Polène launched out of Paris in 2016, started by siblings Elsa, Mathieu and Antoine Mothay. Refinery29 quotes Antoine saying they wanted to "capture the essence of a true leather goods house," which he says they identified as creativity. They began with one bag, the Numéro Un, and Monocle calls it the brand's bestseller since day one. That is a lot of weight for a single top-handle.

What I find interesting is how the shapes get made. Antoine says the team does not start with sketches. They start by manipulating microfiber, a material similar to leather, and work out the shapes, curves and folds by hand. You can see it. The bags look pressed and pinched into form rather than drawn, and the branding stays small.

So this Polène bag dupe edit is not about logos. It is a set of alternatives from other labels that share the detail people actually mean when they say the name: a smooth, curved, sculpted leather body that holds its own shape. Think of it as the same idea in different hands.

Start here with the top handles. The Isabela from La Portegna is full-grain leather in chocolate brown with softly pinched sides and double rolled handles, which is as close to a sculpted body as this set gets. The Dome from Liffner is cream, with two curved rolled handles and a removable crossbody strap. For a more tailored mood I would look at the Anchor from Veronica Beard, a cognac tulip with one curved handle, or the Ameline from Roszuar, a tan dome with vertical channels. In October I would pick the brown or cognac and wear it with a camel coat. Test it by setting it on a table: if the sides slump, the shape is not doing its job.

Polène's Cyme is a hexagonal tote, and Who What Wear says the shape gives it structure while magnetic sides let you expand it. That is the thing to look for in a tote: a curve that stays put when the bag is full and when it is empty.

Among these, the Midi New York from DeMellier is the one that reads most like a sculpted piece, in taupe with sweeping curved sides, a top handle and a crossbody strap. The Seraphina from Reformation is an oversized black leather dome with a rounded base and two tall handles. The Soft Leather Tote from Mansur Gavriel has a rounded, bucket-like curve with slim handles, and the Lexington from Madewell is a tan tote with flared sides and an open top. If I wanted black with a flare, the Riley from Rebecca Minkoff is a good starting point, a small black pebbled tote with slim handles.

Pick it up by one handle in the fitting room, or at home with your usual load. The flare should open slightly and the handles should not twist. Straps matter too: Who What Wear's editor praises the Cyme for having both long and short straps, so I would look for a tote that goes from hand to shoulder without fuss.

What I would skip: a tote with a perfectly square base, however nice the leather. The whole point here is the curve.

Who What Wear calls the bags understated, with simple gold-embossed branding subtly placed amongst the smooth leather. So the look comes from the shape and the finish, not a logo, and a textured grain does a lot of that work.

That is why the grain is the first thing I would check in a bucket. The Monaco from Mi Bolsa London is genuine pebble leather in tan, with a curved tulip body and rolled handles. The Phoebe from TAH is black grained leather with a similar tulip curve and a rounded top handle. The Siena from DeMellier is a tan suede shoulder bag with a single curved strap and a gold padlock clasp, and the Halo from Kate Spade New York is black fine grain leather. For a rounder, more relaxed look, the Romy from Tory Burch is distressed dark brown leather with a drawstring body.

A good textured bag shows even grain from the front panel to the base, and the pattern should stay soft when you bend the corner. I would run a thumb over the seam where the strap meets the body, because that spot gives away how the bag is built. Pair a tan bucket with a black coat in October and a dark brown one with gray knits.

What I would skip: a grain so shiny or heavy that it looks stamped. You want the leather to look like leather.

Refinery29 describes Polène's Numéro Neuf as having a folded pillow-y silhouette, and SCMP calls it dumpling-esque. That puffed, gathered shape is the hardest to find, because it needs soft leather and a little structure at the same time.

The Mello from Lemiz is the most literal one here: padded cobalt lambskin knotted into a plump dumpling. The Liora from Roszuar is an orange shoulder bag gathered into a ruched shape with a rolled handle. The Sloan from Dolce Vita is a tan ruched shoulder bag with twin handles, and the Pillow Brooklyn from Coach is black, puffy and pillow-soft. For something quieter, the Boy Mini Butter Hobo from GANNI is brown, butter-soft leather with a knotted handle.

Hold one by the strap. A good dumpling should have a visible fold and bounce back when you press the middle. If it creases flat or looks wrinkled in the wrong places, it will slump with use. I would wear the black one with a long wool skirt and a knit, and the orange one with plain denim so the shape does the talking.

What I would skip: a dumpling in very thin leather with no lining. It will not hold the curve.

Monocle names the Numéro Un as the brand's debut top-handle bag. A mini take on a top handle needs a firm body, a handle that arcs cleanly and edges that are finished neatly.

The Elora from Coach is oxblood refined leather with a short handle and a removable strap, which suits autumn. The Mini Sabrina from Vince is black, structured and has a flat curved handle. The Mini Maude from Staud is an olive satchel with round top handles, and the Mini La Strada from Hyer Goods is brown with twin handles and a curved zip top. I would also look at the two Dune London bags: the Dharla is a brown pebbled mini bucket with an amber acrylic handle, and the Dinidestined is croc-embossed in dark green.

Check the handle drop. A mini should fit over your forearm without sliding to your wrist, and the base should sit flat on a table. Wirecutter's guide says a good bag needs to fit your stuff, suit your style, and withstand wear and tear, so I would put a phone, cardholder and keys in it before deciding.

What I would skip: a mini that is more shape than space, if you carry a charger every day.

I would start with the shape, then the leather, then the hardware. Yilmaz, the leather reviewer in the Refinery29 story, judges leather, hardware, design, architecture and craftsmanship, and that is a useful order for any alternative.

For me it would be the curved tote in black for weekdays, or the cognac top handle for weekends. Both read as sculpted without a logo in sight, which is what I think people want from a Polène bag dupe.

In my fashion dreams, it is Paris in 2016 and three siblings are shaping a first bag out of microfiber before they ever draw it. Ten years on, the shape is the part everyone wants to wear.