Valentino upped its accessory game this season by adding a Southwestern embroidered guitar strap to it's already-fabulous Rockstud Tote Bag. The strap is available to pre-order at a whopping £800 (that's just for the strap fyi, not the bag too, Valentino ain't messin')
We thought it best however not to spend a whole months rent, so decided to DIY an inspired version instead.
You’ll need
A bag to DIY (it will need existing metal rings either side to attach the strap). We found our mock croc bag in a vintage shop for £3, check out ASOS Marketplace and eBay for vintage finds, otherwise we love this Topshop saddle bag.
If you would like to update your bag a little, here are some optional extras
Gold studsStar%20Studs%20([http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/star-claw-studs-silver-8-pack/599147-1000)%20and%20chain%20%20and%20chain%20{href='http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/star-claw-studs-silver-8-pack/599147-1000)%20and%20chain%20(http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/beads-unlimited-beads-heavy-chain/577177-1000' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}),
A belt (we chose black faux leather) - go for a large size, it will give you the length you need for your strap. Our belt from Primark had a fab embroidered print already, but we still wanted to add to the Valentino feel with a jacquard trim.
We found our trim in a local fabric shop for £2 a metre, but there are so many out there to choose from search eBay for ‘jaquard trim’ and you’ll have a field day.
If you love the Valentino stripe, this is similar
Equally we love this, this, and this (decisions, decisions!)
12 metre of Leather tie. We chose black, but feel free to make the most of the tribal esque theme with a bright colour. ()
How to:
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Firstly, we thought we’d give our old croc bag a bit of a facelift with a mix of silver and gold studs. We folded in the backs of the studs, as they wouldn’t go through the faux leather easily, like they would with fabric, and glued them along the bottom of our bag.
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We added to this a chain trim, gluing sparingly along the edges of our bag, pressing down, and finally cutting the chain off at the back of the bag with sharp scissors.
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We removed the original strap from our back, cutting it off with scissors.
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Now, for the new strap. As we say, we had some great embroidery already on our belt, so we decided that could be the back of our strap.
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With fabric scissors, cut about 1Ž2 inch, or as close as you can get with a neat cut, until you remove the buckle of the belt.
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Cut the other pointed end of the belt off to get a straight edge.
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Glue your trim along the front of the belt, pressing down firmly.
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Select which size of hole punch will ensure your leather strapping could go through the hole.
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With the hole punch, create a hole at each end of your belt, about 1 cm from the end. The hole punch will go through the leather but may need a few goes.
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Thread the leather tie through the hole, and into the lobster clasp.
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Knot firmly, even twice, to secure, and cut off any excess.
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Repeat this at the other end of the belt, attaching the second lobster clasp.
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Attach the clips, secured to the belt, to each side buckle of our bag.
It's as easy as that! Rock on...
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.