Handbag Review: I Swear I’m Not Trying To Influence You…

Saturday, 28 February 2026

Let me preface this review by saying that I’m the ultimate girls girl: there’s absolutely no gatekeeping with me. When I find a great source of high quality, well-priced handbags that look suspiciously close to all the designer bags on your wishlist, minus the secondhand-car price tag, there’s no way I’m not sharing it with anyone who asks (and even with anyone who doesn’t, let’s be honest).

The soft buttery goatskin leather of the Chanel 19 has had me in its thrall ever since the great Covid Shopping Spree of 2021, when I first got my hands on the medium size in a perfectly creamy neutral beige. Being light in colour and heavy on spend, however, meant instant anxiety, and was a very expensive lesson in choosing my colours more carefully. No matter how much I might have tried to get the cost per wear down, a delicate cream bag for everyday wasn’t it.

Then came the great Birkin experiment of 2025 when I discovered the joy of the dupe, the peculiar niche genre of logo-free bags “inspired by” their far costlier designer sisters, kind of masquerading as something they’re not and kind of not caring at the same time.

When I landed on the brand Alexel Crafts (thank you Reddit), it honestly looked too good to be true. Eyeing up their quilted flap shoulder bag that looked a lot like the 19, I was intrigued. Unless every single photo lied, the quality of the bags looked incredible. And I absolutely loved the lack of garish logo, in fact have always preferred the simple turnlock clasp that is, somewhat ironically, itself inspired by my other favourite, the Chanel 2.55 Reissue.

Armed with a still-valid Black Friday discount voucher at the beginning of January, I took the leap and ordered the black version in the larger 28cm size, knowing myself well enough by now to know that the magic 30cm mark is the perfect everyday-bag size for me. The total cost including shipping came to AUD$208. It took a tiny bit longer to arrive than I anticipated, but was well worth the wait.

You guys, I love this bag.

🥰

It’s every bit as buttery soft as the authentic version, but due to its larger size is so much more useful. I LOVE that it has no logo or brand anywhere to be seen. The mixed metal chain strap and handle aren’t quite as chunky but that’s okay too because it’s lighter and easier to wear. It’s just an all-round great bag.

A great feature of this website that I swear I’m not being paid to promote, is that it describes the various grades of leathers used and what to expect from each. Naturally there’s a bag at the top of my wishlist in the top quality calfskin, which also comes in around the AUD$200 price point.

Although who am I kidding, there are definitely more than a few bags still on my wishlist. I wouldn’t be me without a wishlist though, and I’m happy to say the shopping ban is still holding.

And if you’re like me and your handbag wishlist includes the names Hermes, Celine, Loewe, Fendi, The Row, and Bottega Veneta you just might want to take a look for yourself…