Veronica Beard Hosts L.A. Luncheon, Unveils First Handbag Collection
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“We’re selling bustiers — not bags,” joked Veronica Swanson Beard alongside Veronica Miele Beard.
It was hard to miss the Veronicas, as they’re known, sisters-in-law turned design partners, matching in complimentary looks — strapless Veronica Beard tops and trousers. But it was a moment for the bags; since launching the brand in 2010, the women have entered the new category following ready-to-wear, denim and shoes.
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“No, we’re selling goodie bags, with bustiers,” Miele Beard added with a smile.
The Goody Bag, set as the hero, was unveiled at a luncheon at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Coming in three colorways, it’s positioned as an everyday bag, made with a cotton-blend canvas and leather. With its removable strap, it can be worn as a crossbody, top handle or shoulder bag.
“It’s useful,” said Miele Beard. The collection, ranging between $398 and $698, also offers a Bucket Bag, Crest Lock Trap Bag, Camera Bag and Totes. “We love utility, and we love beautiful fashion.”
“It holds your life,” Swanson Beard said.
Guests were invited to fill their gifted $448 Goody Bag with, well, goodies. Makeup artist Monika Blunder herself was on hand to help the women pick out looks from her cosmetics line.
“I love this!” Kathy Hilton told her, trying on a pink hue.
There were sunglasses by Chimi, personalized phone cases by Ossa New York and notebooks with inscriptions like “making moves” and “going places.”
“You always get a goodie bag at a kid’s party,” Swanson Beard said of the swag, sharing the two had eight kids between them. “It’s the best part.”
Among the guests dressed in Veronica Beard, actor-singer Arden Cho — the lead in Netflix’s “Partner Track” — said she regularly shops the brand.
“I was telling Brianne, one of the reasons I wanted to come to this is Veronica Beard is one of the brands I wear a lot,” she said of fellow Netflix actor, and her seatmate, Brianne Howey.
“I love that they’re sisters-in-law,” Howey, known for her costarring role in “Ginny & Georgia,” said of the designers.
“We are inspired by all the women that we have at events, have in life,” said Miele Beard.
“Badass women,” added Swanson Beard.
The group — Julianne Hough, Poppy Delevingne, Rachel Zoe, Mandy Moore, Jasmine Tookes, Roselyn Sánchez, Elaine Welteroth, Morgan Stewart — stayed warm under a heated tent in the outdoor restaurant as it poured outside.
“We are so grateful that you came out in this crazy weather,” Swanson Beard told the crowd as they enjoyed jumbo pawn cocktail to start. The menu featured a garden salad with feta and roasted salmon, paired with wine, followed by berries with cream for dessert.
The last time the Veronicas were together at the hotel was for the Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund more than a decade ago.
“It was a huge learning,” Miele Beard said of that time. “We became a brand then.…No one knew who we were, and it was amazing exposure for us. And so, coming back here, and just in a similar capacity, you know, launching a new sector is momentous.”
With a newly opened store in Newport Beach at Fashion Island and one coming to San Diego, they’ll count eight retail locations in California total. They have a footprint in Beverly Hills, Melrose Place, the Pacific Palisades, Napa Valley, Larkspur in Marin and San Francisco.
“California is a huge market for us,” said Swanson Beard. “It’s the most stores of any area in the U.S. So, we’re really investing in California. We think that there’s a huge opportunity for Veronica Beard here.”
Launch Gallery: Veronica Beard Launches Handbags in Los Angeles
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