Vera Bradley and Greek Life

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by fantASTic

Eh. I know a few girls that have them, but not sorority girls necessarily. Personally, I think they're ugly...grandma-type bags.

Originally Posted by sass n klass

ditto

double ditto

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

double ditto

Ditto her ditto. I think Vera Bradley are Fugly.

[NUBlue&Blue]

It's funny to see the different levels of popularity in different pockets of the country. They've been big here for a long time, but were much more exclusive before everybody and their brother carried them. Only small gift retailers or boutiques could get them (hence the Hallmark stores, although here no Hallmark stores carried them it was higher end boutiques). They were all the rage among my Longaberger lady friends back in the late '90's.

I think here they were waning in popularity amongst the collegiate crowd about the time my oldest daughter graduated from HS in 2005, because I only saw a few people carrying them at her orientation. I know more girls probably used the luggage at that time than as a purse. My daughters had a few in high school and they have the duffle bags for luggage, but they told me they are "over" Vera Bradley.

In our area now, when I'm sitting in the carpool line, every middle schooler I see walking down the sidewalk is carrying one, which we all know is the end of any trend. I think it cycled through here earlier than some places.

[dukemama]

The only people I know personally who carry Vera Bradley bags are my mom and my mother-in-law, who are 74 and 65, respectively.

'Nuff said.

[UGAalum94]

I think they will hang in there, just that the big trend may have peaked in some areas where they got really huge.

They may end up doing better with other parts of the line that aren't so obviously Vera, and of course, will continue with the old lady and diaper bag markets. I think the luggage also makes a lot of sense for any kind of auto travel.

There are some things about VB that I really like. The fact that they are usually washable is one of them.

[NUBlue&Blue]

It totally depends on where you live. My mom is 65 and she thinks they look like young girls' purses.

Maybe they're more common among younger people in the South and seen as old lady purses in the North. Who knows.

I only have 4, three of which look like the Pierre Deux patterns that have been around forever. I have one Java Blue bag, but it's not my favorite.

But it's like everything that becomes trendy--once everybody's got access to it, the early adapters don't want it anymore. I just thought it was interesting in the difference in levels of popularity depending on where you live.

[dukemama]

Originally Posted by NUBlue&Blue

It totally depends on where you live. My mom is 65 and she thinks they look like young girls' purses.

Maybe they're more common among younger people in the South and seen as old lady purses in the North. Who knows.

You may have a point there. My mom and mother-in-law were both born in New York State, and my family also lived in CT for many years.

[TriDPrincess]

I know of two girls in my chapter that have VB bags. However, they don't seem so popular in my area (surburban NY) otherwise. I liked the patterns but not the bags (too quilty), now they're kind of growing on me.

[Munchkin03]

I see VB fairly regularly here in NYC, but I know that's a function of who I'm hanging out with--a lot of Greeks (AXO and others), and a lot of people from the Midwest and South, as well as from Virginia and Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Normally, I just see duffles and larger bags, and the occasional wallet or change purse. We're a pretty preppy group, so we have a lot of VB/Vineyard Vines/LL Bean Boat and Totes in our cabs, especially when we're going on vacation! For every day purses, most of us rock something a little more professional.

My niece, who's 12, says she and her friends love Vera. The not-so-little-anymore munchkin likes Java Blue.

[redryder27]

i have never heard of vera bradley until the op posted this thread. it's not very popular in socal. no body carries them at my school..not very well known.

[Jill1228]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

My niece, who's 12, says she and her friends love Vera. The not-so-little-anymore munchkin likes Java Blue.

My goddaughter is in North Carolina and for the past few years I have been spoiling her with Vera bags for Christmas and her birthday (she just turned 15 yesterday)

VB is big in North Carolina (she is in Winston-Salem)

[ncse88]

as many people have said, VB is big in North Carolina. At the school I go to in NC, VB is pretty popular, amongst all students. However, with Greeks it is a little different. It is popular among some Greeks, but many sorority girls who are in the some of the top tier sororities, debutantes, or bred for sororities, etc, wouldn't be caught dead with VB. Instead, they carry Longchamp totes, Herve Chapelier bags, Vineyard Vine totes, etc. It is interesting how it is different.