I’m kind of in love with stylist Simone Harouche’s line of handmade, ethnic-inspired handbags. I’m not so in love with the fact that the 8 x 15 inch version (pictured, right) currently sold at Ron Herman—the exclusive purveyor of the line—would drain nearly a grand from my bank account.

Sure, you can scour different street vendors and markets for a similar, yet dirt-cheap style. But a better, more time-effective option is to stop at Ten Thousand Villages, a superstore full of fair trade goods from all over the world.

And one of the incredibly low-cost bag offerings includes a colorful, oversize tote made on a weaving co-op in Chontola, Guatemala (pictured, left). While it isn’t quite the same as Harouche’s vintage textiled bag, it’s awesome nonetheless. Doesn’t hurt that it comes with a $34.99 price tag, either.

And how nice it will be to have an extra $1,000 to actually travel somewhere exotic instead of merely looking like I did.

567 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena. (626) 229-9892. tenthousandvillages.com