Style Diary: Wardrobe Obsession #6 | Bohemian Fringe Bag

Bree's Lifestyle
Apr 22
3 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

I've had my eye on this bag since Fall 2023 when I first peeped it on SHEIN. I was entering my "Clean Girl / Quiet Luxury (without the luxury price)" era, so I kept it moving. The fashion gurus said fringe would be popping Winter 2023 through Summer 2024, and I had a couple of neutral bags with fringe already in my possession. Did I really need this technicolor fringe bag? Absolutely not! But every single time this bag appeared in my shopping feed on Shein, it caught my eye. Fast forward to Winter 2024 when fringe continued to be on trend, with the expectation of carrying over to Spring/Summer 2025 because Beyonce's Cowboy Carter extended the fashion life of all things "western" themed. Vibrant color, along with soft pastels are also making a comeback this year. And although I'm still in my minimalist era, I can get down with a pop of color to keep things interesting.

Shades of browns are carrying over from Fall/Winter into Spring and I thought a technicolor bag would be the perfect pop of color to an outfit that could easily come across as overly subdued. And then I couldn't find it. The bag was either sold out just no longer available on Shein. Lo, and behold, it made an appearance in my feed on Temu. Sweet sweet Temu coming in clutch for the fashion win! And then I hesitated. Do I REALLY want this bag? Am I going to find great use of it, transitioning from season to season? Hmmm, I dunno! So, I added it to my cart and let it sit there until I was ready to pull the trigger. Thankfully, that day came - and although she was a little pricier than what I like to spend on bags, I saw the potential.

When the bag arrived, it was EVERYTHING I thought it would be. The size, the vivid colors! I was almost happy with my purchase. Why almost happy, you ask? Well, the bag came with that funky genuine leather smell. If you've ever owned a genuine leather or suede article of significant size, you know the smell I'm speaking of. I thought the "leather" fringe pieces were faux (it clearly says "genuine leather" on the website - which I missed), but now I understand why girlfriend was as pricey as she was on a site like Temu (pre-tariffs). If you're strictly vegan, this is probably not the bag for you. The fringed strips are genuine leather, which I imagine were repurposed from scraps. Brilliant idea for the sake of sustainability, but I was NOT expecting that smell. After unpackaging and inspecting, she spent an entire weekend outside on my balcony to air out. And that was just enough time to minimize the funk. I barely even notice a smell now unless the bag is right up to my face, which is normal for the real deal. So, PLEASE keep that in mind if you like the look of the bag and want to purchase one. She's beautiful, wonderful, and amazing, but DO NOT take her out for run straight out the package. She needs time to breathe before perfection is achieved. I am fully OBSESSED!

If you're still not sure how versatile a bag like this could be to your wardrobe, check out some of the ways I've styled her below, and let me know your thoughts in the comments.