Summer 2010 Vera Bradley Patterns Are Here!

March 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Although we just welcomed the first day of spring on Saturday, the new summer 2010 Vera Bradley patterns are now arriving at the stores!  That's not unusual though - retailers always seem to be one season ahead of everyone else, don't they?

Anyway, here in Indiana, summer will not be here until June.  That's when the temperatures are finally warm enough to take a dip in the pool and the kids are happy to be out of school.  Although summer is not officially here, I know more than one person who would have had a hard time waiting until its true arrival on June 21st to get their hands on these new patterns.  There were sneak peeks floating around back in the fall, and once you get a glimpse, it can be difficult to wait!

However, the wait is over, and the new summer 2010 Vera Bradley patterns are starting to arrive in most stores.  As always, I'm having a hard time picking a favorite, so I thought I would see what everyone else is saying, and what better way to do that then with a poll.  So, here goes...

Which Summer Pattern Is Your Favorite?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
[Read more...]

Filed Under: What's New Tagged With: , , , ,

Good News – Vera Bradley Outlet Sale Extended!

March 24, 2010 By 15 Comments

I just received word that the 2010 Vera Bradley Outlet Sale will be extended by one day!  Here are the updated dates and times:

Thursday 4/29/2010: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Friday 4/30/2010: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Saturday 5/01/2010: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Sunday 5/02/2010: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

As you can see, Sunday has now been added, and on Saturday, the sale will be open for two hours longer, closing at 8:00 p.m. instead of 6:00 p.m. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Vera Bradley Outlet Sale Tagged With:

Registration Information for the 2010 Vera Bradley Outlet Sale

March 1, 2010 By 41 Comments

Online pre-registration for the spring 2010 Vera Bradley Outlet Sale is now available.  The cost to pre-register is $5.00 per person.  You can sign up online from now until April 23, 2010.

Registration is only required for sale attendees who plan to purchase items at the sale.  It is not required for admittance to the sale.  For example, if you want to take your husband or children, and they will not be buying anything, there is no need for them to register.  Registration is only needed to check out and is used to verify that attendees do not exceed the $2,500 per person purchase limit.  In addition to the registration confirmation form, you will need to provide a photo ID when you check out at the sale.

Online registration is available until April 23, 2010.  If you miss that date or do not want to register online, you can do it at the sale.  However, there's a few advantages to taking care of it in advance:

1.  One less line to wait in!  Registration is not handled at the checkouts - it's in a separate area.  If you are like me and hate to wait in lines, it's a good idea to take care of it online.

2.  Coupons!  If you pre-register online, you will receive an outlet sale coupon for $10.00 off any purchase of $50.00 or more.  However, keep in mind that this coupon is only good for Friday, April 30, 2010.

3.  Sale Updates - Vera Bradley will send out sale updates during the event.  Keep an eye on your e-mail to learn about markdowns and specials that occur during the three day event.  In addition to email, another good place to get updates is through the local radio stations.  FM 95.1 usually broadcasts from the sale, and I always listen to them to receive updates. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Vera Bradley Outlet Sale Tagged With: ,

Vera Bradley Totally Turq – A Colorful Classic

February 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Vera Bradley Totally Turq pattern, new for spring 2010, is what I would consider to be a "classic" print.  When I think of all the handbags that this company has released during the years, I usually think of the many eye-catching geometric quilted fabrics featuring paisleys, florals, and medallions.

Totally Turq is yet another one that would fit in this category.  There's no paisley on this print, but there are scrolls and medallions, and if you look closely, you can see a hint of floral on this pretty pattern.

It has an attractive color scheme too.  The background for this print is a soft turquoise.  This particular color is considered to be one of the biggest colors for not only the spring season, but for 2010 as well.  I recently read that Pantone LLC, considered to be the "world-renowned authority on color", named turquoise the 2010 color of the year, and had this to say about it: [Read more...]

Filed Under: What's New Tagged With: ,

The Nature-Inspired Vera Bradley Sittin’ in a Tree

February 24, 2010 By 1 Comment

Recently, I did a post about the new spring patterns, including the adorable Vera Bradley Sittin' in a Tree fabric.  Before the summer patterns arrive in the stores (trust me, they will be here before we know it!), I wanted to talk a little more about the spring styles.  To kick off the discussion, I thought I would talk about my favorite of the four new releases - the Sittin' in a Tree pattern.

I always chuckle to myself when I hear others call these granny bags.  Before the spring styles actually hit the stores, there was a lot of "granny bag talk", even from diehard Vera fans.  I think it has to do with the fact that three of the four new spring patterns have vintage roots.

However, that's not the only reason.  I also think some of the preliminary pictures were not the best.  Last summer, Vera Bradley posted sneak peek pictures of Sittin' in a Tree on Flickr.  Here's a link so you know what I'm talking about:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/clubvera/3788375179/in/set-72157621819487995/

When I saw this picture, I have to admit that I didn't like the colors at all.  I know sometimes computer monitors can display differently, but I looked at this picture on about half a dozen different monitors, and to be honest, I did not like what I saw on any of them!  The green and turquoise hues were almost fluorescent and just didn't work well on the brown background.  Fortunately, it was either a bad picture, or the pattern went through some additional modifications before its release, because the style that is now in stores is so much better than those original pics. [Read more...]

