Vera Bradley Pleated Tote Review

Ok, so some of you may remember my post a few months back about the differences between the new campus tote and the pleated tote.  I feel I didn't really give the pleated tote a chance, I was just going off second hand information.  I will stand by my statement that the campus tote is more of a purse and the pleated tote is a tote, but now that I have both, I am with the countless others wondering why in the world this bag was ever retired.  I received my pleated tote in the mail a few days ago and it has quickly soared into my top spot.  If you're the type of person that is looking for a purse, this bag is too big for you.  Sometimes, I just need to carry a bunch of stuff with me and the campus tote is too small to do that.  The reason I wanted the campus tote was because I heard it was a replacement for the pleated tote, but there is nothing campus about that bag.  My algebra book won't even fit in it, let alone my notebook.  Now this is not a bash the campus tote post, this is a BRING BACK THE PLEATED TOTE post.  Let this post serve as an online petition to Vera Bradley to please, please, please bring this beloved tote back to your loyal customers.

Now, let me step down from my soap box, lol, and get this review going!!

My new beautiful pleated tote in Mocha Rouge

Once again, I fell for a color I once said I hated!!  I love the pinks on the brown background with little touches of white and black.  This may be an older color, but I still love it.  I had to find this beauty on eBay, since verabradley.com has zero!!  Usually you can get things that have been retired for several months after, but not this baby.  That should tell you how loved this bag is.  (If you're going to shop on eBay, be very careful. There are very shady people trying to sell low quality and fake Vera items.)  The size of this bag is huge!! 

 

 

Pleated tote and the Campus tote

You can see the overall size of the pleated tote is larger, which is why I say campus makes a great purse. 

 

 

The pleated tote is taller, not by much, but enough to notice the difference when carrying.  Another difference are the side pockets.  The pleated tote has much larger side pockets, I noticed this when I put my bottled water in, it slides in much easier.

 

 

My entire hand fits in here!!

 

 

 

Zipper closure!!

I will never understand why Vera got rid of the zipper.  I love zippers and I think that's a major reason why I love this bag.

 

 

3 slip pockets on the inside

These are very wide and deep slip pockets.  The campus tote has 2 pockets, but I think they had to do that to downsize the bag.  I love these pockets and they actully give you more room in the main compartment.  I can easily place my small kisslock wallet, zip ID case, gum, lotion and hand sanitizer in these pockets.

 

On the opposite side of the bag there is a HUGE zipper pocket.  This is probably the largest zipper pocket I've ever seen.  I put my iPhone charger, headphones and personal items in this pocket.  If you're using this bag for school this would be a great place to put pens or pencils or something of that nature.  If you're using this as a baby bag I could definitely see where baby wipes could fit in here.  (I think the inside of Mocha Rouge is so cute, lol!!)

 

 

 

I can fit my large cosmetic bag, planner, and Kindle in the main compartment, with plenty of room to spare.  I also usually throw in a snack or breakfast.  I've heard a lot of people say they use this bag as their school bag, and school stuff does fit, but my 15 inch laptop will absolutely NOT fit.  This is a nagative for me becuase my current class is online, so my laptop is a must.  I also believe the handles would be a bit problematic if you decided to tote around your school things, but I'll get back to the handles in a minute.

 

 

Everything that goes inside

 

 

The handles are not quilted.  I feel like if you're really going to load this bag down, the added comfort of a quilted handle would go a long way.  I think the campus tote wins this round, those rolled handles are, "oh so comfy"!!

 

So overall, both are fabulous bags, and I love them both for very different reasons.  But this pleated tote is now one of my all time favorite bags.  I feel like it has so many uses and I'm so excited to find out what those are. 

 

Leave a comment below if you want Vera to bring the pleats back!!