Vera Bradley bags: Blooming hot

Once upon a style time, Vera Bradley handbags were the corny, quilted accessories carried by little old ladies way south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Nowadays, Vera Bradley is an in-demand purse collection that includes soft cell-phone holders, laptop and lunch bags in bold floral prints. And despite its grandma reputation, Vera Bradley morphed into a must-have for girls going back to school this fall up here.

"People who really like fashion are carrying these bags," said 20-year-old Kelly Perkins of Haddonfield. Perkins, a fan of Longchamp and Coach, plans to pick up a Vera Bradley purse or wallet before returning to the University of Delaware next week.

"I have a big red, white and blue sleepover bag . . . and I have a chocolate brown purse that is printed. I also have a couple of wallets. But everybody uses the I.D. cases right now."

It's pretty odd how unbelievably big a fashion deal Vera Bradley bags are among teens, 'tweens and their moms. This summer the bags were ubiquitous on the streets. There are knock-offs - as is the case with most well-known bags. And even some well-known designers like print-maven Emilio Pucci have introduced soft bags in duffel and tote sizes.

Some refer to the bags as the epitome of anti-fashion, cringing as the bags have soared in popularity during the past five years. But it's the bags' rejection of the ostentatious that make them popular. Not everyone can (or should) spend $1,500 on fashion. Vera Bradley bags range in price from about $23 to $150.

So if you stroll through Center City or neighboring burgs with burgeoning retail centers like Villanova, Bryn Mawr and Haddonfield, you'll see floral pink, java blue and peacock green Bradley bags clutched, strapped on as backpacks, or peeking out of purses as makeup cases.

"I learned about them through school," said Kristin Baugh, 18, of Medford, carrying a candy-apple green knapsack. She, too, plans to buy another bag before school starts and she's eyeing a mod pink duffel.

"They are not expensive like the CC's [Coach]. The price range is more my speed."

The prints - new ones this season include floral pink, floral blue, the autumnal Kensington and the chartreuse and navy Cambridge - provide another example of recognizable prints defining a fashion brand.

Part of Vera Bradley's mystique - yes, a quilted bag can have a mystique - is that the Indiana-based company retires four prints a year and adds five. And in 26 years, not one print has been repeated, said Ceronique Poudrier, director of product development at Vera Bradley.

This is why people line up for the preppy bags. Think Lilly Pulitzer or Laura Ashley back in the '80s.

"I do like the prints a lot," said Sari Roth, 30, a television producer cruising the streets of Haddonfield one recent Friday morning.

"I can just throw them in the washer/dryer. I never get bored with looking at them."

This fall the company introduced microfiber bags in solid shades, starting with black and brown (perhaps to compete with the monochromatic Longchamp tote?).

And to add even more oomph to their fashion cachet, the company will debut a limited collection of bags made from metallic jacquards in November for the holiday season. These will be trimmed in patent leather as well as sequins.

Vera Bradley was started in 1981 by Patricia Miller and Barbara Bradley Baekgaard of Fort Wayne, Ind. The two women owned a wallpaper business and were on a business trip when they noticed how horribly dour women's luggage was.

The duo sold the first grouping of bags out of their homes, including just a handful of designs. Today, the company is located on a bustling business campus with more than 200 employees. The fabric is made in Korea and quilted in Kansas City.

Vera Bradley bags are sold at more than 3,500 retailers nationwide. There are stand-alone stores in several states; the closest one to Philadelphia is in Bridgewater, N.J.

The company has grown 30 percent each year in the last five years, said Melissa Cordial, a company spokeswoman. Annual sales have hovered at $100 million. The company has expanded its prints to furniture and stationery. And last year Roberto of Beverly Hills started making hard luggage with the Bradley prints.

"Just like the other big brands in the world: Coach, Nike, Tumi, she has successfully turned her brand into a lifestyle," said Felicia Libbin, marketing director at The Illinois-based National Luggage Dealers Association.

"When you buy the product, you can be outfitted head to toe in Vera Bradley."

At local boutiques, including Crabtree & Evelyn and Robinson Luggage, Vera Bradley bags make up more than 50 percent of the inventory.

As part of the distribution agreement, merchants must install 12 feet of white, illuminated wooden shelving to display the products. That is why, when you walk into stores like Sidenberg Luggage in Ardmore and Serendipity in Haddonfield, it looks like a Vera Bradley heaven, of sorts, with wall-to-wall prints.

The sales strategy has paid off for David Endy, owner of Sidenberg Luggage. At any given time, he has between 2,000 to 4,000 Vera Bradley pieces in stock.

"In 1995, we sold 232 pieces," Endy said. "We sold 232 pieces on Mother's Day of this year and before the year is over, we will sell 10,000 pieces. It's going right through the roof."