Have you priced a Bottega Veneta Jodie lately? The small one in woven leather costs $4,200. That’s a lot to pay for a bag designed to slouch.
It does come with a good story. The Jodie is named for Jodie Foster, who was photographed in 2006 shielding herself with an oversized Bottega hobo. Fourteen years later, creative director Daniel Lee reworked the house’s slouchy hobo for the Spring/Summer 2020 collection.
The Jodie also has a busy second life. On the day we checked, one large resale platform listed 75 of them, from $795 to $3,995. If you’ve been through this before with a pricier bag, our guide to Hermès Birkin alternatives tackles the same problem a few floors up.
So we went looking for bags that do the Jodie’s job: soft, slouchy or woven, and happy to sit on your shoulder every day. Seven made the cut, from a $120 handwoven Quince to a $2,200 Khaite.
Why you can trust Luxe Digital. We say plainly when a pick isn’t leather. New prices come from each brand’s own store or a retailer’s US site, and pre-owned prices from in-stock resale listings, both at the time of writing. Our HAPPY philosophy explains how we decide what’s worth buying.
Mansur GavrielGnocchi
A slouchy zip-top bag in Italian soft calf leather, lined in calf suede and made in Italy, for $845.
KhaiteOlivia
Suede calf and nappa leather, lined in leather and made in Italy, at $2,200 for the Medium.
QuinceSloane Handwoven Mini Shoulder Bag
Handwoven leather with two removable straps, for $120.
What makes a Jodie a Jodie?
The Jodie is a soft, hand-woven leather hobo with a knot in its handle, and four details carry it.
The first is the weave. Bottega Veneta makes the Jodie in its hand-woven Intrecciato leather. The Small in woven leather is lamb leather lined in calf leather, and it’s made in Italy.
The second is the knot. The top handle is knotted, a detail tied to the knot motif of former creative director Tomas Maier.
The third is the shape. The Jodie is a soft hobo that sits under the arm, and the Small closes with a zip. It measures 17 cm high, 35 cm wide and 10 cm deep, with a 38 cm handle.
The fourth is the range. The Jodie launched in Mini, Small, Medium and Maxi, and the Teen followed. Today the Mini in leather is $3,100, the Small in woven leather $4,200, and both the woven Medium in leather and the Small in suede are $4,900. Our guide to the Bottega Veneta bags worth investing in covers the house’s other bags.
That gives us the test for every bag below. It has to be soft, slouchy or woven. It has to sit on your shoulder. And it has to stand in its own maker’s name.
Buy the real one, new or pre-owned
If only the knot will do, you have two routes. You can shop Bottega Veneta bags new, where the Jodie is one of the styles. The Small in woven leather is $4,200 and the Mini in leather $3,100.
Or you can buy a pre-owned Bottega Veneta Jodie and keep a bag that already exists in use. That’s where the numbers get friendlier. One large resale platform listed 75 Jodies in stock, from the Mini to the Teen, at $795 to $3,995. Those listings say the Jodie has a life after its first owner.
Best for: Owning the knot itself, at full price or well under it.
The best Bottega Veneta Jodie alternatives
These seven bags each take on the Jodie’s job in their own name. Each entry says what it matches and what it gives up.
| Bag | Price | Material | Lining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyana Mini Celestia | $328 | Smooth lambskin | Suede |
| Mansur Gavriel Gnocchi | $845 | Italian soft calf leather | Italian calf suede |
| Behno Nelli Hobo | $295 | Pebble leather | Cotton twill |
| Khaite Olivia (Medium) | $2,200 | Suede calf and nappa leather | Leather |
| Quince Sloane Handwoven Mini | $120 | Handwoven leather | Cotton twill |
| Melie Bianco Lana Woven | $120 | Woven polyurethane (vegan leather) | Not listed |
| Dragon Diffusion Rosanna | €376 | Handwoven buffalo leather | None |
1. Cuyana Mini Celestia: Lambskin, scaled down
Cuyana calls the Cuyana Mini Celestia “a small version of our bestselling Celestia Shoulder Bag.” It’s smooth lambskin lined in suede, finished with what Cuyana describes as “jewelry-like hardware”, and it costs $328. That’s less than a tenth of a small Jodie.
