Thursday, October 13, wasn’t a particularly sunny day in the aptly named “Windy City” of Chicago. In fact, it was rainy, gray, and by definition, downright dreary. But, as luck would have it, Vera Bradley and an intimate group of approximately 400 of our most-loyal fans came prepared to descend upon the bustling metropolis to share A Colorful Day!

Deemed the “ultimate Vera Bradley experience,” we pulled out all the stops for the ladies (and a few gentlemen) who joined us at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. The festivities began with the Vera Bradley and Seventeen magazine Fun n’ Frill event Wednesday night. Attendees took in a fashion show (with Seventeen Style Pro Amy Liang as the MC), enjoyed exclusive shopping hours, got mini manicures, made custom T-shirts and danced the night away.

Thursday began with an intimate, and quite entertaining, Q&A session with our Co-founders Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller.  Kris Connell from Real Simple was up next with a wonderful presentation on packing with your Vera Bradley bags. A few of our favorite takeaways: “Think of it as a suit-‘cake’. You are going to pack your clothes and such in layers.” Kris also recommended bringing items that can serve double duty and employing a plastic dry-cleaning bag to avoid wrinkles. “The plastic is like botox for your clothing.”

A chat with our favorite on-camera personality, Liz of Liz on Location, followed, which then led to a glimpse at Spring 2012. That’s right … Spring 2012! Just before we broke for lunch, Heidi Floyd, our amazing Ambassador for the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer shared the touching story of her diagnosis and battle through recovery. We suddenly realized the one giveaway we’d overlooked: Tissues.

What followed lunch was a whirlwind of giveaways, shopping, photo shoots, more custom T-shirts and even the opportunity to film a 60-second commercial. But our team wasn’t done just yet. Two hilarious rounds of a Vera Bradley quiz show capped off what we consider, one of the best days of the year.

This event gives us the chance to connect with fans and offer them a truly unique and, hopefully, unforgettable experience. We want A Colorful Day to be a magical day for those who love our products, as well as one they can treasure, always.

Join us for A Colorful Day in Las Vegas, Saturday, April 14.
(Registration for this event will open early 2012.)