I’m a headband mama. You’ll see me sporting one to every yoga class I attend. The obvious reason is to keep the hair out of my eyes when I’m hanging out in downward-facing dog. The not so obvious reason is that it covers up some of my beautiful gray hair that is particularly abundant and frizzy right around the hairline when my hair is pulled back. I fully embrace my gray hair (gray hair is actually trendy right now, according to the New York Times), but sometimes it just needs to be tamed.

Now I have another reason to love my headbands: They add some flair and serious style to my yoga wardrobe, thanks to Kristine Deer and her awesome K.Deer Haute Yoga Wear line.

When you get one of Kristine’s products in the mail, it comes in a tiny package, but when you open it, the colors on the fabric just explode. Check out the three styles I received.

Pretty in Pink, Psychedelic Paisley, and I wore the black and brown number off the mat and out on the town.

I could not wait to try out these headbands because I seriously needed to bring a splash of color to my black-yoga-pants-and-plain-T-shirt routine. I tried out the pink one first and knew it was a hit right away based on the number of compliments I received from my yoga students.

The fabric is smooth and silky, and, unlike many headbands out there, it does not fit so tightly that it cuts off the circulation of blood to your head. In fact, I ended up wearing this headband all day and am happy to report it is a headache-free headband.

Kristine uses domestic-printed fabrics, which are printed with natural dyes and never treated with chemicals. The fabric is a Lycra-nylon blend that is best suited for getting wet, so you won’t end up with soggy, stretched-out fabric. When washed properly, the fabric retains no smells and dries super fast. From fabric to labels, to packaging, Kristine strives to use only local and all-American sources and recycled packaging (love that).

So, I have to be honest and tell you that when Kristine first approached me, she wanted me to try out her hot yoga shorts. The entire K.Deer collection is designed for the demands of the hot yoga room, and her shorts are designed to keep you cool while you are rockin’ out in a Bikram or hot yoga class.

I told Kristine that I love her smart prints, but there is no way in hell I would ever be seen in her yoga shorts. There is just too much going on at the top of my legs to reveal to the rest of the yoga community. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t share her yoga shorts with all of you hot yoga addicts who are not afraid to show some leg in these colorful and fun creations. These shorts will truly allow you to express yourself.

I love that Kristine took her two passions of yoga and fashion and put them together to create her yoga line (she is an RYT 200-certified Barkan method teacher and Syracuse University-educated fashion designer). She is truly an inspiration for me to take my own passions to create meaningful and enjoyable work.

Thanks, Kristine, for creating products that help me feel unique and seriously stylish on the yoga mat! Keep up the haute work!

You can get more details about the entire K.Deer Haute Yoga Wear line at www.kdeerhauteyogawear.com and her Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/kmdeer or read more about Kristine and find her products at Yoga With Style.

with love by kdeer

“love or fear? i choose love. yoga has let me open up to loving more and fearing less. it’s a process. start small. love one thing at a time, and connect mentally with the love you have for a feeling, personal attribute, or part of your body. let go of judgment; judgment is fear in another form that manifests when we don’t have enough love for ourselves. let go of fear; you are probably your biggest critic. you probably stand in your own way more than any other obstacle. let go and open up to love.”