Why Zooey Deschanel Loves Vera Bradley Bags

Sitting in a basement in New York's SoHo neighborhood, actress Zooey Deschanel might not look like the typical Vera Bradley customer. In the collective imagination, that girl is a mall-going teenager obsessed with bringing her paisley-printed quilted duffel bags to the regular sleepovers she has with her friends.

Deschanel, dressed in an all-black look that includes her signature Mary Jane heels, is about to head upstairs to announce her partnership with Vera Bradley 2.0. “They have such a great history and such a look,” Deschanel tells InStyle. “I love that they're doing like a rebrand and adding some other pieces to fill out the whole look.” 

The quintessential early-aughts brand is all grown up, as evidenced by the newly-announced rebrand, which comes with a fresh assortment of bags that show just how far the Vera Bradley girl has come. She’s still holding on to the boho vibes of paisley prints and quilted styles, but those are now accompanied by flower-printed crossbody bags, minimal shoulder purses, and mod-inspired travel carry-on. Among Deschanel’s favorites are the Miramar Weekender, an oversized cotton-lined quilted tote bag, and the Blake crossbody, a rectangular-shaped quilted bag with double-thin straps. 

Vera Bradley's relaunch comes at a time of booming Internet popularity for the brand. On TikTok, where nostalgia-fueled trends are sure to take off, searches for the term “Vera Bradley” bags generated over 110 million views last year, with creators showing off their vintage collections while puzzling over the sudden return of every millennial’s signature sleepover bag. With its eccentric patterns, floral designs, and oversized silhouettes, the brand’s relaunch also touches on the return of boho styles, a major phenomenon witnessed on the Fall/Winter 2024 runways.  

The Internet may be rediscovering Vera Bradley, but Deschanel has a long history with the brand. The 500 Days of Summer actress remembers owning the brand’s paisley-printed toiletry bags growing up. She also carried Vera Bradley handbags in her role as Jessica Day on New Girl. There’s even a scene in season 3 when Jessica’s boyfriend-turned-husband, Nick Miller, confronts her about her purse obsession, holding up a vintage Vera Bradley weekender as evidence. It’s a kind of art-imitates-life moment for Deschanel, who considers herself a longtime fan of the brand. 

Deschanel’s twee mid-century style—collared A-line dresses and ‘50s silhouettes among her signatures—relies heavily on the same nostalgia and whimsy of Vera Bradley’s roster, making them a near-perfect pairing. The new Deschanel-fronted campaign for the brand, in which the actress worked with her friend and photographer Zoey Grossman, proves this point.

“We were in Malibu, surrounded by tall grass and beautiful flowers,” she recalls. The result is a spread that’s straight from Woodstock-era ads, with Deschanel playfully immersed in luscious grass as she holds an assortment of Vera Bradley’s new lineup of handbags, out now. 

With this rebrand, Deschanel is hoping that people see that, much like her Vera Bradley-loving teenage self, others revisit their love for the brand. “People think of Vera Bradley and they think of quilted and floral and really bold patterns, which is awesome,” Deschanel says. “But I'm excited for people to see how much they've broadened their style.”

The Vera Bradley Fall 2024 collection is now available online and in stores. 

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