Shoes

[goldreich27]

Her bags are way overpriced-period. If this company goes down hill it's because they keep expecting customers to pay the over the top pricing for a material sack!

[BMPerry]

I bought the weekender bag along with a few matching cosmetic bags ( on sale) for traveling a few years back, they have held up nicely but I am not crazy about the prints, colors and styles in the last few years I wont be buying anymore of them...they have gotten too pricey for what they are ...

I dont see people carrying them like I used too, I think they are just not as popular..

[Quiltlady]

I make quilts so I love printed fabrics! I own a few of the VB weekender bags and a few large totes. I enjoy using them on vacations and day trips. I don't own any of their floral handbags because I mostly wear print blouses etc. to have them clash would drive me crazy!!! I recently bought their microfiber cross body bag that also has a patent handle and I love it!! First got the black solid on the Q then went to the VB website and got the fuchia solid at reg price that's how nice it is. I wish the company well and hope they can draw in new customers.

[Breamy]

I feel they started bombarding the market with too many prints/year. Every time I turned around, more prints were being introduced and then a print that I really liked....they would retire! I used them for travelling but I can't afford to buy everything at one time and I didn't want to have a weekender in one pattern and a metropolitan in another pattern. Also, I felt the quality went down. I used my east/west little hipster for one week last summer and the fabric began to wear and the stitching was pulling! I took it to a local seamstress and had it reinforced! This is the exact reason my local boutique quit carrying them. They said it was too hard for a smaller establishment to keep ordering the newer patterns and then putting the older patterns on clearance. I was told by one of the sales clerks that customers were waiting for the items to go on clearance because it didn't take that long!

[cinebee]

On 3/13/2015 OkeyDokey said:

On 3/13/2015 cinebee said:

BRIGHTON is still my #1 choice for handbags. You cannot wear them out and they are beautiful. Expensive yes but worth it to me. We still have several stores in my area. Dooney bags are so boring in comparison, IMHO.

I didn't mean to put Brighton down in any way, but it may have seemed that way. I agree that the quality is very good and that the products have a very classy look. I've been waffling back and forth on a few styles myself. However, they are no longer as big a powerhouse as they were back in the late 90's-early 2000's. They had become a behemoth and have since scaled back out of necessity. Still have quality products though. fwiw

No worries. I just love my Brighton. But everybody's taste is different.

[CJC]

I too think Vera Bradley is a company whose ship has sailed. VB's popularity seemed to peak back in the late 90's - early 2000's when the biggie in home décor style was country cottage and shabby chic. Those large floral prints of VB bags fit right into the cabbage rose decade. The days of painted furniture and soft pastels like mauve, pale blue, yellow and cream are on the way out, as more sophisticated contemporary designs catch the eye of today's young adults. I have several VB patterned bags in my closet, but I find myself always carrying the solid microfiber or the simplest non-floral patterns. I live in a neighborhood of retirees, so I do see VB floral bags here and there. The younger girls I know (hair stylist, trainer, dentist, medical workers, young moms) wouldn't be caught dead carrying an "old lady" Vera bag. Just my observation. I love the light weight and multi pockets of Vera bags, so I'm hoping for more colors in microfiber. I used to be a Coach/Dooney gal, but the weight of those larger leather bags is just not for me. I also enjoy changing out my bags with the seasons, and the reasonable price of Vera bags allows me to do so. If I pay $500 for a Coach, you can bet I'll need to carry it till the coffin closes.

[White Picket Fence]

I have many of their duffle bags. I started collecting them awhile back. I also have some Frannie bags and a few handbags. However, I am not surprised at this news. I have thought for awhile now that they need some new hip designers. They need to get a younger crowd interested. I think girls today at least where I live want the big name handbags or cool looking ones.

The quilted bags do not attract their attention at all. They see Grandma and mom in the styles.

The Company needs to revamp it's style and patterns. Add some animal prints, camo, plaids and other fun looks. A red and black buffalo plaid bag done in a soft wool like material would rock with the younger girls and I would buy one myself! I'm in my 50's and do not wear the bags I have any more. I feel like they have an older lady look to them, and inside I'm very young. JMO

[HULAGIRL]

I used to like some of their prints (Yellow Bird was my favorite), but when they started all those harsh "pop art flower child" type prints, they lost me forever.

[CJC]

On 3/18/2015 hulagirl said:

I used to like some of their prints (Yellow Bird was my favorite), but when they started all those harsh "pop art flower child" type prints, they lost me forever.

Yellow Bird was a favorite of mine too. I also loved Sittin' in a Tree.

[bootsanne]

I've been collecting VB for about 20 years. I have around 60 in pristine condition with their tags. However, the new ones can't hold a candle to the ones made in Indiana. The older prints were beautiful and I still carry occasionally. I find the newer prints to be very loud and garish. And I too have quit changing purses on a weekly basis. So I did buy a new VB in leather which is absolutely beautiful. The leather quilting is so soft you would think it is microfiber. It is in taupe trimmed in orange. BTW, the leather line is selling like crazy in my area as it took me several phone calls to track this bag down. I also went crazy and purchased a Coach in a neutral leather. These 2 cost close to a thousand but I am no longer buying 4 or 5 prints a year. I feel sad to see an American tradition go down the tubes but those loud prints are no longer appealing to me.