Okay, so, I’ve been wanting a YSL LE CARRé SATCHEL BAG for a while now, but you know, those prices? Ouch. So, I thought, “Why not try to remake one myself?” Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy, but I was feeling adventurous.
First, I spent a ton of time just staring at pictures online. I mean, I looked up every angle of that bag I could find, from fancy store listings to people showing them off in their hands, just wanted to get a good look at all the details.
Then came the materials part. YSL uses some really nice leather, the kind that’s super smooth and probably costs a fortune. I obviously wasn’t going to find that exact stuff. I went to a few local fabric and craft stores, feeling all kinds of leathers. Ended up grabbing some that had a decent texture and felt somewhat sturdy.
The pattern, oh boy, that was a challenge. I tried sketching it out based on the pictures I had, cutting out pieces from paper and seeing how they might fit. It felt like putting together a puzzle where I didn’t even have all the pieces. I redid the pattern like five times, I swear.
After that, it was time to actually cut the leather. My hands were shaking a little, not going to lie. Messing up here would mean wasting the material I bought. Slow and steady was the name of the game.
- First, I laid out all the pattern pieces on the leather.
- Then, I carefully traced around them with a pen.
- Finally, I used a sharp rotary cutter to cut along the lines.
Sewing was another whole adventure. I have a basic sewing machine, nothing fancy, and I had to be super careful with the stitching. I practiced on some scrap leather first to get the tension right and make sure the stitches looked neat. There was some ripping out and re-sewing, let me tell you. And lots of breaks to double-check everything.
The hardware was also tricky. Finding something that looked close to the original YSL clasps and rings was tough. I ended up using some generic ones from a craft store. Not perfect, but they do the job.
The Result
So, after many hours of work, a few mishaps, and a whole lot of patience, I have a bag! It’s definitely not an exact replica, but it’s got that same boxy, satchel vibe. And you know what? I’m pretty proud of it. It’s unique, it’s handmade, and it didn’t cost me thousands of dollars. Maybe it’s not as fancy as the real deal, but it’s mine, and I made it!