Filed Under: What's New Tagged With:

Vera Bradley Spring 2010 Collection – Vintage is In!

February 3, 2010 By 3 Comments

The new Vera Bradley Spring 2010 collection has been in stores for a couple of weeks now, and I'm curious to hear what everyone thinks of them.   I have talked to a few people who mentioned they did not think they would like them based on pictures they had seen, but after getting a firsthand look, they were smitten!

Vera Bradley Spring 2010 Collection

A few of the new patterns were inspired by vintage fabrics.  I love almost everything vintage, and I think the designers did a great job bringing the past into the present with the Spring 2010 collection.  Although I'm anxiously looking forward to the summer styles, I do love these recent introductions.   [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else Tagged With:

A Few More Vera Bradley Outlet Sale Updates

January 27, 2010 By 7 Comments

Hey everyone!  Well, I have been keeping an eye out for more news about the 2010 Vera Bradley Outlet Sale, and so far, there really hasn't been any announcements.  I'm not very good at waiting, so today I called the company to see if I could get any details...

First, I confirmed that the sale has been pushed back a day.  The new dates for the sale are indeed April 29 - May 1, 2010.

I crossed my fingers and asked if there would be a preview day.  They didn't have one last year, but in previous years, usually the first day of the sale was limited to ticketed customers.  Proceeds from the ticket sales were donated to the Vera Bradley Foundation.  I was hoping that was why they pushed back the date, so that they could use the 28th as a fundraiser for the Foundation.  I did not receive a positive yes or no.  Instead, I was told that it was "not likely".

Finally, I asked about registration requirements.  They do plan to do this again this year, but could not provide any specific details yet.  If I remember right, last year we didn't know about the registration requirements until mid-February, and the actual registration process didn't start taking place until mid-March.

That's all I have for now, but if I find out anything else, I will definitely share it here...

Filed Under: Everything Else Tagged With:

Vera Bradley 2010 Outlet Sale – Important Date Change

January 14, 2010 By 2 Comments

Apparently, the dates of the Vera Bradley 2010 Outlet Sale have now been knocked back a day.  This morning I was visiting Vera Bradley's Facebook page, when I came across this post by one of their fans...

Just wanna comment on the sale dates for the outlet sale this year. Last year when we went they stated the sale would be April 28th - May 1st. 4 days instead of the usual 5 days. I checked the website today only to see that they have it posted as April 29th - May 1st. ONLY 3 DAYS? WHY? Is it perhaps since they opened the outlet store in Aurora, IL they are scaling back on the yearly Fort Wayne sale? I think it's gonna be a crowded mess - can you imagine 50,000 people + in the coliesum in 3 days (instead of 5)? Hope they are organized and got good security!

I immediately checked the outlet sale information page on their website, and sure enough, they had quietly changed the date.  No official update anywhere else. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Vera Bradley Outlet Sale Tagged With:

Getting Ready for the 2010 Vera Bradley Outlet Sale

January 4, 2010 By 29 Comments

I have received a lot of questions lately about the spring 2010 Vera Bradley Outlet Sale, so I thought I would provide you with a quick update...

First of all, let's talk about the date and location. This year's sale will be held in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at the Allen County Memorial Coliseum. It is scheduled for April 29th through May 1st.  Please note that the date has changed. Vera Bradley had originally stated that it would begin on the 28th, but recently updated their website to now show that it will start a day later.  I do not yet have the hours for the sale, but as soon as I know something, I will post it here on my blog.

If you have never attended the event before, I have put together a little "summary" of what you can expect - click here for my 2010 Vera Bradley Outlet Sale overview. It covers the questions that I commonly receive, including what types of selection and pricing are available, the best places to stay in Fort Wayne, how to get to the Allen County Memorial Coliseum, and more. Of course, if you have any questions that were not answered on that page, please post them here, and I will do my best to answer them.

At the 2009 outlet sale, attendees were required to pre-register. Registration could be done online or onsite. I'm not sure if there will be a registration requirement to attend this year. There seemed to be some kinks in the system last year, and hopefully they either have them worked out by now, or if not, will forego this requirement. Once again, as soon as I know something, I will post it here.

Right now, April seems like it's a long way off, but it will be here before we know it! I'm anxiously looking forward to the 2010 Vera Bradley Outlet Sale, but in the meantime, I will do my best to keep everyone updated as new information is released.  Keep checking back.  You can also follow me on Twitter or subscribe to my feed to get the latest information as soon as it's posted.

Filed Under: Vera Bradley Outlet Sale Tagged With:

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I'm just taking a quick break from all the festivities to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! May you have a safe and happy holiday, and if I don't post again until the new year, have a happy New Year too!

Filed Under: Everything Else