Okay, so I decided to remake the Yves Saint Laurent YSL LE CARRé SATCHEL BAG. It’s a classic, right? I’ve always loved the look of it, and I figured, why not try to make one myself? Plus, the original is way out of my budget.
I started by doing a ton of research. I mean, I looked at a bunch of pictures of the bag online, trying to get a good sense of all the details. YSL is a big name, you know, Saint Laurent Paris, they call it. Fancy. I learned that real YSL bags use serial numbers inside to know it is not fake. I noticed they use really good leather, like calfskin or lambskin. It’s supposed to be super soft, not stiff. I also know that YSL bag is sold everywhere, maybe eBay or something similar. And the original also can be found on YSL’s official website, maybe it is called *, I am not sure. Anyway, you know, top quality stuff.
Then, I went to a local store that I knew to hunt for materials. I needed to find some good leather, and luckily, I found a beautiful piece of black calfskin. It wasn’t cheap, but it felt amazing. I also picked up some gold-colored hardware, like buckles and a clasp, that looked pretty close to the real deal.
Cutting the leather was nerve-wracking! I made a pattern based on the dimensions I found online, but actually making the cuts was scary. I didn’t want to mess it up. It took a lot of measuring and double-checking, but I managed to cut out all the pieces for the bag.
Next up was sewing. I don’t have a fancy sewing machine, just a basic one, but it gets the job done. Sewing the pieces together was tricky, especially the corners. I had to go really slow to make sure everything lined up properly. It was a lot of trial and error, and I definitely had to rip out some seams and start over a few times.
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First, I sewed the main body of the bag.
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Then, I attached the sides and the bottom.
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After that, I worked on the flap and the strap.
Attaching the hardware was another challenge. I used a combination of hand-sewing and some strong glue to make sure everything was secure. The clasp was especially tricky, but I finally got it on there.
The Final Touches
Finally, I added a lining to the inside of the bag. I found some nice black fabric that matched the leather pretty well. Sewing the lining in was actually kind of relaxing after all the other steps. It was like the finishing touch that brought everything together.
When I was done, I was pretty amazed. It actually looked like a real YSL bag! It wasn’t perfect, of course. There were a few little imperfections here and there, but overall, I was super proud of myself. It felt incredible to take this raw piece of leather and turn it into a beautiful, functional bag. And you know what? It felt even better knowing I made it with my own two hands.
This whole project was a huge learning experience. I learned a lot about working with leather, sewing, and just generally making things from scratch. It was challenging, frustrating at times, but ultimately, so rewarding. I’m definitely going to try making more bags in the future. Maybe I’ll even try some other designer styles. Who knows?
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