White and Wicker

I love a good white and wicker (or rattan) aesthetic. I see it pop up often on Pinterest in interior design. Its bright and clean without feeling boring and sterile. It feels simple, yet luxurious. Its also not a good fit if you have cats, like I do. I have a big, beautiful wicker chest in my living room that I use to store blankets. I got it on sale at Michaels earlier this summer, and almost as soon as I put it in the corner, my female cat, Alice, decided to scratch at it, even though she has a nice cat tree on the other side of the room. I love her to bits, but she quickly brought my dreams of surrounding myself with more wicker furniture crashing down.

Around the same time that Alice dashed my dreams, I started to see these cute rattan purses (also known as Bali bags) everywhere. They were on Pinterest, style blogs, YouTube, and in the hands of people I encountered in the world. I saw them in all sorts of styles, such as bucket bags, clutches, totes, hand bags, messenger bags, and round bags. They fit so well with the beautiful white and wicker style I dreamed of, but could be safely stored away in a closet and out of reach of kitty claws. I try not to immediately jump on every trend that comes my way as soon as I see it, so I spent a few months thinking about these bags and considering which style I preferred most. Eventually I decided that I really did want a round rattan bag in my closet, so off to Etsy I went and after a bit of searching, I ordered myself a bag.

Today, my white and wicker dreams came to life in my outfit for church. I was really feeling myself, so when I got home I asked my husband to act the part of the "Instagram Boyfriend" and take my picture. He was a good sport, and although I ended up with more blurry pictures than not, it was a reasonably successful photo shoot.

I'll be honest, the dress isn't made out of the most breathable material, so it was a little hot for a day like today, but I was inside most of the day, so it was fine. What do you think of this outfit?

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Dress: I love the lace details on this and the oversized style. I got it at a store called Urban Wear at a mall near me. The store was having a closing sale, so I got it for $20. The brand is called Orange Creek and I'm wearing size Medium.

Bali bag: as mentioned, its from Etsy. I bought it for $23 from a shop called Iyasy.

Shoes: I got these years ago at Ross and still love them! Closed-toed sandals can be hard to find, but they are such a fun style. You can feel cool and summery and not have to worry about having perfectly manicured toes. I added some stick-on padding for some arch-support and they are pretty much perfect.

Jewelry: You can't necessarily see them in these pictures, but I'm wearing a rose gold necklace and earrings, both of which I got from Target for under $15 each. I love the rose gold color and the simple style. Its something I'd like to add more of to my wardrobe.