1154 Lill Studio

This would be a great place for a bachelorette party or Girls Night Out because you can bring in appetizers and wine and make a party of it! We had a Sweet 16 here and it was a hit! It’s no surprise that the selections are quite pricey, but we knew that going in. I set a $ limit and the staff pulled a selection the girls could choose from (pocketbook styles).
We brought in gourmet cupcakes and sparkling waters, but I would have loved it more with wine!
My only suggestion is more trendy, hip fabrics.

I hosted a Bachelorette Party here recently. This was a great way to start the day before dinner & drinks.
I made the reservation a few weeks in advance. Food and drink is welcome so I brought in cheese and wine for us all to enjoy while the girls designed their handbags. The actual purse designing part only took about 30 minutes. We all had a great time and got some great photos along the way.
The staff was helpful and welcoming throughout the process even though many of the girls were extremely late and only some of us bought bags. I would definitely recommend Lill as a great girl get together.

I love my purse. Everything about it. The experience there was just as much fun as carrying around this bag.
I went to a purse party with a friend and we spent four hours drinking wine looking at bag designs picking out fabrics and having a girls night in heaven. It wouldn’t have taken four hours had we not been having a great time. There are so many options and so many fabrics that you really could design a million purses.
The Donna is my favorite, but it sadly is no longer up for design because it has been discontinued.
The Lilli is my next favorite because you can zip it or clip it and it looks like two different bags altogether.
Aubrey is my little pen bag to go in the bigger bags and yes I am going to/​have designed an Aubrey to go in each of my larger bags.
If you want a truly unique experience and a truly unique bag that will last a lifetime then go here. Totally worth the time and totally worth the money.

I have a Lill problem.
It all started with a Groupon (or 3; I brought the madre and the hermanita). I wish I remebered the girl’s name who helped us but she was phenomenal. She got us started and then left us to do our own thing, only checking in as we needed help. She was fantastic. She helped a lot with the fabric choices since I think I got about 5 with the Drea. My mom, sister, and I all still love our initial bags.
BUUUUTTTT. I needed something that would hold more since I carry a ton daily. I bought one of the totes and I absolutely love it. I loved it so much that Mom ended up convincing me that she needed one too. I use mine daily with my Lill wallet. Mom brought hers up this weekend with her Lill makeup bag.
The idea is great but it can be a little pricey. If I were absolutely loaded I would have so many more Lill bags. But until that day comes I’ll have to stick with my current three (okay and probably buy one or two more).

This place is AMAZING, and a must do for anyone visiting Boston. I am a loyal customer of Lill, having bought about 5 purses now and counting :) When you come here, you pick from a number of purse styles and combine with their selection of fabrics. You get a completely pursonalized (ha!) and fun accessory at the end. I ALWAYS get compliments on my Lill purses, not just for the look, but they are well designed. I’m a big fan of the Links collection, where you can hook together larger day bags with smaller accessory bags. Its a great way to change up the look every once in a while without spending a tone.
While these bags aren’t necessarily «cheap», its still cheaper than a designer bag. They are great quality– I haven’t had any trouble. Its well worth the money.
The biggest thing are the people. The ladies who work at the store are really nice and make the whole experience super fun. Laurie, the manager, was so incredible– she remembers me each time, and always asks how the bags have worked out. Once you buy a purse, you get invited to customer events where they offer discounts, etc. They are fun, and a great way to buy gifts or purses for that special occasion.
Don’t miss out and check it out. I always have fun, and the purses turn out fantastic!

I think Lill is great! I have been on 3 occasions and walked away with 2 great bags. I think the first visit I was a wee bit overwhelmed, but I’m better now. We had a bag party there a few weeks ago with some friends and the ladies were so helpful and awesome. I cannot wait to pick up my bag! I also made a very small handbag to match my wedding gown here for my big day and it was perfect. And I love that I can reuse it now that the day is over. No prissy white satin bags for me please!
Lill is so much fun. Have a girls night there and you will see :)

Ever wanted to be a fashion designer?
Now you can! (well… sorta…) I have made so many purses and belts here!
What you do is choose a style, then the fabrics for the outside, lining, pockets, straps… etc… and then you leave and they put it together for you… get it shipped or go pick it up when its done!
Its great if your looking for that one of a kind carry all purse, or a clutch t match a certain little black dress.
Very fun!
Would be a very fun party or get together with some friends, maybe even as a bachelorette party for the types of girls who dont enjoy clubs and bars… or even before the clubbing.
As with anything custom, the more you deck out your bag or belt, the higher the price will get.
keep and eye on the price tags and keep a grasp on your budget ladies. but most of all… HAVE FUN!

This past weekend I had my bachelorette party here and I have to say it was a ton of fun! They have a big selection of bags along with tons of fabric options to chose from! If you are an indecisive person, this place may get a bit overwhelming.
The girls that work here are all incredibly nice and if you start to get the deer in the headlights look they will come over and help you out.
The prices are expensive, but they have a couple of bags that are reversible, so it’s like you are getting 2 bags in one! And the fact that it is totally customizable makes the price worth it for me. This is definitely a place to go for a special occasion!

