Once upon a time I didn’t have any Vera Bradley purses because I didn’t like them. Or so I thought… Today, I have five and expect that number to grow as they continue to release fandom bags. That might seem like an odd thing to celebrate, but I did mention that I didn’t like them, right? But it turns out that I didn’t like them because I didn’t have any so how could I really know if I liked them or not unless I bought one to try?
Phew! That sounds kind of confusing and I apologize if it did. However, it’s true. It comes down to that I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
HOME TO HOGWARTS DESIGN
They released their first Harry Potter collection, called Home To Hogwarts, in mid-2020. It was, to me, underwhelming. I wasn’t alone in that opinion of the design and read a lot of unhappy comments on a Harry Potter group that I help moderate on Facebook.
This is what that design looked like. It is very busy and although there are a lot of wizarding references, they are fairly well hidden so I don’t think of Harry Potter when I look at it. Keep in mind that this is an all-over print design, which means that some of the more obvious references, such as the Hogwarts crest or Hedwig, might not be on a bag. Design placement is something that I explained here.
Earlier this year I created this website and knew that it would be helpful if I had at least one bag from each of the main fandom bag sellers. I already had plenty from Loungefly, several from Danielle Nicole, and a couple from BioWorld. None from Vera Bradley, though. Because you know, I didn’t like them (so I keep saying!).
Vera Bradley makes two fandom lines: Disney and Harry Potter. I already had a lot of Harry Potter purses and mini backpacks so I decided to look for something from their Disney line. After much searching I found a Minnie Mouse purse about bought it for no other reason than to have first-hand experience with one of their products. This is the bag that I bought, although I forget the official name of it, other than the color is plum.
I bought the bag in mid-2021 but didn’t use it until a friend invited me for a day to Disney World in September. It was the perfect time to try it out! Although I wasn’t all that crazy about the pattern on the purse, I found myself liking it more and more as the day went on. I started to understand that purses made by Vera Bradley are very well thought out. Not only that, but one of the rides soaked me and the purse. I freaked out slightly when this happened because I had something made of paper inside the front pocket that just got wet, but I’m happy to say that the inside of the pocket stayed completely dry. I wasn’t expecting that.
By the end of the night I was hooked, and I started to consider getting another one. The seed was planted and continued to grow over the next week or so, until I finally broke down and turned to eBay to see if there were any of their fandom styles that spoke to me. That’s when I discovered their second Harry Potter design called Herbology and it didn’t just speak, it screamed to me.
HERBOLOGY DESIGN
It turns out that Vera Bradley released another Harry Potter design in early 2021 called Herbology. I liked the second design, which was much more recognizable for the fandom that it represented.
When I looked at this line I did think of Harry Potter. Maybe it was the mandrakes? Maybe it was the earmuffs? Maybe it was simply that it was less busy to me that the original design. Whatever the difference, I was shocked by not just liking it but wanting it.
They were all sold out of this design in stores by the time this hit my radar so I turned to my favorite aftermarket website, eBay. eBay has plenty of them and I found a ReActive Crossbody Sling in this pattern, which I bought for an upcoming trip.
FYI, for those of you who don’t know, ReActive is the name that Vera Bradley has given to purses made from recycled plastic. Most of their bags are made from cotton but not ReActive items.
FORBIDDEN FOREST DESIGN
Ironically, literally the day after I bought my Herbology purse I read that they were soon releasing a third line called Forbidden Forest and I didn’t just like it, I loved it!!! The third time was the charm, I guess.
The colors are gorgeous! The animals are gorgeous! Well, not Aragog the acromantula, aka giant spider… But other than that, everything about this new design is perfect! I wasn’t the least bit disappointed that I had ordered the Herbology design just the day before seeing this new design, but I knew that I’d also want this.
As I’ve already written about, the day that my local store opened on the date that Vera Bradley released the Forbidden Forest line and I bought two bags. I was thrilled to see that the bags are even more gorgeous in person than in the pictures. I ended up taking both of my new bags AND my Herbology purse with my on my trip, and I got a lot of compliments on them.
Shortly after I bought my three bags I was contacted by someone at Vera Bradley. They found me from my Harry Potter website and they offered to send me a purse from their new line to review. I was overjoyed and told that how much I love the new line, and that I’d already bought two of them. They sent the Sling Backpack to me and it arrived this week. I’ve been using it ever since I got it and will be writing an in-depth review very soon. But I’ll give you a hint: It might be my favorite of my four bags, although that’s going to be difficult to determine for sure because they are all fantastic bags.
Now I am happy to say that I have four Vera Bradley Harry Potter purses, one Herbology and three Forbidden Forest. Here are the bags that I have.
As you can see, they are all very different purses. Three are similar sized, while the fourth one is small. But don’t let the size fool you, I think there’s an Undetectable Extension Charm on it because it holds more than I initially thought, including my cell phone.
Did I catch earlier where I said that these are all very well thought? They truly are. There are pockets, both zipped and slip, and one of them (the Triple Zip Hipster) even has a slot for your wand. If you’ve read any of my reviews then you know how much I love pockets and it’s like this company knows me and made these just for me. SO many pockets! SO many organizational options! And so pretty!
What it comes down to is that Vera Bradley won me over by making quality products that look pretty and fit my personal needs. Simple as that, and I’m so glad that I finally used my Mickey Mouse purse to realize how wonderful this brand truly is. Today I have five but who knows how many I will have this time next year.
Which of the Harry Potter Vera Bradley bags do you have and which is your favorite? What do you like best about them? Tell me in the comments below.
Lastly, a big THANK YOU to Vera Bradley for the gift of the Sling Backpack.