Cuyana makes it in Turkey from leather certified by the Leather Working Group. It measures 5.3 x 10 x 1.5 inches, weighs 0.9 lb, and its strap adjusts from an 11-inch to a 13.5-inch drop. Inside you get a slip pocket for a cardholder and a key loop.
The trade-off is size. Cuyana sized it for small essentials, not a day’s load.
What we like
- Smooth lambskin with a suede lining for $328
- A strap that adjusts from an 11-inch to a 13.5-inch drop
What we don't like
- Sized for essentials only
Material: Smooth lambskin with a suede lining
Price against the Jodie: $328, against $4,200 for a small Jodie.
Best for: Soft leather on your shoulder for outings.
2. Mansur Gavriel Gnocchi: The slouch, made in Italy
The Mansur Gavriel Gnocchi goes straight for the Jodie’s slouch. Mansur Gavriel describes it as “a slouchy yet refined zip-top bag” that “gently molds to the body”, worn on the shoulder. It’s the larger evolution of the brand’s Mini Gnocchi.
It’s Italian soft calf leather lined in Italian calf suede, and it’s made in Italy. At 17.7 x 10.6 x 4.3 inches (45 x 27 x 11 cm), it’s wider than a small Jodie, with a 10.2-inch strap drop. It weighs 14.5 oz.
Mansur Gavriel says its calf leather is “recognized for its longevity”, and it recommends a leather conditioner from time to time. At $845, it costs about a fifth of a small Jodie.
What we like
- A slouchy zip-top shape that molds to the body
- Italian calf leather lined in calf suede, made in Italy
What we don't like
- Soft calf leather with no woven texture
Material: Italian soft calf leather with an Italian calf suede lining
Price against the Jodie: $845, against $4,200 for a small Jodie.
Best for: The Jodie’s slouch in a larger bag.
3. Behno Nelli Hobo: A knot for under $300
Behno lists a “signature knot detail” on the Behno Nelli Hobo, and it’s the closest echo of the Jodie’s handle on this list. Behno calls the Nelli a handcrafted slouchy shoulder bag, in pebble leather with a magnetic tab closure. It costs $295.
The cotton twill lining holds an interior zip compartment and a patch pocket, and there’s a second patch pocket on the outside. It measures 14 x 7.5 x 4.5 inches, with a 12-inch handle drop.
Behno also names the factory that makes it, MSA Ethos, and lists what it commits to there: no child labor, fair wages and transparent contracts, and on-site healthcare.
What we like
- A knot detail that echoes the Jodie's handle
- A zip compartment and two patch pockets for $295
What we don't like
- Pebble leather rather than a weave
- A cotton twill lining rather than leather
Material: Pebble leather with a cotton twill lining
Price against the Jodie: $295, against $4,200 for a small Jodie.
Best for: The knot and the slouch on a tighter budget.
4. Khaite Olivia: A designer make at about half the price
The Khaite Olivia is the one pick here at a luxury-house price. A retailer’s US site describes the Olivia Medium as a “slouchy, zip-top” shoulder bag “crafted from supple leather”, with an integrated strap. It costs $2,200, about half a small Jodie.
It’s suede calf and nappa leather, lined in leather and made in Italy. The Medium measures 23 x 31 x 8 cm, with a 36 cm handle. If you’d rather spend less, the Olivia Mini in suede is $1,580.
What we like
- Leather inside and out, made in Italy
- A Mini in suede at $1,580
What we don't like
- Still $2,200 for the Medium
- Suede and nappa leather rather than a weave
Material: Suede calf and nappa leather with a leather lining
Price against the Jodie: $2,200 for the Medium, against $4,200 for a small Jodie.
Best for: A designer slouch bag without the Bottega price.