I was super excited to try out Lill for the first time. I was more disappointed with the entire «experience» than I can possibly express. I signed up for Unilocal just to write this review. The quality of the purse was so poor that I am almost embarrassed to wear it! I saw some reviews here saying that you can choose the interior fabrics of your purse. Well they don’t let you do that anymore and now all purses are lined with cheap solid black calico. The end of the zipper was left sticking out looking completely unfinished and the stitching wasn’t even straight. For $ 120 I expect a quality bag!
To make things worse they used the wrong fabrics on my bag the first time and when I said something the girl at the register accused me of lying! I will never return and don’t recommend this place to anyone!

I’ve been to 2 LILL in-​store parties and hosted my own private party in my house for a fun bachelorette party the day before a wedding so it had to be low key and family friendly – I can say this, the purses and overall concept/​design are amazing!
As a crafter/​creative person I was really drawn to the overwhelming amount of fabric selections and dizzying array of choices you could create – making your purse truly one of a kind. I have gotten more compliments on my bags by far than any name brand/​designer purse I carry. Plus they are well constructed/​durable fabrics and the store stands behind their products, ie if the lining or handles break, they will replace it for life. I can’t begin to count how many purse straps have buckled esp while carrying books, papers or my laptop so this was a very nice/​added touch.
In store vs private party
In Store is great for the first timer
–the layout of the store is super organized and you have ample space to play around with different purse shapes and fabrics
–I found the extremely talented/​creative assistance from their employees very helpful/​they suggested patterns and colors I would never have dreamed of (I’m taking baby steps into playing with pattern on patterns!)
Drawbacks are timing and no alcohol/​limited foods you can bring into the store which makes perfect sense but creates a different event
At Home Party
Depending on the size of your home it can be a little less organized, we hosted a party in our 2 bedroom apt and so the fabrics were at first all spread out nicely on our dining table and the purse samples in the adjoining living room but one hour later and fabric and purses were strewn about the house and people had swatches that other people wanted to use but in the end everyone was extremely happy with their purchases and the large group made sure that no one felt obligated to create anything/​still have a great time
what was nice was having the ability to serve food &drink and play our own music and of course decorate the house. In hindsight less people should have been invited (we had 18 women) and the group limitations for the store are spot-​on for the most interactive and enjoyable experiences.
While their purses are on the expensive side, especially as you go up to the larger travel/​diaper bags and briefcase sized bags, the experience and the personalization are what make this store so successful.
Every woman who attended my bachelorette party has mentioned how that bag always reminds them of that wedding weekend and how much fun they had and so it is not merely a purse, but a purse with great memories attached!
Plus I can’t recommend their Anne purse enough, very affordable and the perfect wristlet/​wallet size that can accommodate a smart phone, lip gloss and cash!

I love this concept. Custom handbags, without the work of sewing them yourself. I bought this for someone’s birthday, and ended up going with them to pick out said handbag at their location on Newbury street.
The store itself had a somewhat luxe feel, and the store clerk was friendly and helpful. The selection of handbag styles were decent. The selection of fabrics, however, I found somewhat lacking. Maybe not as far as number of fabrics-​but it seems to be marketed toward the 30-​plus set. The tones and styles are subdued. My company did manage to put together a lovely handbag, however.
I wouldn’t be interested in creating my own bag here. If your style is more conventional or you want a bag to take to an office job, this is worth it.

I was very excited to finally design my own handbag! I heard of Lil Studio from a friend and wanted to experience it, but never had the time. I went with a friend, which I definitely would recommend bringing somebody with you. There are sooo many different bag designs and materials to choose from that you would definitely need a second opinion.
The service was great while we were there. The staff was helpful. They made great suggestions and answered any questions that we had. It was after I left that day that was a big disappointment. They said that it took about two weeks to make the bag, but I waited more than two weeks and I never got a phone call. I ended up having to call Lil to see if my bag was ready and I got an answering machine each time. I think that the customer service portion needs a bit of improvement. But the most important thing was that the bag that I had designed was beautifully made.

A couple Christmas’s ago… I got a gift certificate for $ 150.00 (the cost of the most expensive design in the store) to ‘design my own handbag.’ I will admit that, at first, I thought this was potentially the most disappointing Christmas present ever. I couldn’t have been more wrong!
I walked into 1154 Lill one spring day and I fell instantly… head over heels…100% in love.
Hung on one wall are all the different bag designs you can choose from. On another rack there are the bags (all in black) available on hangars so that you can take them down and wrap various fabric samples around them to get an idea of what your potential bag will look like. There are so many fabrics, in so many textures, colors, and patterns. The lovely ladies there will tell you what they know works better on the interior versus exterior of the bag. But it doesn’t stop there… you can choose a fabric for the handle., a fabric for the outside of the bag, a fabric for the inside of the bag, AND a completely different fabric for lining of the small zip-​up pocket featured in some of the designs.
When I say I went hog wild — that’s an understatement. I picked out a black suede-​like fabric with teeny-​tiny white polka-​dots for the handle and interior of the bag. Too offset that, I chose a pale green taffetta with white polka-​dots for the zip-​up pocket. The outside of the bag got a black, white, and pink cotton canvas paisley print.
One of the ladies at the counter took my order and said that I could either ship or pick up my bag in two weeks. I chose to pick it up at the convenient location on Newbury… and I presented my gift certificate. I was so excited that I had left-​over funds on the gift certificate so I browsed their «pre-​made» section and got an adorable coin purse in a black and white felt parisan print.
I absolutely love this place and think it’s incredibly fun and unique — what are the chances that someone will pick out the exact same colors, patterns and fabrics as you? Improbable (though not impossible)…

