Tanaye White’s SI Swimsuit Photo Shoot in California Was a Cottagecore Dream

The trend may not yet have been named, but the three-time brand model nailed it all the same.

Tanaye White was photographed by Anne Menke in Sacramento, Calif. / Anne Menke/Sports Illustrated

In 2020, American model Tanaye White took the pages of the annual SI Swimsuit Issue and was later named the co-winner of the brand’s open casting call. She made an impression on the team while in Turks and Caicos, securing a second consecutive feature the following year.

Her 2021 photo shoot brought her to the rural landscape of Sacramento, Calif., where she posed in floral and plaid bikinis atop horses and in rustic wooden barns. The photo shoot was as charming as White was impressive in front of photographer Anne Menke’s lens.

For White, merely being in the magazine’s pages was a dream come true. “I always dreamed of being one of the glamorous cover models ofSports Illustrated’s magazine,” she said in a TikTok series detailing her experience with the Swim Search. 

Just as joining the family was momentous for the communications specialist-turned-model, posing for the 2021 issue was important to her. “Honored to be a part of this year’s history-making@si_swimsuit issue featuring THREE BLACK WOMEN as cover girls: @theestallion @leynabloom@naomiosaka,” she wrote in her Instagram announcement that year. “My heart is so full! No matter your skin color, body type, or hair texture… there is space for you always!”

It wouldn’t be her final year in the magazine, either. The model returned for her third consecutive feature in 2022, when she traveled to Barbados for a vibrant photo shoot with photographer Ben Watts.

That one is certainly worth revisiting, but today we’re taking a look back at her trip to Sacramento, Calif.—an absolutely dreamy photo shoot that we just can’t get over.

Tanaye White was photographed by Anne Menke in Sacramento, Calif. Swimsuit by Norma Kamali. Boots by Hunter. / Anne Menke/Sports Illustrated

Tanaye White was photographed by Anne Menke in Sacramento, Calif. Swimsuit by Lybethras. / Anne Menke/Sports Illustrated

Tanaye White was photographed by Anne Menke in Sacramento, Calif. Swimsuit by Frankies Bikinis. / Anne Menke/Sports Illustrated

Tanaye White was photographed by Anne Menke in Sacramento, Calif. Swimsuit by Chloe Rose Swimwear. / Anne Menke/Sports Illustrated