Embroidered stuff is my THING… it’s girly, but tough, classic but unusual. So when I saw the new Aspinal trunk I HAD to have it.

Until I saw the price tag(£895)… as a proud owner of plenty of Aspinal accessorises from the classic Lottie to a gorgeous red travel wallet I’m never seen on a plane without, I know aspinal is worth the investment. However, this wasn’t the time for me to be making an investment. In the middle of lockdown when I knew I wouldn’t be taking my new baby anywhere. So I got inventive and created my own.

All in I spent £20. Starting with a basic square hard shelled bag with gold handle from ASOS (£11.25), some vintage box corner protectors(£7.99) and an old embroidered handbag I bought from a charity shop once, I recreated my own Aspinal handbag and love the result.
What you will need:
- Square hardshelled handbag preferably with a gold handle(if not you can replace it) (mine is now out of stock but other options below)
- https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/683361023/top-175cm-x-155cm-boston-minaudiere-box?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=box+clutch+top+handle&ref=sr_gallery-1-4&organic_search_click=1
- https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/362535088683
- https://www.asos.com/prd/14252253?acquisitionsource=pasteboard (a little more rectangular if you’re ok with that)
- Retro box corner protectors available on Amazon, etsy or eBay.
- Black embroidered material or bag (I had a spare old hand bag that looked just like this one) (make sure the bag has enough material to cover your hard cased bag)
- A gold replacement handle if your bag doesn’t have one
- Screwdriver, doublesided tape/glue gun, scissors or a penknife.
Now what do I do?
Have fun pulling apart your embroidered handbag
Be careful to try to maintain as much as you can of the black material to cover your hard cased bag.
Unscrew the clasp from your hard cased bag (and top handle if you are replacing it)
Cover your hard cased bag with the black material with the embroidered section on the front
Start with the embroidered section positioning the material as you want to. If you use double sided sticky tape rather than a glue gun it can be easier to adjust. Cover the rest of the bag cutting material to fit each edge.
Cut slits to fit around the top handle if you can’t replace it.
Screw the clasp back to the bag
This bit is tricky but be persisent and use bigger screws if necessary now you have added a further layer of material
Add the vintage corner protectors and gold top handle if needed
I secured these using double sided tape and added the nails as an extra.
Easy as 1,2,3 to get that high end look at a fraction of the price
Enjoy!
Katt x


