Refashioning: Paint it Black: A $1600 Louis Vuitton Handbag for $80!

I admit it. I love high end fashion. But I’m also way cheaper than anyone else I know. So...when that is your fate, you either need to get fearlessly creative, or act like a victim and get massively in-debt.

I opt for the former.

Here’s how you can too!

About a year ago, I started searching the internet for second-hand investment bags from Chanel, LV, Hermès, etc.

I found this Louis Vuitton Vernis Houston handbag on eBay for $80. Brand new, this bag sells for a cool $1600!

Now, listen. I did my homework on this one. There were several of the same bag selling for around the same price—some under, some over. But I had a specific criteria that I searched for: a decent interior, no major rips or scuffs, intact handles, and working zippers. I had to search for a few months,  sell a few of my own items on eBay to get the money, and finally found one that fit the bill.

I know, $80 is a lot for a self-proclaimed cheapskate to spend on one bag, but. . .considering that it retails for $1600, my thought was: I can dye that sucker, and when I get tired of it, I can flip it for at least more than I paid for it. Plus, how many ladies throw away $100+ at the local mall for a subpar Michael Kors bag. I don’t think $80 was a bad spend.

If this sounds crazy, remember that I am the woman who dyed a pair of Chanel shoes a few years ago (and then everyone started doing it). Those shoes look as great today as they did back then, so I was up for this challenge.

If you click the words “Chanel shoes” above, it will take you to my post that shows you how to dye your shoes so that they look excellent and not like a hack job. From that post, and when I dyed a Coach bag silver, I learned that Tarrago dye is really good for this kind of project, so I bought another set in “shiny” black. It costs around $10 on eBay.

Inside is a leather conditioner/prepper, leather dye, small brush, and applicator sponge.

I’m just going to tell you right now, that if you attempt this project—even if you buy the supposedly “patent leather”/shiny version of Tarrago dye....it doesn’t work on this bag! This bag is way too shiny.

I spent a while prepping the bag and then painting the bottom. A few hours later after it was dry, the bottom looked super messy, with tons of brushstrokes and uneven dull spots all over it. That is probably because Tarrago is actually leather paint. Same thing with Angelus. If your leather is super shiny, don’t buy either of those. You need an actual dye, not a paint. Instead, do this....

I happened to have an old bottle of Fiebings black leather dye. It’s only like...$5 or something on Amazon, eBay, or your local shoe repair shop.

So...I’m sorry there are pictures missing in this post, but...this is a really messy process, and it’s hard to take pictures while doing it!

Anyways, do this: Using a cotton ball and nail polish remover, rub all over the bag, the hardware, and the handles. Do this a few times to make sure you remove any residue and “break the seal” over the leather and patent leather. 

Then, using a cotton ball, sponge, and/or smaller brush, paint over all the surfaces that you want dyed. Don’t worry about the hardware. Just paint over that too. You need to get into all the nooks and crannies.

Then, you need to let it dry somewhere like a garage or basement, but make sure it’s well-ventilated because the dye is really fume-y and can give you a headache. 

(I hung my bag on a camera stand in my garage.)

Now, I know this is unorthodox, and I’m sure there are people who think I’m crazy, but. . .

After it’s dry (give it a few days), go over the whole thing with nail polish remover and a cotton ball. I discovered this by trial and error. I’m sure there are many DIYers who would say never to do this. But this is really the only way to take off the excess and assure that your color won’t rub off onto your clothes. This is also the best way to get the color off your hardware so that it looks like the dye job was professionally done. You could ostensibly use a mild soap and a rag, but. . .I wanted to make sure that the color wasn’t going anywhere. Also, acetone dries super quickly, whereas water takes time to dry and can soak your leather. If some of the color comes off during this step, then you can reapply color and let it dry again. Do this cycle as many times as you need to make sure the color is permanent. It works. I’m telling you.

Look how nice and shiny!

(I did buy some Fiebings Resolene—from Amazon—in case I need it. A lot of sources suggested using Resolene (acrylic sealer) to keep the color from fading and rubbing off onto other surfaces. I plan to use it eventually, but I want to make sure all the surfaces are exactly perfectly black before I go sealing anything. That means I will need to use this bag and monitor it for a few weeks yet. And...I many not even need the Resolene. Plus, I’m a little worried that it might dull the shine...Anyways, I’ll update this post and let you know.)

Because I kept the zipper closed, the interior is clean and neat.

I’m not a huge fan of gold hardware, but. . .if I resell it, other people like gold and black, so I can retain a lot of value by keeping the hardware gold. It’s not obnoxious, so I can live with it.