5. Quince Sloane Handwoven Mini Shoulder Bag: The weave for $120
If it’s the weave you love, look here. The Quince Sloane Handwoven Mini Shoulder Bag is 100% handwoven leather, the closest to the Jodie’s Intrecciato texture, and it costs $120.
It’s lined in cotton twill and closes with a zip, with one inside zip pocket and three card holders. It measures 8 x 11.75 x 1.25 inches, takes up to an 11-inch tablet, and weighs 1.76 lb. Two removable straps come with it: a crossbody with a 19.5- to 22.5-inch drop and a shoulder strap with a 9-inch drop.
Quince makes it in Guangzhou, China, from leather tanned in a tannery certified by the Leather Working Group, in a Sedex-certified factory.
What we like
- Handwoven leather for $120
- Two straps, so it works on the shoulder or crossbody
What we don't like
- At 1.25 inches deep, it's slim rather than slouchy
Material: Handwoven leather with a cotton twill lining
Price against the Jodie: $120, against $4,200 for a small Jodie.
Best for: The woven look, on the shoulder or crossbody.
6. Melie Bianco Lana Woven Shoulder Bag: Woven, and vegan
The Melie Bianco Lana Woven Shoulder Bag is vegan leather: its material is listed as polyurethane. It’s also woven, the second woven pick here after the Quince, and it costs $120 in black, chocolate or wine.
Its stockist describes Melie Bianco’s bags as “made from premium vegan leather”, with “fair-trade principles at the heart of the brand.” The Lana measures 12.5 inches long, 5 inches high and 5 inches wide, with a 6-inch strap drop. It closes with a zip and comes with a removable zip pouch and nested feet.
That short drop means it sits higher on your shoulder than the Jodie’s under-arm slouch.
What we like
- A woven look for $120
- A removable zip pouch for small things
What we don't like
- Polyurethane, not leather
- A 6-inch drop that sits higher than the Jodie
Material: Woven polyurethane (vegan leather)
Price against the Jodie: $120, against $4,200 for a small Jodie.
Best for: A woven bag without leather.
7. Dragon Diffusion Rosanna: Woven by hand, made to order
The Dragon Diffusion Rosanna is woven by hand, one order at a time. Dragon Diffusion calls it “a woven leather baguette bag” that you drape over your shoulder, made from irregular leather straps that taper toward the brim. It’s €376 on the brand’s own store.
It’s a handwoven basket in buffalo leather with no lining, and a small magnetic closure inside. It measures 18 cm across the top, 32 cm across the bottom and 14 cm high, with a 20 cm handle drop. A St. Christopher medal charm is hand-sewn inside every bag.
It also changes with use. Dragon Diffusion says its vegetable-dyed leather develops “a special used patina” over time. The catch is the wait: each bag is made on demand and can take up to 8 to 10 weeks to weave and ship, and the care guide asks you to avoid heavy loads.
What we like
- Handwoven leather that develops a patina, by the brand's account
- A St. Christopher medal charm sewn inside
What we don't like
- A wait of up to 8 to 10 weeks, since every bag is made on demand
- No lining, and the brand advises against heavy loads
Material: Handwoven buffalo leather, unlined
Price against the Jodie: €376, against $4,200 for a small Jodie.
Best for: A handwoven bag you’re happy to wait for.
How we chose these
We ranked on the job first. The Jodie is a soft bag worn on the shoulder, so every pick had to be slouchy or woven and carried the same way.
Material and make came second. Six of the seven are leather, and we name the country each one is made in wherever its maker says. The seventh, the Melie Bianco, is vegan leather, and its entry says so up front.
Value came third, measured against what a Jodie costs new and pre-owned rather than in the abstract. Last, every bag had to stand in its own maker’s name. None of them copies Bottega Veneta’s Intrecciato.
If none of the seven feels like the real thing, the knot is still out there. A pre-owned Bottega Veneta Jodie is waiting for its next shoulder.
Frequently asked questions about Bottega Veneta Jodie alternatives
What are some dupes for Bottega Mini Jodie bags?
What is the best dupe of Bottega Veneta?
What are some good bags similar to Bottega Veneta?
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