I recently bought a small Classic Caviar flap on impulse and did not try it on as amessenger. I feel so foolish, I assumed that it could be worn as a messenger bag but when I tried it on it was a bit too short to be worn across the body. Would it be possible for me to bring it to Chanel boutique and order a longer replacement strap?
Can I bring my small flap and have the chain strap replaced with a longer strap?
- Thread starter stickybone
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No, Chanel will not. Leather Surgeons is the go-to around here to add links to your strap. They no longer make an entirely new strap for customers. They only add on to your existing strap.
Thank you so much for your reply! Have you done this before? Will they use genuine Chanel links to lengthen the straps? Do you have an idea of how much it would cost and how long it would take?
I can respond based on my experience with LeatherPros. I just did what you are considering with a small flap toward the end of last year. They do use genuine Chanel links to extend the chain. It looks fabulous and you would never know that it wasn't the original chain. They have so much stock to play around with that I have an exact match. Definitely worth it....small is wonderful cross body, and if you don't plan to sell your bag (which I don't) it makes it much more usable and without concerns about resale.
How much did it cost? I’m so glad to hear that you tried it! I’m definitely gonna inquire. I hope they can do the same for me.[emoji4] Btw, checked leatherpros.com. They make motorcycle saddlebags. Not sure I got the website correct. Pls post their website here. Many many thanks for your reply!
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leatherpros.us
I always recommend them. I don't remember what Mark charged me specifically for the chain, as he was doing a re-condition on the bag as well. I doubt the chain cost much, because he is extremely reasonable with his pricing. He communicates quite a bit through the process of working on the bag, sends you pics, and gets it done very quickly. For just a chain lengthening, you could have your bag back within the week if he isn't too busy.
Hope it works out well for you, I think you'll be glad you did it. Mark worked with Chanel in the past and he knows what he's doing. Your bag will be in very good hands!
I always recommend them. I don't remember what Mark charged me specifically for the chain, as he was doing a re-condition on the bag as well. I doubt the chain cost much, because he is extremely reasonable with his pricing. He communicates quite a bit through the process of working on the bag, sends you pics, and gets it done very quickly. For just a chain lengthening, you could have your bag back within the week if he isn't too busy.
Hope it works out well for you, I think you'll be glad you did it. Mark worked with Chanel in the past and he knows what he's doing. Your bag will be in very good hands!
I did it with my medium flap a couple of years ago. However at the time, Leather Surgeons made a completely separate strap and shipped the original back to me with the bag. It's buried in my closet somewhere. It was $95 plus the cost of return shipping, about $125 total. Now, they will only add links to your existing strap. And it's somewhere around $150 or so. Email them and they will send you a quote pretty quickly. And, the work is perfect. I can't tell the difference between the straps.
leathersurgeons.com
leathersurgeons.com
Thank you so much for all the info! I’m so glad I have options for my bag[emoji4]
Many many thanks for the replies and info! I will definitely keep that in mind
Yes leather surgeons did several of my bags. They added chain links to a so black boy, so black reissue, vanity case and a rhw reissue. All were $155 usd each plus shipping (I’m from Canada).
Probably a stupid question, but... if they're just adding links to your existing strap now, what about the leather part of the chain strap? Are they adding that as well, or are you just getting the chain links with nothing interwoven? I have a yellow mini that I'd love to have lengthened.
They add a new piece of leather and interweave it through the new longer chain.
This is very good info to know as I wish the boy chains were every so slightly longer. Thank you for sharing.
Just wanna update you ladies[emoji4] so I made an inquiry with both Leather Pros and Leather Surgeons. Leather Pros told me that they used to do this before but no longer have the materials so got in touch with Gerry Gallagher of Leather Surgeons and I am pleased to let you know that my bag is in transit to them for a strap extension adjustment! I’m so excited to see the end product. Many thanks lizzy_bennett! I would not have been able to discover them if you hadn’t replied to my post. Big hugs [emoji173]️