Balenciaga launched the Rodeo bag in February 2024, and it takes its name from the Beverly Hills shopping district Rodeo Drive. It first appeared on the Paris runway for Spring/Summer 2024, as the laid-back accompaniment to sharp shoulders and oversized suiting, with Demna Gvasalia as creative director.

What defines it is deliberate looseness. The front compartment is left intentionally open, reinforced side snaps on accordion folds let the body expand, and the calfskin is finished with pre-worn pleats, softened piping and raw edges, so it looks like a daily companion. The strap has a knot detail, and a removable cloche clé holds two keyrings, with collector versions adding charms. One editor quoted by Marie Claire called it "a very Jane Birkin bag, in the sense that you don't have to be precious with it." That relaxed attitude is what people want in a Balenciaga Rodeo bag dupe: the slouch, the knot, the charms, in a bag with its own name on it.

So this edit is pieces from other labels that share those details, in the same spirit, each with its own character. We begin with the big slouchy hobos. The Coach Brooklyn 39 is an oversized grained-leather hobo with a slim strap, and the Mansur Gavriel Candy is a soft pebbled hobo with a rounded slouch. The Vince Vivian in black plonge leather is the quiet one, and the Strathberry Kite in walnut adds a metal bar front and a removable pouch. The Tory Burch hobo has an asymmetric topline that I would wear with a camel coat and straight jeans this month.

My test for any of them: set the bag on a table and let go. It should droop open at the top and still hold a shape at the base. If it folds flat like a sack, keep looking.

Balenciaga gives its strap a knot detail, so this is the one feature to hunt for if the strap is what you remember. Knots go wrong easily: a thin strap tied in a lump looks like a mistake, while a thick one looks like a decision.

The Loeffler Randall Helga is the closest to the slouch, a brown suede bag with a big knotted top handle. The AllSaints Effie comes twice: in brown suede as a slouchy hobo with a knot in the strap, and in cream smooth leather with a thick knotted strap. The Kate Spade Loop is a sleek black pebbled baguette with a tied strap, and the large version slouches with a zip top. La Portegna's Lucia is a burgundy flap bag whose long strap ties in adjustable sliding knots, made from plant-tanned leather in Spain.

I would wear the cream Effie with a gray wool coat and black tights, and the Helga with wide-leg trousers and loafers. Pick the knot up before you decide: it should be stitched or tied so it sits flat against your shoulder, and the strap should stay on your coat sleeve without sliding.

What I would skip: the faux-leather totes with knotted handles if you want the bag to soften and slouch with use, because that comes from the leather itself.

Suede is the easiest way to get a worn-in look from the first day. One fashion editor describes suede on the original as "supple and elegant", and that softness is what you want from a look-alike: a soft hand and a body that bends.

The Mango Bolsa in taupe is the largest, an oversized hobo in soft suede with an open, slouched shape. The AQUA Large Suede Hobo in chocolate has a zip top and a long leather tassel pull, which brings the soft hand and a dangling detail together. The Rebecca Minkoff Nolita in dark brown has stud trim and a tassel charm, and the Kurt Geiger Chelsea in tan is a slouch hobo with eagle-head hardware. Hammitt's Kyle in cinnamon has gold studs along the sides, the Wandler Penelope in olive is the plainest of the group, and Staud's Perry in mahogany droops softly.

Picture her on an October Saturday in a brown suede bag, a cream knit and dark denim, tone on tone. Suede marks with water, so I would spray it before the first rainy commute and brush the nap with a suede brush afterward.

What I would skip: studs and tassels on a suede bag if you plan to wear it with other statement pieces. Let the leather be the detail.

Soft does not mean shapeless, and Elle makes the point plainly: "Don't mistake softness for a lack of shape." A tote that slumps well keeps its corners and its handles, and Harper's Bazaar notes that supple leather drapes where "stiff, heavily textured leathers" do not.

The Cuyana Classic Easy is an open black Italian leather tote that slouches softly between twin handles, and the Mansur Gavriel Everyday is softly structured with a removable zip pouch. Vince's Marin in cacao is a large grained-leather tote with a top zip. Rebecca Minkoff's Perfect has a curved topline and convertible straps, the Kate Spade Bleecker is a large black leather tote with twin handles, and the Maison de Sabré snap tote is unlined full-grain leather. Madewell's Handwoven tote is the soft, unstructured one in coffee brown.

For work, I would want one that shoulders on a coat, so check the strap drop with your heaviest layer on. Fill it with a laptop and a pair of flats, then look at how the top opens.

What I would skip: a tote with so much interior structure that the top stands up straight. It will never look as relaxed as the others here.

Charms are what make the original read as personal. It comes with a removable cloche clé that holds two keyrings, and collector versions have added charms from heart-shaped mirrors to lockets and keys. The idea is a bag that looks collected.

The Coach Plaza is a compact black grain-leather bag with a chain handle hung with colorful charms. The Rebecca Minkoff Dylan has polished studs and a dangling tassel, and the Modenaire tote in light blue is softly structured with a removable pouch and a hanging charm. Little Liffner makes two: the small Charm in brown suede with a drawstring top and gold-tone pendants, and the Charm Bucket in black with a gold-tone charm. The Mine Bilgi Solara pairs a camel suede body with a knotted handle and a textile charm, so it brings together two details at once. JW PEI's Maeve is a faux-leather tote with a dachshund metal charm.

Test the attachment before anything else: a charm should hang on a proper ring or clasp and swing without scraping the leather. I would also check that it can come off, so the bag still works on days you want it plain.

Dark denim, a gray sweater and the Coach Plaza would be a simple place to start in October.

I would pick the shape first. For the slouch, a hobo from the first group; for the knot, a Loeffler Randall or Kate Spade; for a soft hand, one of the suede bags. Then I would add the charms last, from a bag that already has them or from my own key ring.

Whatever you choose, hold it by the strap, tip it, and watch how the top falls. A good Balenciaga Rodeo bag dupe should droop on purpose and recover when you pick it up.

The original began as a runway idea with a street name. These are the ones that make the idea easy to wear on an ordinary Tuesday. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Balenciaga Rodeo Bag and Miu Miu Bag.

For the bag these dupes are riffing on, I went through the Chanel slouchy hobo bag in caviar, denim and tweed.