4.5 stars — minus 0.5 for the price factor.
Two words I adore: «handbag» and «custom.» How could Lill go wrong?
You can visit the Lill website to design a bag online or just to get some ideas before visiting the shop — otherwise you might have a little panic attack when presented with multitude of options at the studio. If you still feel like your brain is about to pop, you can choose a design that’s already assembled for you.
They offer gift certificates (my birthday is coming up, everyone!) and discounts for groups (a party at your home or at the studio — what a fun activity for a group of ladies, right?). I’ve been thinking of getting semi-​matching bags as gifts for my bridesmaids … discount there, too! The staff is really friendly and helpful and the Boston location is nice and cozy.
Even if you’re not trying to spring for a $ 100+ bag, they offer other accessories (think headbands, wallets, pillows, etc.) — and Lill’s selection of shapes and fabrics can inspire your whole wardrobe/​look, so pop into the shop or visit the website even if you’re on a budget!

I give credit to Lill Studios. You can buy a bag that’s «ready made» or pick the same style and choose your own fabrics for the same price as the ready made.
The styles and fabrics were definitely enough to piqué my immediate interest in two gorgeous totes. But I haven’t gotten to a point where I would purchase a wallet pouch for $ 64 or a large-​ish bag for $ 164.
Call me crazy. But there’s something to be said about a bag that you can’t get out of your mind after you’ve left the store. Price, style, color, texture, it all has to be there for me. In a perfect harmony. And that feeling … it wasn’t there.

I love my bag.
It looks completely normal on the outside with its nice black/​beige/​purple floral fabric and matching purple top and strap.
And then you open it up and see OWL fabric. And a striped pocket.
I love my bag.

I do love Lill. I’ve come with a group and made purses, by myself as a present for myself, with my mom, and once to buy a purse they had pre-​made in the store!
There’s always something unique to make, and there is a lot of inspiration.
Sometimes when the store gets crowded it can be hard to get a sales associates help, but one will always come through for you.
I have the Grace, Andie, Jeanne, and I’m planning on getting the Erinn and the Donna soon!

This is a cool idea. You can make your own purse, clutch, coin bag.
I bought from a party last night and bought a coin bag and a clutch-​it was expensive… The more that is sold the more the hostess gets. That whole deal
Prices are expensive and fabrics are quality but limited. Same with the bag styles. There are light weight /​mid weight cottons, corduroy, felt-​like materials… no faux/​leather. You can pick everything, from the inside lining of your bag, outside fabric, color of pocket, color of strap, zipper closure or ribbon closure.
Those who can sew would probably have a full fledged heart attack at the prices.
Their hook is that «Noone will have YOUR bag»…Yet 10 girls at one party… with only a few styles under $ 100…yup someone if going to have YOUR bag…
Still a fun time, if wine is present.

I stumbled across this place during a visit to Boston 3 years ago. I bought the Katie as my first bag (small, reversible with a tie closure). I was flying solo that trip, but the staff was really helpful in suggesting fabrics to help me overcome the initial overwhelming feeling of «too many options!»
My second trip with my mother a year later, I got a pre-​made makeup bag, which has earned its keep by holding up better than any drugstore-​bought bag I’ve ever owned. I also ordered a custom Pamela (large, snap closure shoulder bag), extra-​custom due to the direction I wanted the warp of the fabric to go in (opposite the standard set-​up). The staff was happy to specify my request in the order, and I was pleasantly surprised to find my bag made perfectly when it arrived a few weeks later.
I consistently receive compliments on my bags, and I can’t wait for my next trip to a LILL city so I can make another!
(You can also design your own bags at their website –http://​www​.1154lill​stu​dio​.com — but its just so cool to be able to handle the fabrics and see the true colors in person…)

I attended a special shopping event here with the one of our very own fabulous eliters– the busty baroness.
Although it was a private party with yummy martinis and deelish snacks, I was able to get a good idea about how the store operates on a regular basis.
Although printed fabric bags are not my particular style, I truly appreciate the creative concepts behind this fun retail experience.
Being creative is something that most of us do not have the time or luxury of doing on a regular basis… and so I commend the founders and staff of this adorable boutique for creating a fun, comfortable, really cute environment to create your own bag in… there is no pretension –actually the manager here is over-​the-​top sweet.
Every gal needs a bag right? So why not pay a little extra and really make it our own? Sounds like a plan to me…