Wirkins-Worth It?
A Brave Review Of The Dupe-able Social-Proofed Bag
I’m deviating from beauty.
Not for good, just to follow up on my word.
As a birthday present, my mom wanted me to pick out a new handbag. She gave me a budget, and I scoured the internet for something that resonated with the wardrobe I have, and the one I aspire towards.
I knew I wanted genuine leather. I need some structure.
I love the look of smooth leather, but usually opt for full grained leather because I’m so hard on my bags.
I wanted a “big girl” bag, and was heavily influenced to get the Wirkin. Social proof.
And honestly? It doesn’t suit me practically or aspirationally on a daily basis.
I should’ve followed my gut and gotten a Fossil or Rebecca Minkoff. I’m getting ahead of myself though.
The criteria:
$100-130
Genuine leather
Day to night (can you tell I had a teen Vogue subscription in the 2010s?)
Designer-inspired or at least coach/fossil quality
Brands I grew inspo from:
Isabel Marant - Osaka Half Moon bag in burgundy
Birkin 25
Cartier - handle bag, Trinity or small model handle bag
Tory Burch pierced, spring runway
Pòlene-mokki or numero dix
Valentino - rockstud collection
Hammitt - Bryant medium
These are a wide range of options, I know. I think that goes to say a lot about my personal style too though. I think of it as less “all over the place” and more “I find many things beautiful and inspiring.”
Noteworthy: Midwest weather is a wild ride.
So obviously the bag criteria, budget, and inspiration were a mismatch. I then filtered down high-end to mid-luxury.
Mid-luxury brands that were in the running:
Fossil - Jolie
JW pei - Harlee or joy
Charles & Keith- kora
Portland Leather - Lola (zip top, Almost Perfect*)
Coach - Terri, Laurel, or Quinn
Radley - Grafton Flap or Sloane Street
AllSaints - Half Moon
Songmont - Luna (contemplated the vegan leather colors)
Rebecca Minkoff - Edie medium/large, Insider Shoulder Bag, Darren Crossbody or Bucket
*I did order this one too, so I have to talk about it.
Back To Why You’re Reading
I ended up with two 25cm Wirkins.
One black and gold. The other, green and gold.
Are the Wirkins favorite bags ever? No
Do I like it? Yes
Love? Not really.
Does it serve the day to night? Yes
I panicked. I felt obligated to get the trendy thing since I usually get off-beat things (and it wasn’t my money).
It does make me feel like I have my act together, but also feeds into an imposter syndrome —when I wear it. Which is why I have such conflicted feelings on a “stupid” bag.
The reason I dislike it so much is because it feels inauthentic to me and my personal style. The bag is well constructed, though I wouldn’t classify it as “premium luxury” but rather a nicer version of Aldo or Department Store-esque. That’s largely due to how thick the rubberized edges are.
*The Portland Leather bag was really nice and definitely better for an everyday bag. It was lacking in personality though. (The Almost Perfect bags are legitimately perfect; I saw no visible wear or distortions on the bag)
Here’s the thing, right? Mid-luxury is aspirational and attainable. That’s why it sells.
The trickiest part is that because it’s both aspirational and attainable is that it creates a false sense of belonging. That’s why the imposter syndrome I feel only correlates when I’m wearing the bag. It’s a mismatch. Am I ever going to have a real Birkin or Pòlene bag? Maybe, but definitely not in this season. Moral of the story: go with your gut. Especially on investment pieces.
SUBJECTIVITY
The other thing with luxury bags is that the cool girl way to wear such a high ticket bag is to wear it like The Olsens or Jane Birkin. Being able to be so hard on such a luxury item is the biggest flex. For the brands: is it signaling pride and testament to craft or cringe and unspeakable that someone would dare to ruin a masterpiece, or a mix of the lot depending on the brand?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Meaning, a brand like Patagonia takes deep pride in over-using their products. Brands like Chanel or Cartier? Not as much.
I think the Birkin bag used to be a status symbol more as a “if you know you know”. But the augmented attainability of them, flexing on IG…
It’s the same way that no one was craving Lorno Piorno until the Tates and “quiet luxury” took over the internet.
Somewhere along the timeline, an ultra-pristine, still “squeaky leather” (taut) became a greater flex. Personally I blame Instagram.
Brands: What This Means For You
You must control your image and be socially listening; luxury doesn’t mean stiff. It’s the utmost aspiration. The caution is not to conflate hype with alignment. Do design everything around your ideal customer. They’re out there, and searching for your unique thing.
You’re Still Here
Which means you enjoyed something about this post, subscribe for beauty deep dives or share to de-influence a heavily social-proofed bag. Have you ever been let down by a bag?