I Really Altered My Louis Vuitton Tote

My favorite LV Bag

I am not crazy. I promise. Swear. Cross my heart.
I am brave, though.

Many of you know I worked for Louis Vuitton for many years. I love LV products, because they are handmade. My passion for handmade items started way before I started my current company.

One of the pieces I own is this rather large tote pictured below in an old ad from Neiman-Marcus. I used it as Lucy's diaper bag, which I am sure was ghastly enough for some people. The fact that I would carry something like this for that purpose. But that is what I think things like this are for - to be used and carried and worn out.

One day, I had it behind the seat in the car, and somehow, when the seat got pushed forward, it got caught and developed this terrible rip. The only way to replace it would be to order a new panel for it. And that new panel . . . would be about the price of a weekend trip to Austin at a five star hotel with all our meals included. No, I am not kidding. And since I was the Leathergoods manager, I know how to repair something like this, and I won't bore you with those details, except to say, no shoe place or anything like this could do a better job than what I did.

So, I decided to hot glue it back together (please stop screaming) and then cover it up. At least, I can still use the bag. And if years later, I come into a small fortune and want to get the panel replaced, I still can do it. But here is a LV tip for you . . . if you EVER have a shoe repair place touch your bag and repair it, and then try and send it back to LV, they will refuse to touch it. That's the French for you.

Digging through all my piles of things

The final product is a very happy bag

It looks better in person, I swear.
I cannot wait to go to Paris and sport this around town one day.
I might get stoned, but I will rock this bag. I promise.

Scooter, who I think, watches all this and often thinks I might be crazy