What’s up with the Vera Bradley obsession?

A writer over on Cafe Mom asked a similar question yesterday and I found myself nodding in agreement.

Vera Bradley is hugely popular, I know. I can’t leave the house in the Capital Region without seeing someone with a patterned bag and everyone from tweens to diaper bag-totin’ moms wear Vera Bradley on their arm.

Stores in the area market themselves as carrying Vera to lure you in and people celebrate on Twitter or Facebook when they finally score one of the quilted goodies and yet I can’t even see myself carrying one if I got it as a gift.

I just don’t get the fascination. Not only are those suckers expensive, but the whole idea of your wallet matching your handbag which also matches your tote/carry-on is a little too JCPenney 1988 for me (my Nana used to buy Cindy and me little leather — pleather? — handbags with matching wallets attached inside for Christmas when we were little).

It could also be that I’m not a huge fan of fussy/busy clothing or accessories (ex: I don’t care for Lily Pulitzer, either) or maybe I’m just too focused on loving fannypacks to move forward into 2011 where people fawn over (and knock off) Vera Bradley like it’s Coach or, more impressively, Gucci.

Vera Bradley Jazzy Clutch | Fun Practical Patchwork Purple Purse

Vera Bradley looks to bring a bit of color to your everyday with this fun Jazzy clutch from her Patchwork collection.

Vera Bradley has fun with patchwork here, using curved swatches of her signature fabrics to create a finish which is quite stylish and modern. What it lacks in luxury it certainly makes up for in personality. This is definitely an improvement over those tired old square patches!

The Jazzy clutch looks relatively simple, but its interior is actually packed with features. I was pleasantly surprised to find slots for five cards tucked away in there. That might not be enough for a serious shopping spree, but in a purse that seems so basic at first I'm thankful for what we get!

Hand-held clutching's all well and good, but it can become tiresome by the end of the day. Thankfully Vera Bradley adds a removable wrist strap for those times we want to go hands free.

Vera Bradley's crammed a lot of value into this purse, which helps to justify its price tag of $45. That's a bit expensive for a Vera Bradley bag, especially one so small, but I'm still seriously tempted.