Okay, so I decided to get into this whole remaking designer bags thing, and let me tell you, it’s been a ride. I started with the Yves Saint Laurent YSL JUNE BOX BAG. You know, the one with the fancy name and the hefty price tag. I figured, why not try to make one myself? I saw some posts online, saying it is a good investment in luxury fashion.
First off, I had to find a good original bag to use as a reference. I mean, I needed to see what this thing looked like in real life. I spent days scrolling through online stores and finally found a used one in decent condition. It wasn’t cheap, but it was cheaper than buying a brand-new one.
Once I had the bag, I took it apart. Carefully, mind you. I didn’t want to damage it too much because I still wanted to use the parts as a template. It was like doing surgery, but on a bag. It has that shiny lock, which is difficult to find a replacement, I think. It’s like a little box, a fancy sheep bag.
- I measured every single piece of the bag.
- I made notes on how it was all stitched together.
- I even took pictures of each step. You know, for documentation purposes, just like making a vlog.
Then came the hard part – finding the materials. This YSL bag, it’s made of some kind of fancy quilted lambskin, like a fancy sheep bag. I searched high and low for something similar. Turns out, getting that exact material is tough, and expensive! I ended up settling for a good quality leather that had a similar look and feel, they got big ones, small ones, and lots of different bags.
Next, I cut out the patterns. This was tricky because I had to make sure everything was precise. One wrong cut and the whole thing could be ruined. I used the original bag pieces as a guide and traced them onto the new leather.
Then came the sewing. Oh boy, the sewing. I have a sewing machine, but this was a whole different level. I had to sew through multiple layers of leather, and it had to be perfect. I practiced a lot on scrap pieces before I dared to touch the actual bag pieces. The diamond stitches, it is really a hard part.
Slowly but surely, the bag started to take shape. I added the lining, the pockets, and that shiny “cassandre” closure. I even managed to recreate the quilted pattern on the front flap. It wasn’t easy, but I did it.
Finally, after weeks of work, my remake of the YSL JUNE BOX BAG was complete. And I have to say, it looked pretty darn good. It wasn’t an exact replica, of course, but it was close enough. I felt like a million bucks carrying it, even though it didn’t cost nearly that much to make.
So, would I recommend remaking a designer bag? Honestly, it’s a lot of work. But if you’re up for a challenge and you have some sewing skills, it can be a really rewarding experience. Plus, you end up with a bag that’s unique and special, and you can say you made it yourself.
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