, and that shows more than wearing a crop top or short skirt, and isn't diminished by anything that you might think covers you, like a baggy jumpsuit.

Really feel yourselves ladies, and it won't matter if you're wearing an outfit that "guys just don't get!"

XO

       Karen

All photos by Kelly Brooke.  When I was really feelin myself we tried to recreate Beyonce's "hold her pony pose," here but let's face it...even if I have the same amount of hours in the day as Beyonce does, I sure don't have the same amount of hair! Ha!  Back down to earth I go! LOL.  Follow Kelly on Instagram @kellybrookephoto or check out her photography site here.

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White After Labor Day?

There's that silly time honored fashion rule that one shouldn't wear white after Labor Day.  This dates back as early as the 1900's, when the affluent would return from vacation and retire their white clothes once summer was over.  There was no real practical reason for the rich to follow this, but they continued following this "rule" to remain acceptable.

Of course with rules, there is always a rule breaker.  Coco Chanel famously wore white year round despite this rule,  and at a time when pale creamy skin was lauded as the epitome of beautiful skin, she would come back from vacation tanned and sun-kissed (also starting that trend too, by the way;)

I sort of understand why people would retire their white clothes after summer in places that actually have FOUR seasons.  Rain and winter slush would not be a good compliment to the otherwise perennial pair of white skinnies you can wear in say, sunny southern Cali.  If you live in a place that is constantly sunny and rarely rains, I say why let that silly (outdated) fashion rule dictate what you wear?  If you love white and you feel fabulous in it, then by all means wear it year round!

 Here I am wearing white before Labor Day just so I can wear white again after Labor Day! Ha!

Hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend!!

xo KAREN

 All photos shot by the amazing Kelly Brooke.   She wears white whenever she wants to too. Follow her on instagram @kellybrookephoto to see her work or you can check out her site here.

"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different. "

                                           ---Coco Chanel

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RAWWR: Animal Prints, Yay or Nay?

My take on animals prints is that one should only wear them sparingly, as an accent, like a leopard pair of shoes or bag worn with an otherwise very simple outfit, particularly a black dress or simple skinny jeans and a tee and leather jacket.  Since animal prints are pretty garish, mixing prints should be avoided unless you want to look like a walking stack of pet beds.

       I don't normally don animal print as the focal point of an outfit, because let's face it...anyone who wears a  (skin-tight) leopard print dress is in danger of looking like a stereotypical cougar, which is not my thing, but if it is yours, do your thang, boo thang!!! (Hey!! Halloween idea!!)

    Yet I'm loving this TIGER print playsuit by Some Days Lovin I'm wearing here.  It's a comfy loose romper with a  fresh fun print, and styling them with edgy pieces like this bra by Free People (that's so cute it's meant to be seen), some arm candy....

....feather earrings...

...and some fringe annnnnnd voila!!  That's a cougar-free outfit right there!!!

What about you? Would you dare to wear animal prints?

XO Karen

All Photos by the lovely and amazing Kelly Brooke.  Follow her on IG @kellybrookephoto or go to her site here to view more of her work. :)

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