Looks brand new!

The End!

Refashioning: Moschino Inspired - Easy DIY Designer Dress Merger

I am a long-time fan of the Italian luxury fashion house, Moschino. I love it because of the fanciful ideas, graphic prints, and bold colors.

Here is a dress from the Spring/Summer 2017 Ready-to-Wear "Love Moschino" line.

It retails for $495.

It doesn't matter if you agree with that price or not. It just is.

So. . .let's see if we can make one for $2.00!

(This one is super easy.)

Here is a Donna Ricco black dress I found on the Goodwill dollar rack.

And here is an Aeropostale cropped blouse I found also on the Goodwill dollar rack.

Look how cute the print is! It's little birds!

First, I cut out the shoulder pads.

Then, I cut off the sleeves.

When you cut the shoulder pads out of a dress or shirt, this is what happens at the shoulders. See this gap?

So, I pinned the shoulders appropriately, and sewed them down.

Then, I cut the sleeves off the other shirt. (Hint, it helps if you pin the right sleeve. This helps you to tell the two apart when you reattach them to the other garment.)

Then, I simply sewed the sleeve to the dress. No-brainer.

So, here is my Moschino inspired dress for $2.00!

(Another plus: combining the two freed up a hanger. This is important in my world, where I never seem to have enough hangers...)

The End!

Refashioning: A Girl's Formal Dress into a Box Pleat Cupcake Skirt

I found this dress....guess where...Yep! The dollar rack.

It is a little girl's size 12/14 ball gown kinda dress. It was too small to fit me (and I don't like strapless), but the fabric on the bottom was enough to make a cute skirt from. It is silver and black brocade, but it looks like that high end designer embroidery that is always all over Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino and stuff...

I cut it apart. I'll probably use that bow for something later.

Okay, so once again, if you do something like this, make sure you zip the zipper pull down past where you want to harvest fabric, otherwise you will have to put in another zipper. (Side note, I did this right and then two minutes after I cut the bodice from the skirt, I wasn't thinking and zipped the skirt up...and pulled the zipper pull right the heck off! So. . .I had to install another zipper. . .so what I'm saying is: PAY ATTENTION!) :)

The fabric was all crinkly from being gathered.

So I had to iron it.

After ironing, I measured myself and put in box pleats that would fit my waist. Then, I remembered I had an old college choir skirt that I never wear, but it had a really nice waistband, so I cut it from that skirt and pinned and sewed it to this new skirt.

The finished skirt!

The End!

Chanel Inspired: Black and White Gingham Peter Pan Collar Easter Dress

1. I am taking an online fashion design course.

2. I wanted to make my Easter dress.

3. Black and white gingham is in right now.

4. I have always loved this Chanel dress since it came out in 2012 (I think it was 2012. Whenever I started blogging...)

Skipping ahead about three days of work.  I had two different gingham fabrics so I decided to color block them.

I didn't feel like buying fusible interfacing, so I just interfaced the collar with another piece of the same white fabric. I knew this choice would cause the collar to lose it's shape (especially after washing), so I under-stitched the seam.

One thing about Peter Pan collars is that they like to pull the back side of the neckline forward. To keep this from happening, I stitched a black rectangle right under the collar attaching the interfacing to the front.

Getting the waistband to attach on the diagonal was tricky because woven fabric stretches on the bias. To alleviate this problem, I interfaced it with another piece of gingham that was cut on the cross grain. (You can see this in a picture later.)

The bottom hem. I wanted it to be diagonal too, but I didn't have enough fabric to cut a big enough piece on the diagonal. At least the size of the gingham is different.

I wanted to do that thing where you dart the elbows to allow for the bend in the arm. You see this sort of thing in high-end clothing.

My first time in a long time that I've sewn in an invisible zipper. I realized that I don't even own a zipper foot. I actually used an overcasting foot and it worked pretty well.

See how the pattern matches up? Well, the horizontal lines do anyway.

I interfaced the bodice with white fabric because I knew the skirt would be gathered and the fabric is kind of flimsy, so I didn't want the skirt to pull the top out of shape. In retrospect, I should have interfaced the skirt too, but I will just wear a slip under it. 

(*NOTE* Don't be gross, Ladies! Wear a slip!)

Oh, also about the picture above. From the inside you can see how the interfacing to the waistband is cut on the cross grain (straight vs. diagonal). This helped the front bias-cut piece maintain its shape.

I sewed in at the shoulders and decided not to cut off the portion of the seam that was thickest. This actually acts as a slight shoulder pad when turned right side out.

The End!