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| The Tote in Citrus |
Vera Bradley has had a seemingly endless variety of styles over the years. It is easy to get lost not only with current offerings, but also if one is getting "vintage" items. Here are my ten favorite Vera Bradley styles.
The Tote has turned out to be the bag I use the most for a pocketbook. It is a good size and simple in design, although I still wish the straps were quilted. The Tote is also a style that can handle the visual aspects of wear better than other designs. A somewhat worn tote can have that gentle look and feel of loved older linens and such, as compared to worn accessories that can just look like they need to be replaced.
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| My collection of Miller Bags |
The Miller Bag, as
I've said before, is my go-to bag for an overnight. It has six interior pockets and the shoulder straps make it easy to throw over my shoulder.
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| My favorite Satchel in Bermuda Pink |
The Satchel was a short-lived style, but also good for an overnight. One its nicest features is also one of its more limiting ones, which are its short, rolled handles. They came with detachable shoulder straps, but I quickly detached them as they were unattractive and distracting. (Although without the straps the Satchel is somewhat less versatile than the Miller Bag.)
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| The Mimi Backpack in Bees |
The Mimi Backpack is one of the most quintessential, and charming, Vera Bradley styles.
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| The Betsy in Petal Pink |
I like the
Betsy for its nice size. It also has six, very useful interior pockets.
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| Paddy in Royal |
Although I like the Betsy, it is not as good as what it replaced, which is the
Paddy. The differences are subtle - the Paddy has more depth and is wider at the top, tapering down at the bottom, like a mini Miller Bag, but it also has more charm than the Betsy.
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| Small Duffel in Katherine and Bees |
The
Small Duffle is one of those bags that simply looks great in almost any pattern. Although not big enough on its own for travel, it is the perfect companion bag for smaller items.
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| Wallet with Strap in Nantucket Navy |
There have been many wallet styles, but the best is still the
Wallet with Strap, although I never use the strap. See my
entry here on wallets.
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| Vera in Apple Green (original design on the left) |
Although arguably too large for a pocketbook, I still use the
Vera for that purpose anyway. I liked it somewhat more before its re-design. The original Vera had the border on the bottom as well as on the top and had the sweet cloth-covered button closure that has since been replaced with the tortoise toggle. Although the newer design is slightly shorter, which is probably an improvement.
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| Large Duffel in Citrus, Maison Blue and Pink Pans |
And of course for longer stays, or heavier packing, the
Large Duffel is just good looking and very roomy.
28 comments:
Love the shot of the Veras lined up in the Volvo. :)
What a great collection. I have a few totes and I love them. Being a knitter especially they come in handy to keep projects in.
You called the bag "good looking." Now I know we are from the same contingent:).
I have the large duffle, small duffle, dress bag and tote in Classic Black, which was retired a few years ago. I use them all of the time. They are great for a short trip. Sometimes I use the small duffle to pack things like magazines, snacks, IPOD, etc.
Muffy, If u had to pick an all time favorite VB with pattern and style combined which one bag would it be?
@John - That means a lot, coming from a Volvo aficionado!
@suburban prep - Thank you, and quite a few of my knitting friends use the totes in the same way.
@LPC - Quite amusing. I didn't even give it any thought!
@Tammy B - Classic Black was one of their all-time greats. A lot of people miss that pattern.
@Kentucky Kameleon - I would have to say a Greenfield Tote, and thanks to a very thoughtful friend, I recently received it.
Amazing collection! Love the photo of the bags in the car : )
I have a few Vera Bradley accessories, all in Java Blue, and we use the diaper bag in the same print for our baby's items.
Sadly, Java Blue has now been retired and I am not sure I like any of the new patterns enough to begin collecting something else.
I love Bermuda Pink and Bermuda Blue. One of my other favorites is Riviera Blue--love it!
That is quite the collection of Miller bags! I agree with all of your choices and would add the Villager tote to the list of all time great Vera Bradley Styles.
Muffy,
What do you think is the best pattern that is out now?
Thanks
@LoneStarPrep - Java Blue has been one of their longest running, if not the longest running, pattern. Royal was the other. And I agree, no pattern has caught my attention recently either.
@Miss Southern Prep - For whatever reason, I missed out on Bermuda Blue. I do have a couple of thing in Riviera Blue - Satchel, Villager, and Large Backpack.
@Sue Giannotta - Most of my Miller Bags came from a friend down the road who decided she need to downsize her collection. You are right about the Villager. I went back and forth between the Betsy or the Villager. I like my old Villagers better as they had the quilted straps.
@Anonymous - That is not an easy question. I haven't really liked many of their pattern in a while. I do have a couple of things in Twirly Birds Navy, but only because I got them at cost. I have not yet seen Blue Lagoon in person, but that might be my first choice. I am also interested to see how English Garden looks when it comes out at the end of the month.
