Full Disclosure: Vera Bradley gifted one of their new purses to me, whicha happened after I had already bought three of their Harry Potter bags, two of which were from their newest Forbidden Forest line.
Vera Bradley purses are new to me but in a very short period of time, I went from none to having four from their Harry Potter lines. I now have the Crossbody Sling from their Herbology line and from their new Forbidden Forest line I have the Triple Zip Hipster, All-In-One RFID Crossbody, and the Sling Backpack (this item was gifted to me by Vera Bradley).
If you are interested, I wrote a more detailed account of how I came to fall in love Vera Bradley purses here, on another site that I have. But in a nutshell, I didn’t like their first design called Home To Hogwarts, I liked their second design called Herbology, and I love their newest design called Forbidden Forest. The rest of this article will discuss what I love so much about it.
The Forbidden Forest Design
This is what the design looks like.
The background color is dark blue with a hint of purple. There are various different plants and trees in shades of white, blue, pale, green, and purple. There are also animals that are shades of white, black, grey, and green. All the colors complement each other perfectly. Purple is my favorite color so it’s entirely possible that this fact contributed to why I like this so much.
The more you examine this, the more that you will see different elements. Some are large and easy to see, such as Hogwarts castle, while others are so small that they are easily overlooked, such as Scabbers the rat (aka Peter Pettigrew).
The creatures that you’ll find hidden among the foliage includes the following:
- Aragog (an acromantula / giant spider)
- Buckbeak (a hippogriff)
- Fang (Hagrid’s pet dog)
- Hedwig (Harry Potter’s pet owl)
- Norbert (a baby dragon)
- Peter Pettigrew (as Scabbers the rat)
- Sirius Black (as a dog)
- The Whomping Willow (maybe not a creature but it is alive)
- Thestrals
- Trevor (Neville Longbottom’s toad)
I confess to being a little confused about Trevor being included since he was never shown to be in the Forbidden Forest in the books, and I think a centaur and/or Remus Lupin as a werewolf could have been included because those were both in the forest. But that’s not a complaint, just me thinking out loud.
You can shop for products from this line on Vera Bradley’s website and on eBay
The Forbidden Forest Purses
I think that the design is gorgeous but that means nothing if the purses made from it aren’t appealing. Fortunately, they are. Vera Bradley makes more than just bags but that is my focus so I’m not going to discuss the other items (although I confess that I’m heartbroken that they sold out of the comforter before I could get one).
They came out with 19 different bags and wallets, and a total of 46 items. That’s a huge variety to choose from! People who like or love this design are sure to find something that they want to get.
As I’ve already said, I have three from this line, and they are all very different from each other.
Below is the Triple Zip Hipster. I love that it has two external pockets on the front, a wand pocket and a pocket for my cell phone on the back, and another zipped pocket on the inside.
Below is the All-In-One RFID Crossbody. It is basically a wallet and small purse combined together, but there is also a pocket that is large enough to fit my cell phone. It’s perfect for when I don’t need to carry a lot with me when I go out.
You might notice that the fabric has a slightly different pattern with plants and Hedwig only. That is what the pattern looks like inside the purses that have the regular design. When Vera Bradley calls the practice of using an inside pattern on the exterior of a bag Ditsy. So in this case the pattern is called Forbidden Forest Ditsy.
Below is the Sling Backpack. I love how comfortable it is on my back when I’ve worn it and it’s been full. There is a hidden pocket on the back, two pockets on the front, and plenty of room for large items on the inside.
I have come to realize that these products are incredibly well thought out. The designers put a lot of time and effort into figuring out what people want in their bags, such as a wand pocket in their Harry Potter line because, yes, those of us in this fandom actually do carry wands around with us. I LOVE pockets in my bags and purses, and these all make me very happy because of the pockets and slots.
Quality Of The Forbidden Forest
Before I ever had one of their bags I had a bit of sticker shock by their prices. However, now that I own a total of five of their bags (four Harry Potter and one Disney) and have used them, I understand that there is a reason for that. They are made amazingly well! These are high-quality products that are meant to be used daily and will last over time.
Ultimately they have won me over as a customer because of their Harry Potter-inspired patterns and the thoughtfulness of their purses. Which of their designs and bags do you have? What do you like best about them? Tell me in the comments below.
Lastly, thank you to Vera Bradley for the Sling Backpack. I am loving it and have already gotten compliments from people as I use it.
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