In 2001, Nicolas Ghesquière, then creative director at Balenciaga, designed the squashy biker prototype that would become the Motorcycle bag, later the City. His own company was not keen. Vogue puts it plainly: "Too squashy, too mushy, too lacking in structure, they think." Back then, luxury leather was meant to be rigid, so a slouchy bag was a risk. It still walked in the fall/winter 2001 show, and the fashion crowd noticed.

Ghesquière described it as "a new fresh thing, but it looked like an old, good, friendly thing." That is the bit I keep returning to. The bag has no logo, and it leans on four details: soft lambskin, silver studs, little buckles at the bottom corners and long leather tassels. Add the zip top and you have the whole sketch. If you are hunting for a Balenciaga City bag dupe, those details are the checklist, and this edit is built around them: pieces from other labels that share the idea, in their own way and with their own hardware.

Start with the slouchy, studded ones. The Rebecca Minkoff Darren in black is the closest to the brief: soft tumbled leather, flat studs, a turnlock. The Rebecca Minkoff Megan is black leather scattered with gold star studs and a gold clip clasp, which reads warmer for October. The Bolsa Nova Slouchy Stud Tote is washed Italian leather and roomy enough for a laptop and a sweater. I would reach for the Isabel Marant Oskan Moon in brown snake-embossed if you want the studs with a curve, and the Loeffler Randall Stassie if suede appeals more than leather.

My one test: lift the bag by its handles in the fitting room. A good one folds and sags a little. If it stands up like a box, it is the wrong idea for this look.

Ghesquière's bag was meant to look old on day one, and Vogue notes that "the supple lambskin leather only gets better with age." That is the thing to chase in a satchel: a surface that already has character, so the first scuff does not matter.

The Tory Burch Romy and Mellow shoulder bags are both dark brown, one glossy and distressed, the other crackled with a lived-in finish. I would wear either with a black turtleneck, straight jeans and boots. The Polo Ralph Lauren leather top-handle bag is a black east-west carryall with rolled top handles and a mottled, worn finish, which makes it the more structured pick here. The Free People Dallas in sand has a weathered, worn-in feel, and the STAUD Hester in espresso adds a dual zip closure and two ways to carry. The AllSaints Ares Large Leather Tote is the voluminous one, in black leather with a crinkled, grained texture.

In the fitting room, press your thumb into the leather and watch the finish. Real distressing varies across the surface, a little darker at the edges and creases. If the pattern looks printed on and perfectly even, I would keep looking. Check the stitching at the handle anchors too, since that is where a slouchy bag takes the weight.

What I would skip: a stiff, glossy bag with a few painted scratches. The Marge Sherwood Soft Grandma in vintage camel washed nappa is the better route to that softness.

The original is a relaxed rectangle with a zip across the top, and that zip is part of the attitude. Vogue lists the line of descendants with names like Velo and Part Time, each a small change in proportion. Bowling bags are the nearest cousin in the shops right now: a long barrel shape, two handles, a zip along the crown.

The COS Montmartre in brown has softly pinched sides and a sculptural line. The Zadig & Voltaire Sunny in black is pebbled leather with two studded zips down the front, and hardware like that is the detail Balenciaga's own bag is known for. The Rebecca Minkoff Industry in jungle has allover grommets and a removable crossbody strap, so it takes a heavier look. For something lighter, the Velez Garniel mini in honey comes with a braided top handle, which nods to the braided handles on the original. The HYER GOODS La Corsa is made in Italy from soft tumbled leather with silver hardware.

Before you commit, run the zip end to end. It should glide, and the pull should feel solid. Then hold the bag by one handle and see whether it keeps a shape or droops. The Tory Burch Romy Zip Top is the small crossbody if you want the zip top and little else.

What I would skip: a bowling bag so stiff it never softens. The point is a bag that settles over your arm.

The best small version keeps one thing from the full-size bag and lets the rest go. I would pick the detail first: studs, a long swinging tassel or a slouch. Vogue's roll call of the original's relatives includes tiny and skinny versions, so a mini is hardly a betrayal of the idea.

The Rebecca Minkoff Mini Darren in silver tawny has studs traced down the sides and long strands at the clasp, which is the closest small answer to those tassels. The Zadig & Voltaire Rock Savage is a mini black crossbody in python-look leather with a winged clasp and a chain strap. The Altuzarra Mini Origami uses large bulbous studs on a single piece of grained deerskin, a louder cousin. The AllSaints Rosalie is a smooth black leather half-moon with gilded hardware, and the Micro Ares is a duffle in soft shrunken lambskin. I would wear a black one with a tweed skirt, opaque tights and ankle boots, and the Rosalie with a camel coat for a weekend lunch.

Test the strap length. A mini that sits at the hip is a better look than one that bounces under your arm. Check how the studs are fixed, too: flat backs and even spacing are a good sign.

What I would skip: a mini so quilted and padded that it loses the slouch. The Think Royln Little Runway has moto quilting on purpose, so go in knowing that.

Of everything on the original, the tassels are what people remember. Vogue describes the bag with "its long leather tassels, silver studs, little buckles at its bottom corners", and Balenciaga's own description of the defining characteristics mentions the leather-strung zipper pulls. A tassel is how you tell a moto look from a plain hobo at a glance.

The Rebecca Minkoff Darren Medium Feed pairs pebbled leather and studs with long tassels, so it is the all-in pick. The Free People We The Free Emerson tote has braided tassels and a spacious body, and the Baby Emerson in saddle shrinks that into a washed leather tote with swingy tassels and multiple zip pockets. The Apatchy London Tassel crossbody in tan is Italian pebble leather with gold hardware and one leather tassel. The Donna Karan New York Glenwood in moth keeps the slouchy shape, and the HOBO Harley convertible turns from shoulder bag to crossbody. The Etro Kalispera uses a tassel-tipped drawstring closure, a softer take.

Give the tassels a tug, and look at how they attach to the zip or ring. Leather ones should feel thick and dense, not thin and curly. I would also check that the tassel is not so long it catches on a coat sleeve.

What I would skip: stacking tassels, charms and studs on a single bag. One strong detail reads clearer.

If I were choosing one, I would start with the shape. Pick the slouch you can live with, then check the hardware, then the tassels. In that order, you end up with a bag that shares the original's spirit without trying to be it.

For me that is the Rebecca Minkoff Darren in black for a full-size carryall, and a mini with studs for dinner. A black bag takes the October wardrobe well: a knit, a leather jacket, jeans.

Ghesquière said you could be a Balenciaga girl with that bag. I would say you can get close to that feeling with any of these, and then make it your own.