If you’re anything like the HELLO! Shopping team, you are still browsing the sales but are also SOOOOO ready to add some new season looks to your wardrobe.
If you’re in love with Bottega Veneta's gorgeous woven luxury bags – like the Bottega intrecciato leather Pouch, £2,600 ($3,600), as worn by Meghan Markle – I have some good news for you. While out and about in the shops doing, ahem, ‘research’, I spotted the BEST lookalike at & Other Stories.
The Duchess of Sussex carried the iconic Bottega pouch in a burgundy colourway back in 2022 while joining Prince Harry for dinner in Manhattan for a glamorous date night, and it has stuck in my mind ever since.
That might be why I stopped in my tracks when I spotted the & Other Stories leather woven clutch, £175 ($279) in classic black – it truly reminded me of Bottega's luxe bags. With a similar braided look and pouch design, it also handlily converts into a crossbody. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t immediately want to add it to my handbag collection.
It’s not easy to find a genuine leather Bottega lookalike at this price point – it literally saves you thousands. And it looks so expensive (and so much like Duchess Meghan’s Bottega) that I really wouldn’t blame anyone for assuming it's designer!
The convertible & Other Stories clutch is buttery soft on the outside, and has a cotton twill lining with a pocket on the inside, with a structured frame and hidden magnetic closure for a clean exterior design. Size-wise it’s most similar to the Bottega Veneta ‘Teen’ size pouch, although the designer look is a bit smaller in height and a big wider across (The & Other Stories look is 7.5” x 11.4” x 5.1") .
Once I saw the & Other Stories bag, I went down a rabbit hole of Bottega lookalikes to find more affordable options.
© Karen SilasYou know, for those fashion girlies who have Bottega taste but a Zara budget. And I found a couple more options that I think are worth shopping…
For example, JW Pei, the vegan leather bag brand behind the viral celebrity summer bag worn by Gigi Hadid, has an uncanny lookalike for the Bottega Veneta Cassette crossbody. In fact the designer-like bag is SO cool that none other than The Devil Wears Prada star Anne Hathaway has been spotted carrying it.
© GothamAnd Anthropologie has come through with a small bag that’s so similar to the to-die-for ‘Jodie’ Bottega Veneta bag, which has famously been worn by the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Hailey Bieber and Sydney Sweeney.
The cruelty-free Melie Bianco Brigitte Woven Faux-Leather Shoulder Bag comes in multiple colours - so there’s one for every look in your wardrobe – and it's very close in size to the Bottega 'Jodie Teen'.
Of course the Anthropologie look isn't genuine leather, or handcrafted, so it's budget friendly but not as luxe. Take note that it is also less structured and slouchier than the designer look, plus the strap is longer so, all in all, it has a much more casual vibe. Still, you can style it the same way as you would the luxury version - it would look great dressed up with quiet luxury daywear, or dressed down with jeans and a tee.
But just think - you could add all three designer lookalikes to your wardrobe at the fraction of the cost of one designer bag. Tempting...
