On St. Patrick’s Day I attended a beautiful brunch hosted by Vera Bradley at the Four Seasons honoring their first celebrity ambassador, Olympic Gold Medalist Meryl Davis!I’ve long been obsessed with Meryl Davis — from the moment I first saw this performance honoring traditional Indian dance techniques (all to a song from the first Bollywood movie I saw in theatres when I lived in India in college), I followed her performances and career with serious enthusiasm:She has an incredible ability to perform on ice and in person is even more warm and friendly (not to mention beautiful) than she appears on television. I’m still reeling from the experience of meeting her face-to-face! #FanGirl
I was joined by the lovely bloggers of Bright and Beautiful, Cedar & Rush, The Chicago Life Blog, The Fox & She, Heart of Chic, Kelly in the City, Lake Shore Lady, Lion + Maven, Lows to Luxe, and my darling Katharine from Paytington & Co. that morning.
Now we all remember Vera Bradley from our college days — my Vera Tote was pretty much my laptop bag and “backpack” throughout my undergrad years. But over the past year or so, Vera Bradley has started expanding their range to include a whole line of leather bags intended for the modern working woman too.
I love that VB is embracing more classic silhouettes done in leather (though their original quilted bags are machine-washable — definitely a plus!). The collection showcases some lovely pieces but I fell hardest for this white Harper envelope clutch — it’s such a sophisticated little bag and the leather is divinely supple.
Meryl spoke passionately about her love for the Vera Bradley brand during our brunch and it was inspiring to hear how much she genuinely respected the company after coming in as their first celebrity brand ambassador. 
I managed to sneak in one photo with the Olympian after the brunch and…
pretty much spent the rest of my day swooning…
Meryl Davis was even more beautiful in person than she appears on television and I can think of no celebrity who has accomplished more while staying genuine and down-to-earth throughout the process. Vera Bradley could not have picked a more worthy brand ambassador and I look forward to seeing more of their collaborations together.
SHOP THE LOOK:
Coat – Forever 21 || Top – Boston Proper || Jeans – J Brand ‘835’ Crop in Gray (similar) || Pumps – Dune London ‘Appoint’ (similar) || Bag – Talbots (similar) || Jewelry – Tiffany & Co. (here, here and here)
Photos courtesy of gorgeous Shaheen — see her brunch outfit here
And here’s a sneak peek of my first outfit post featuring VB’s Harper Clutch (full look here):
Be sure and read Vera Bradley’s blog recap of our brunch here too.
