Love It or Hate It: Vera Bradley Bags
June 12, 2009 by Anna | Filed under Style & Trends
Seeing these bags is a little bittersweet and comes with many stories for me. First I'd like to start off by saying, "bag be ugly." Alright. I am from Kentucky and these bags were so incredibly huge when I was in high school and still now. All of the preppy girls had a Vera Bradley
Fast forward after high school, I moved to California and attended FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising). A very swanky high fashion Los Angeles Fashion school that's overpriced and filled with extremely trendy, high fashion, and creative girls. Vera Bradley's were no where in sight. "They must be behind the times." I thought. For a class project, I had to bring in a lot of supplies which only my 'Momma Bradley' duffle bag could hold. I threw everything in there and didn't think twice. No one will even knows what kind of bag it is. As I sat in class waiting on my turn on the presentation, a girl looked at my bag and asked, "Is that a Vera Bradley?" and I was surprised! I replied, "You know what a Vera Bradley is?!". And in the nicest way she could have said it, she says, "Yea, my grandma has one." From that day forward, I removed the bag and never used it again. I never thought it was cute and I should have gone with my instincts! The best thing I could take from it was that my mom was very sweet to make all of her bags for me and I'm glad she didn't spend money on this overpriced southern grandma purse. And for that, I truly appreciate her.
But here I am in 2009, faced with the Vera Bradley bag once again. Like any award show, the attendees get gifts galore and Vera Bradley has made it's way into the Lipton Gift Lounge at this years Tony Awards. They even had something for the guys. It's not as grotesque as I remembered it, but still kind of burns my eyes. So here are my thoughts.
There's only 3 exceptions to getting a Vera Bradley:
1. You have grand kids and you are obsessed with quilted things.
2. You live in the Midwest and Louis Vuitton bags are just too expensive for you to indulge in.
3. You're 10 and you love pink. This pink bag is actually kind of cute for a little girl and therefore acceptable.
It's cool to totally disagree with me here, so if you must purchase a Vera Bradley bag, I suggest ebay. So much cheaper that way.
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Hi Anna,
I enjoyed your post (even though I’m on the other side of the fence on this issue). I grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which is Vera Bradley’s hometown - I would say about half of the women here own a Vera Bradley (and no one owns a Louis Vuitton - you know us Midwest women well!).
For people that think they look like “granny bags”, I always recommend they check out the microfiber styles. The microfiber bags are very classy looking - and they hold up great…
Anyway, keep up the great work here!
I so agree with you that they’re fug-ly. I feel bad, because someone gave it to me for Christmas and I immediately hated it, but tried to act pleased. I had never even heard of Vera Bradley, so when I (guiltily) went to sell it on eBay, imagine my surprise to see that these things sell for $50 and up. And I’m 47 years old, the age of the moms of some teenaged girls seeking advice on which Vera Bradley bag to buy for them. Maybe because my daughter is younger (nine), I live in a younger-Mom world, but I honestly wouldn’t be caught dead carrying one. I just hate it.
Am working all this weekend!
I like your article, but don’t be a snob.
Vera Bradley bags are beautiful to me, and the anthropomorphic vegetative designs that they have been sporting as of late are gorgeous. I also enjoy the paisley prints and the bold colors of the fabric.
As for overpriced, there are few bags more overpriced and commercialized than Louis Vuitton, the gold standard for the supposedly trendy bunch of women who generally prefer cities to the countryside. Do you see any knock offs of Vera Bradley at Canal Street? Never. Instead, you’re likely to find a bunch of Somalian immigrants standing in front of suitcases splayed open to ugly, monochrome Louis Vuitton imitations of the equally boring originals. Their bags are brown, black, and the occasional beige. In fact sellers say “Louis Vuitton” in hasty syllables as you walk past, as if they are someone aware that the name will snag you more than the bag.
In truth, there’s no color or vitality in those plastic monstrosities with cheap metal trinkets and predictable lettered or checkered prints. I can find prettier bags in my local shoe store for half the price. And the originals sell for hundreds of dollars? Truly a waste of money - like buying a purse for the namesake, not for taste or beauty. I have never found the rich, “designer” purses to be attractive - instead, they scream pretentious.
By contrast, a Vera Bradley bag will set you back a slightly pinched $50 - $70, but you can get new ones or even pre-owned bags for as low as $30 on ebay.
And compared to high price designers, the Vera Bradley bag is far more pleasing to the eye. The texture of the quilted fabric is oh - so - soft, the pattern is complex, feminine, full of brilliant color (not. just. pink), and the whole thing feels vital and alive - the polar opposite of a boring designer label that rides on reputation, as opposed to taste. I am no granny or preening Southern belle but I am happy to carry a Vera Bradley.
All of the New Yorkers who frown down upon Vera Bradley and those marvelous splashes of color as “low class” (and I know a few) should do a double take on their likely forgettable clothing and accessories. When I lived in New York I was surprised at how many people wore drab, boring clothes - regardless of class - and they looked disturbingly alike - even the ones who carried those fancy, boring purses. Maybe it was the bad economy, but it was disappointing.
I called most stylish ones “funeral chic,” as even the fashionable urban women stuck to monochromatic clothes. It is a shame, considering I expected the big city to have a lot in terms of colors, styles, and fashion. In the Southern states, especially in the summer you see women who dare to wear lots of bold color, soft floral prints and tiered skirts with beaded sandals or turquoise and silver accents, for instance. And they make do without paying insane fees for “designer” labels. They are not obsessed with brands like Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, or Gucci as they are in the city.
Where was I going with this letter? Ah, yes.
From a country girl to an undoubtedly urban maven - don’t dig on my Vera Bradley!
I believe Vera Bradley’s are really cute,i mean they make the boring-est outfit look so cute. But i do also have to admit that i have many myself, am a teen, and i live in a very tropical colorful part of Florida.Here there very popular, but i just like them because there cute,affordable, and not too mature looking. Great article though i appreciate opinion!