Rockin' Kantha in the Workplace, Featuring Stacy Hieneman

Hello Beautiful Soul! We are so excited to share a conversation with a sweet member of our Kantha Bae Besties Community (if you're not a part of the Facebook group yet, be sure to join! So much encouragement and inspiration over there). 

Meet Stacy! She is such a bright light in our Kantha Bae Community and we are so excited to feature her story as she shares some tips on styling Kantha Bae for a professional workplace. 

 WHAT ARE THREE FUN FACTS ABOUT YOU?

1. I am a die hard University of Michigan fan! I did my undergraduate studies there and will cheer for them always! Football, basketball, hockey, softball...Go Blue! And since I am a "boy mom", loving sports has come in handy staying connected with my teenage son!

2. My favorite color is orange and has been since I was a small child. Some things never change!

3. I love Jesus, dark chocolate, reading by the firelight, laughing until I cry, white wine and sushi, investing in crypto currency, looking into eyeballs and holding my husband's hand!

HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT KANTHA BAE?

An old friend from a church I used to attend kept posting videos of these amazing head wraps she was into. She posted the KB link to shop and I ventured in. Funny looking back now, that I thought all they sold was turbans and head wraps! Thank you, Erica Simpson, for sharing your love for this company and it's products! You helped me find "my style" and I am so grateful to you!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A KB BESTIE?

Since Summer 2020...and my closet will never be the same!

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST KANTHA BAE PIECE?

I bought a few headwraps first, but was never able to pull off the look. So I jumped into the clothes by buying a Serape and an OG Crop. I still have both of them. Can't seem to let them go!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT THE KANTHA BAE COMMUNITY?

The Besties!! The love and support for people that are scattered across the country (the world actually!) that we have never met continues to blow me away! So many people of different stages of life, different jobs, different beliefs, different world views, yet we all share a common love of this beautiful clothing and the mission behind it coming together to cheer each other on and share each other's excitement when we score a dream piece or put together a killer outfit! It is so much more than just great clothes!

Women often get categorized by the world as "judgy/bitchy/grumpy/hard to please" and this group proves every single stereotype wrong! Day after day, the Besties choose kind words, compliments, and grace over negativity, condemnation, and bullying! It warms my heart to see how much joy and acceptance can be found amongst women when we choose love over hate. Kindness really does matter and the KB community is the epitome of kindness!

WHAT IMPACT HAS THE KANTHA BAE COMMUNITY HAD ON YOUR LIFE?

The KB Community has helped me feel comfortable in my own skin, finally! As a curvy woman, often times I felt excluded from fashion communities because I didn't look like they thought I should or I was just too big to fit in the clothes they were offering. KB has always made me feel included and worthy of wearing these beautiful clothes! I love how you make some styles that fit the petite Besties best and some that fit the curvier Besties best. And I have no idea the magic you do when you design a style that fits all of us so well! The compliments and encouragement from the Besties make me smile every post I read! We are all fearfully and wonderfully made and we should be able to express that in beautiful clothing...independent of the size of our hips!

The KB Community has also helped me through the pandemic, celebrated with me as I turned 50 last year, and comforted me in the loss of our beloved pet last month! I have made so many new friends that I would never have had the chance to meet without KB! I am so very thankful for this community!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVE KB PIECE RIGHT NOW?

It's so hard to pick! My current fave is the DayDreamer Midi Dress! I bought way too many of them and wear them to work often. 

WE LOVE HOW YOU BRING YOUR KANTHA BAE INTO AN OFFICE SETTING! GIVE US SOME TIPS OR SHARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE PIECES TO MIX BOHO INTO A PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT!

This is very important to me! I am an optometrist and own a private practice with my husband (who is the other doctor in our office) so maintaining a "professional" demeanor, while still expressing my personality, is a line I have walked carefully over the years. I ditched the white doctor coat as soon as clinic rotations were over, because who looks good in a white lab coat, seriously? Then I did the drab suit look for the first few years of my career because I thought it would help instill confidence with my patients, but it never felt like "me."

One of the many advantages of growing older is you realize that confidence isn't about the suit you wear. It is far more important to be authentic and honest with people and that is how you really build trust and rapport with them. KB has helped me apply that authenticity to my wardrobe. I love bright colors and patterns so instead of a solid black suit, I wear my patterned Silk Split Muus with a pair of solid trouser pants. Crepe Dusters and Serenity Kimonos are also work staples for me. And I wear Kantha or Silk Shortie Kimonos to work all the time. I always add bold jewelry and/or some fun boots/shoes to complete my "professional" look. Dressing this way makes me feel more comfortable and my patients compliment me daily so KB in the workplace for the win!

IF YOU COULD TAKE THREE KB PIECES ON A DESERTED ISLAND, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Only three???

1. Definitely a Just This Muu to wear while I sit around the campfire and keep me warm at night!

2. A Gonna Shine Maxi dress so I will look pretty when I get rescued and because I can wear it 4 different sides showing for variety!

3. Debating between a Free to Be Button Down or a Crepe Duster...would use either one as a swimsuit cover-up to protect my sun kissed shoulders!

Thank you so much for sharing your style inspiration and what the KB community has meant to you, Stacy! We look forward to seeing many more of your fabulous outfits in the Besties group!