Obviously I'm missing something because I've never quite understood the appeal of Vera Bradley. Is it the variety of patterns? I appreciate they are lightweight but always worry the material will tear if I'm carrying books or something heavy in them. Canvas bags seem so much sturdier.
Seeing your collection makes me nostalgic for the older patterns.
So handy!
I'm here via the Suburban Princess :)
I don't normally like Vera Bradley prints at all, but I really liked the Bees print on the mini backpack. Is it still around?
I was at my local Vera retailer the other day the canvas that just can out alright. I wasn't really a fan of the colors though, which are orange, turquoise blue, and a tan.
I actually like the twirly bird navy print, but my favorite is Nantucket Navy.
you have quite the formidable Vera collection!
Dear Muffy,
You have an amazing vera collection! Is that all you have or is there more? How have you collected these bags (ebay, etc). I'm a vera addict, by my collection pales in comparison!
My favorite is Nantucket Navy, hands down (as I'm a navy blue girl from way back); J1 has Classic Black and a few pieces of Pink Pansy from middle school and J2 has Medallion, which goes well with her wardrobe--she's a redhead. I prefer the patterns that are more reminiscent of Pierre Deux bags, the original quilted print bags--and they have a nice black print on their website I like, too.
@Anonymous - For me, the appeal is broad. I find them unpretentious, well made, and light and bright - both visually as well as literally. And I find the older patterns charming. (I always use my canvas bags for heavier items.)
@Carole - I share your nostalgia.
@Teena in Toronto - So glad you are here, and thank you Suburban Princess!
@whattokeep - Only on ebay, I am afraid.
@Julia - They make the canvas in a navy, which they call Indigo. What I don't care for is the way the side trim is tapered.
@mary anne - Nantucket Navy is one of my favorites. Everything looks good in it.
@Brooke Jeter - Oh, there's more, but I have been acquiring them for almost twenty years now. A good many came from a friend, and at bargain prices. There were some for which I paid full price; some were purchased on sale when they were retired; and some were gifts. I don't shop from ebay, but some of these were purchased there for me as gifts.
@Mom on the Run - I so agree with both the Nantucket Navy and Pierre Deux comments.
These colors look so warm and inviting. Spring has come to TDP. Another fabulous post.
Loved the post! I have also collected Veras over the years (what I miss most are the quilted handles on the Villager and the medium and small toggle totes). I love some of the older patterns, but recently purchased some items in Twirly Bird Navy--I love the color scheme and lining pattern.
Just delighted to find your blog and read of your devotion to the Vera Bradley line! A Red Bandana tote was an early acquisition and I still adore it enough to pull it out on weekends though its handles are now slightly frayed.
I am a devotee of the tote as a purse for the reasons you cite and because it so perfectly suits my body in terms of proportion. I carry a Vibrant Black messenger bag as a briefcase now, having worn my Classic Black Vera to a nub.
I've purchased some of the festive patterns, like Java Blue, Puccini, and Yellow Bird, but I've just never lost my appetite for the more classic color combos and patterns, notably French Blue, Maison Blue, and Nantucket Navy. They speak to my Pierre Deux leanings, I guess.
Thanks for this splendid retrospective and peek at your collection.
Mary
Flat Rock Creek Notebook
@Raulston - Most kind of you. Thank you.
@Anonymous - You captured the two best aspects of Twirly Bird Navy. Someone asked me which of the currents patterns I liked the best. I probably have to recant and now say if I had to choose one it would be the Twirly Bird Navy.
@M - I so share your fondness for Pierre Deux and always favor the patterns that are reminiscent of them. I still have one Villager and a medium cosmetic bag in the French Blue that you mentioned.
I bought a bunch (at cost), of the small backpacks and such for my daughter (now age 16) when she was in grades 4-7, but when I showed her this blog post she told me she does not see any Vera on teens any more. They want Coach now. She does use her monogrammed totes from LLBean and Lands End, but the Vera never comes out any more.
My favorite was the Vera black chinoiserie (name?) I bought the day after she was born and used it for her baby bag for years - now it is my toiletries bag.
I happen to adore Vera Bradley bags, have for years.
Just curious though...would you ever use a large duffle if you were going on a trip that required checking in bags at the air lines? Have you ever checked your large duffles on air lines and what was their condition afterward? We are taking a trip with the family soon and we don't have enough luggage for 2 adults and 5 children (who does). I thought about breaking out my large duffles for the girls, but I would be devastated if they were ruined. I might just have to make a quick run to Target for some inexpensive suit cases.
Your thoughts?
@HipWaldorf - Your daughter's observations are interesting, as it appears to me as though Vera Bradley is aggressively going after the teen market. I do still see a lot of teens using the totes for their books.
@Susan R - I wouldn't check any duffel about which I cared. I am thinking you might be heading over to Target.
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