1. FUR

We all know how cold it can get at winter festivals, especially on that walk back to the car at 2am. Keep yourself cozy and look stylish with a new fur coat. There's plenty of new and classic types of fur outerwear for all you rave babe, like these fur dusters and jackets. Add some color to your outfit with the light up duster; you’ll land eyes on your all night long. You can also layer a hoodie or long sleeve bodysuit under these if you get cold easily.

Check our fur coats here.

2. VELVET

Rave babes should definitely add velvet to their rave closet this winter. It’s making a huge come back! You can dress up any rave outfit and look like rave royalty. There are endless options when it comes to styling velvet with your rave clothes, like this Melisandre Velvet Bodysuit - elegant, yet sexy!

Become a sexy goddess here.

3. HOLOGRAPHIC HOODS

Where are my holographic queens at? You’re going to live for this holograph hood collaboration by savormeditation & Freedom Rave Wear. Not to mention, it’s reversible which is SO cool! One side is white holo and the other is black holo print, so you get the best of both worlds with this hood. Not to mention, accessories always take rave outfits to another level.

Click here to become a holographic queen!

4. BOLD BODY JEWELS & GLITTER

Are you ready to get gLIT? Lunatics has blessed us all with these body jewels, which we all love so much! Play with different designs using the jewels on your body and add tons of glitter for a complete look. If you want to look super sparkly, add your favorite face jewels and Supernova glitter to top off your makeup. Glitter is not only for your face, but you can use it on your entire body. It's always so much fun letting your creativity blossom! You’ll be sure to sparkle into another dimension all night long!

Get gLIT here. 

Where are all my GC Virgins? I once was a virgin too myself, but my cherry was popped back on Groove Cruise Miami 2016. Well let me tell you, this trip changed my life in the most amazing way POSSIBLE!! If you’re thinking about going or still trying to decide, seriously just do it!!! Groove Cruise is one of those festivals you can’t pass up. You’ll thank me later…trust me! In order to ensure a smooth trip, let me help you plan ahead with some key tips and tricks!

1. PACE YOURSELF!!!!

This is the most important piece of advice I can give to all the virgins out there; Groove Cruise is a marathon, not a sprint. Any veteran would tell you the same thing. It would be so sad to miss out on headliners sets, cocktail or island parties, and meeting your favorite DJ’s all because you went a little too hard on the first day.

2. Prepare for the sea voyage

Some people are more prone to getting seasick than others, especially if you have never been on a cruise before. I’d advise you to check with your doctor just to be safe and have them recommend an over-the-counter medication or patches to prevent you from becoming seasick. A few I have used before in the past that worked great for me were: Bonine or Dramamine. I’ve also heard from other Groove Cruise Veterans that motion sickness patches work too, like Transderm-Scop.

3. Don’t be afraid to go all out for the themed parties!

I think my favorite part about this festival cruise was having the chance to dress up for themed parties! There are different themes for the daytime and nighttime parties. It’s totally acceptable to wear anything you please! Usually, it’s very warm in the day, so my best suggestion is to save your flashy outfits for nighttime. I picked out super cute bikinis for daytime and dressed them up to match the theme for each day. Personally, I wanted custom-made outfits for nighttime, so I spent a little extra to go all out! It does get a little chilly at night, so I’d suggest bringing a fur coat, sweater, or something comfy if you plan to stay up for the after hours parties. If you’re trying to stay on a budget though you could always make your own outfits, buy items from your favorite festival fashion company, or revamp pieces from in your rave closet. It’s all about expressing yourself however you feel comfortable! Bring lots of glitter too!

4. Pack your costumes in vacuum-sealed bags & bring a carry-on bag with your essentials!

The rooms on a cruise ship are fairly small, so I highly suggest packing your costumes by theme/day. Save yourself time when you’re getting dressed each day. After you get onto the ship, you will not have access to your room until around 4pm. Some people get their luggage right away, while others don’t. Be smart when you pack… Bring your bikini/swim trunks for the first day party in a small beach bag along with your shoes, so you have your outfit ready to go once you board. You’ll be ready to have tons of fun once you board!

5. Spread PLUR & meet new ravers!

Now, this is why I absolutely LOVE Groove Cruise!! Get ready to meet ravers from all over the world, all with different stories to tell. Lookout for one another spread peace & love, and most importantly introduce yourself to as many people as you can! You will make friendships that will last a lifetime, guaranteed!! Still to this day, I keep in contact with so many ravers I met on Groove Cruise Miami 2016. You will meet some of the most loving people! Before you leave, join the Groove Cruise groups on Facebook. Some of the groups include a general attendees group, girls group, virgins group, and groups for the deck you’re staying on. This is another way to connect with people before you leave and find lots of tips from veterans!

6. Eat healthy! Nap often! Bring vitamins/ or Pedialyte, earplugs, and sunscreen

The key to not getting super sick or sick at all after getting off the ship is eating healthy while on board. Sometimes it is inevitable, you may get sick after like I did. I ate super healthy but still got sick because I went back to work the day after coming home. Don’t make the same mistake I did! Take a few days off so you can rest. As you may have figured out, the music never stops on Groove Cruise so your sleeping schedule will more than likely be thrown off if you don’t nap. It’s totally okay to nap as everyone does at some point! I definitely would suggest bringing a pack of earplugs for yourself so you can take naps throughout the day/night. Depending on the location of your room on the ship, you will hear the music much louder. Plus you will sleep much better; trust me on this. Don’t forget to bring vitamins and or Pedialyte to boost your immune system and stay hydrated! If you plan on drinking, this is one of the keys to surviving 96 hours of partying. Also, bring a travel size sunscreen! Remember “Washy Washy!” 

I hope these tips help all the virgins feel more prepared and have an idea of what to expect on The Groove Cruise! Have a blast, be safe, and dance your cares away! Hope to see you on next year’s cruise!!

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!