Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen started The Row in New York in 2006, and the Margaux they launched in 2018 became, in Vogue's words, the label’s first recognizable piece. The slouchy shape reads from across a room without a stamped logo at its center. The Olsens have said the whole exercise was to see whether something made beautifully, in great fabric, with good fit, would sell without a logo or a name on it. It did.

That is the idea I keep coming back to with a The Row Margaux bag dupe. Vogue notes that retailers often struggle to keep the bag in stock, and fans have noticed the brand restocking it less often, which is how it picked up the nickname "new Birkin". So wanting something in the same spirit is reasonable. What you are really after is a soft leather body, flat handles and a bag that says nothing. Everything here comes from other labels, and none of it is the original.

The first group is the soft top-handle tote, the starting shape. The Maryam Nassir Zadeh Birthday leather tote in black has two flat handles on a plain square body and no visible logo, the closest to the quiet effect. The Cuyana Classic Easy Tote is the one I would put a laptop in, double flat handles and an open top. The Vince Josie Large Suede Tote in dark brown has one adjustable strap, good for a commute. The Madewell Lexington has collapsible sides closed with a clip, and the Rebecca Minkoff Riley is a small black pebbled leather tote with a leather tag charm.

My practical tip for October: pick black or a deep brown and wear it over a camel coat. In the fitting room, set the bag down open and full. A good one holds its shape instead of folding in on itself, and the handles should lie flat against your coat sleeve.

Look at the sides of the original and you will see why shoppers fixate on them. Who What Wear describes the Margaux as having buckled sides that accented the bag, and those belted gussets let it flex from slim to roomy. That is the detail this group borrows.

The Charles & Keith Victoria in sahara sand has a dark brown belt strap and buckle across the front, which gives a pale bag a strong outline. The Jody in black wraps a belt strap and gold buckle around a leather top-handle body. The two Liffner totes, one black with pointed handles and one in dark brown suede with tapered handles, both put the belt right across the body. The Reformation Beatrice puts its side buckles in gold hardware, and the Proenza Schouler Days is the one I would look at first for the real gusset idea: grained calfskin, belted side gussets and a slouchy shape.

I would picture her in a gray overcoat on a Tuesday morning, a black belted tote on her forearm, nothing else loud in the outfit. The Row took its name from Savile Row tailoring, and that tailored restraint is what I would borrow in the styling: one good bag, plain knits, trousers that fall straight.

Test the buckles and belts before you commit. Do the straps actually cinch the sides, or are they only stitched flat as decoration. Hardware should have some weight to it and a warm finish rather than a flat one. What I would skip: belts that sit on the front panel only, if the gusset look is what you want.

The Row has its own 90s bag, and Vogue describes the nostalgic design as something a supermodel would have worn just before the Y2K era. This group is that slouch, the shoulder bag that sags a little and looks better for it.

The Vince Small Plonge Vivian in marzipan has a slouchy topline and a voluminous profile. The Michael Kors Nolita Large Hobo in dark brown nubuck gets its softness from a plush suede finish. The Mansur Gavriel Candy is black pebbled leather with a suede lining, and the AllSaints Luna and the Marc Jacobs Small Belted Sac both lean into a crescent shape that tucks up under the arm. The Whistles Leather Shoulder Bag brings a long single strap with a silver buckle, and the Dolce Vita Martin in tobacco has a ring hardware detail that I would take over a logo plate.

In my fashion dreams she is walking across Washington Square in a black turtleneck and straight jeans, the crescent bag tucked under her elbow, the leather already a little creased. I would wear a bag like this with something sleek, because the bag supplies the slack.

Check the strap before anything else. A shoulder bag that is meant to slouch needs a strap that is wide or soft enough not to dig, and the stitching where it meets the body should be doubled. What I would skip: hobo shapes with lots of zippers and chain trim, since they stop reading as a quiet bag.

Turn the tote on its side and you get the east-west shape, wider than it is tall, and that is where the Margaux silhouette lives for many people. Vogue calls the original capacious, and a long low body is how you get there without a deep bag swallowing everything.

The Cuyana East West Easy Tote in mocha has short flat handles on a soft Italian leather body, and the East West System Tote in black runs longer. The mocha brown AllSaints east-west tote has zippered side gussets that expand, a good answer to the Margaux belted sides in a more practical form. AllSaints also makes the Siloh in dark cherry red with a relaxed draped shape, which I would choose if black feels too serious in October. The Rebecca Minkoff Megan has a flat base and clip-lock closure. The Kenneth Cole Highline zips across the top and has a suede-like finish, and the Callas Milano Gina has knotted handles in brandy nappa. The DeMellier New York in brown suede has a round leather handle, flared sides with snaps and a slim strap with a gold clasp across the front, which is the closest nod to the belted original.

Hold it by the handles with your hand in your pocket. An east-west bag only works if the handles are long enough to go over a coat shoulder and the base is flat enough to stand on a desk. I would carry the red one with a black coat, and the mocha one with cream knits.

What I would skip: east-west bags with a stiff frame that cannot give, since the point is a soft but structured body.

Suede is where many Margaux fans end up, since Vogue lists suede among the materials the bag has been made from. It is also the most seasonal choice in the group, and I would reserve it for dry, cool days.

The Vince Josie in olive suede has adjustable leather handles and a boxy shape. The Veronica Beard Swing in tobacco closes with a ring. The Reiss Elise in gray has side cinch straps that echo the belted idea, and the STAUD Maude in tan has softly flared sides on a flat base. The MANGO Bolsa in light pastel brown is a slouched hobo, while the AQUA Large Suede Hobo in chocolate has a long adjustable strap and a zip top. The Madewell Ellis is a caramel suede tote with dark leather trim and a scooped open top, and the DeMellier Florence is dark chocolate woven suede and calfskin strips in a relaxed fold-over top-handle shape.

I would wear the chocolate ones with a cream knit and wide trousers, and the olive Josie with a navy coat. Here the detail that sells the look is the nap itself. Run your hand across the surface and look for an even, velvety finish without bald patches, and check that the handle attachments are riveted or double-stitched where the strap meets the body.

What I would skip: pale suede for commuting in rain, because water marks it. A brush and a protective spray are worth having from the first day.

Here is what I would do, in order. Pick the one feature of the original you actually love: the belted sides, the flat handles, the slouch, or the suede. Choose the group above that matches it, then pick a color you already wear every day.

Then run the checks. Flat base, doubled stitching at the handles, hardware with some weight. If the bag has a logo plate or a monogram, put it back.

Vogue said the Olsens wanted to see if something well made could sell without a name on it. The best look-alike bags pass that test.