Yes, you can shorten the strap of the Memphis Leslie - pics

rorosity

O.G.
Jun 7, 2006
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I know some of you have thought about the Memphis Leslie as a possible addition to your MJ collection, but may have been scared off the the long strap. It is LONG. I have worn it with a knot at the top and it works, but another forum member asked if it was possible to double up the strap. At first, I did not think so. Today, I pulled out the Leslie and played around and this is what I came up with:

First pic:

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One more pic downloading. In the meantime, please remember that this has been sitting in a dustbag and I really think that if you wear the bag this way, with the straps doubled, they will "pull" into shape and look more natural. I put this on my shoulder and it was a nice length to carry on the shoulder. Also, another option I am going to look into is to make a new strap out of decorative cording to match the bag. I think it would be really pretty. That will take some time, though. It will have to be perfect. Here's the last one:


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Sorry the last photo is so dark. It's against my black dresser. You can see that it is hanging from the knob and you can kind of get an idea of the shoulder drop. It's a nice alternative to the long strap. It may not be ideal, but it works and it makes the bag a lot more versatile.
 
Oh yea -- I don't know why we didn't think of that before.
That's how the Palais Royal Gray bag was designed
you doubled up the strap to shorten the drop!!
that was one of the things I really liked about that bag!

(you're doing everything you possibly can to tempt me w/Leslie, aren't you??:graucho:)



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LOL, I luv. Yes, I want you to get it. It is soooo pretty. I am having to control myself, because I am coveting a beige Memphis and a Brown Ginny! UGH! I need someone else to be just as nuts as I am.

I do think the Leslie is a very unique style and quite versatile. I love how it looks being handheld, with the long strap and, now, with the straps doubled and used as a true shoulder bag. I really do think you could also make another strap that could really work well with the bag. The Leslie could have a strap wardrobe. Just call it the convertible Leslie.
 
there's actually another way to do it, but I can't remember the "construction" of it -- the strap actually is pulled across the top doubled up, then one length is pulled up to hang on the shoulder -- the Gray was also shown like this. I need to find a pic of it then I can show you what I'm talking about

ETA: actually, now that I'm looking at pics again, its actually the same thing BUT instead of pulling both layers of the strap up, pull just one. the other layer will fall down against the top of the bag and pull itself tighter. then you only have a single strap to worry about over the shoulder
 
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The way I originally wanted to do it, did not work because some of the hardware did not fit through the other pieces. Maybe I can play with it a little more and see if I can come up with another alternative. I am going to try to make it down to Michael Levine, a big fabric store downtown and see if I can find some cording to make a more decorative strap.
 
Roo, yes, I did. I think an i-cord or a braided cord made with lots of stratds of some fabulous yarns (Kind of like the Prism "Stuff", but not so fluffy) or even some satin fabric knitted or braided. There is lots of ways to do this and I think these bags lend themselves to experimenting with different ways to wear and embellish them. That is why I LOVE this Spring bags. They are very eclectic and kind of out there and that is my favorite look. I am going to look through my enormous stash of yarn and see if I already have what I need, but I may need to go looking.

I really love the new length after adjusting the straps. I did try it where it is one strap on the shoulder and the rest of it is pulled across the top of the bag (as JJ suggested above), but it only lifted the bag a bit, not as much as I liked and it was not as sturdy.

I am kind of wishing that beige Leslie was still available at Saks. Is it true the boutiques do not carry the Leslie in the beige? I wonder if the Lexie can be worn on the shoulder. Hmmmmm.......
 
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