Early this year, a handbag broke the internet. Dubbed the “Wirkin” or “Walmés,” the structured bag from Walmart looked awfully similar to one of the most expensive and elusive bags on the market: the Hermés Birkin.
The luxe bag was created for and named after the actress Jane Birkin in the early 1980s. According to lore, Birkin was seated next to Hermés CEO Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight with her signature basket bag. Birkin lamented the lack of stylish bags big enough to carry everything she, a busy working mother, needed and Dumas took note, designing the Birkin bag in response. To this day, the luxe tote is considered by many to be the ultimate trophy bag. So naturally, when Walmart dropped a dupe at a fraction of the cost, people took notice.
The bags sold out quickly and have not returned due to legal controversy, so you may not be able to get your hands on a Wirkin. But there are other luxe lookalikes lurking on Walmart’s site. Several trending styles and shapes — think: minimal elongated shapes, soft slouchy oversized totes, woven leather and hardware embellishments — are ripe for the picking. So why not fake it til you make it? With these affordable bags that look more expensive than they are, folks will be none the wiser.
This oversized tote is the perfect everyday bag. The woven vegan leather is reminiscent of Bottega Veneta’s signature woven leather, particularly the Hop bag. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if a bag will tote all you need for the day, but one shopper reassures in her review that the bag “was much larger than I expected.” At 18.5 by 12.6 inches, you can tote items like a laptop, cardigan and water bottle along with all your other essentials. Choose from four chic colors: coffee brown, cool light gray, warm dove gray and the customer-favorite burgundy.
Multiple reviews pointed out that this Time & Tru satchel looks designer. This is likely thanks to its woven design, which — like the previous bag on this list — is similar to Bottega Veneta’s woven leather. The bag is 12.25 by 9.5 inches and has a removable crossbody strap as well as a top handle, zippered back pocket and snap closure for the main compartment. You can get the bag in three colors.
This grungy, Y2K inspired bag is “brat” embodied — that is to say, cool girl-approved. It looks sort of like if a Balenciaga Mini Le City Bag, Acne Bow Bag and the Osoi Brocle Bag had a baby. Buckle details add visual interest and the trending crescent shape is effortlessly fresh. The vintage brown version is a standout, but this bag is also available in red, metallic silver and black. At a cool 20 bucks, you can’t go wrong.
It’s hard to improve upon a classic and nothing is more classic than a simple tote bag. This version, in supple faux leather, features slim, long straps with an 8-inch drop to accommodate chunky sweaters and winter layers, and an interior pouch to keep essentials quick at hand. “I do not even know where to start,” one reviewer wrote, adding that the bag is “so soft inside it’s giving luxury on a budget.”
While not exactly the same, this bag looks similar to The Row’s Park Tote,Toteme’s Suede Tote and Khaite’s Frida Bag. The key difference: The designer picks all ring up over $1K, while this minimal bag is just under $30. You can grab it in a bunch of different colors, each of which comes with a matching extra zipper pouch.
If Carrie Bradshaw from “Sex and the City” is your style icon, then this is your bag. Reminiscent of Dior’s iconic Saddle Bag — which Bradshaw had an impressive collection of, naturally — this bag features the same oblong shape and flap closure but has its own twist with cool whipstitch trim. Wear it as a crossbody or over your shoulder.