Hi guys!
I know it may seem a little early to be thinking
about things such as agendas for next school year, but because Lilly Pulitzer
recently started pre-orders on their agendas, and Vera Bradley came out with a
trio a month or two ago, I think it would be fun to compare them, especially
since I’ve used a Vera agenda twice and a Lilly agenda once.
Last year I struggled with this seemingly easy decision for months, trying to decide which adorable agenda to get for my junior year in college.
I absolutely loved my experiences with my Vera Bradley agendas the two years before it, always loving the cute prints, adorable little notes about how today is something like National S'more day (they have lots of those scattered throughout the month-long views. I received tons of compliments on them, and was super willing to pay the $18 (I just looked that up and I'm sure I paid along the lines of $25 for it, or am I just going crazy?). The cuteness level is sky high on these little gems.
Then last year I learned about Lilly Pulitzer (hey, I'm from Colorado, the nearest store is in Dallas as far as I know), and heard about the massive following of those agendas. So I decided to do something different and buy a Lilly one. I totally loved it, and still use it for my summer classes. Not only is it adorable, but I love how the months vary in different designs, that there are lines to write on for the day/week views, and that once again, the cuteness can't be measured. I received tons of compliments on it as well.
So if you are thoroughly confused now as to what agenda is better or what will make your college life easier and more colorful, don't worry. I don't think you could make a wrong decision. But from a person that has used both agendas, here are the positives and negatives to each agenda.
Lilly Pulitzer Large Agenda
I Loved:
-The variation month to month in design. I liked how October had pumpkins, May had flowers, and February had hearts in last year's. Maybe this is weird, but it made me look forward to every new month.
-It's super girly and fun. This can't be denied with all the flowers, pink, and cute little designs.
-It comes in hard-cover, which I didn't have last year. I think this is good and bad. As far as a good thing, I think it's more durable and easier to write on.
-There are so many views of days, weeks, and months in this, it's ridiculous. There's at least three different ways to view things, whether you are a big-picture person, or a day to day person.
-The stickers that come with it hard adorable. And there are additional sticker sets (Ummm...like the really cute Greek Sticker kit) that you can purchase usually for $6.
-This is a huge thing, and probably my favorite thing about this agenda: it has lines on the day view. I hate when my writing is crooked. Plus it kept it organized and less messy looking.
-There are four different sizes available, so there's one for everyone!
Didn't Love So Much:
-It doesn't come in soft-cover this year. If you are like me, and overpack your backpack, hardcover can be obnoxiously heavy when mixed with a Bio book that weighs ten pounds.
-Since I live in Colorado, the shells, lobsters, crabs, and beaches seem a little weird.
-I feel like with the cover print I had to settle last year and would have to settle this year.
-More expensive.
-There's a lot of features in it I didn't use.
-Too much white space in the day/week views. That's me personally though.
Now let's move on to Vera Bradley's...
I Loved:
-Of course the prints. If you love a print, you get a lot of it. My current favorite is Go Wild, which looks so cute!
-The cute little pictures of what special random day it is. The illustrations are the cutest.
-How colorful the day/week views are. I loved it.
-Available in soft-cover
-Inexpensive (compared to Lilly)
-Smaller in terms of thickness. Both are the same in other measurements. But this is lighter
-Cute stickers that coordinate with the print.
-New agendas have slightly more variation.
-Comes with a bookmark to keep place.
-Month tabs on sides make it easier to see
Not So Lovely:
-Usually there's only three colors. This year because they came out early with a spring 2014 agenda, there might be six.
-Previously, there was hardly any variation between months. They would just take the primary print, and then it's secondary print (like the little print inside of the VB bag or wallet) and alternate. The spring ones now have slightly more variation. So if you buy a Go Wild agenda, you will also have a few months with Lilli Bell and Plum Crazy. I like having my December be kind of Christmasy and so on, so this was the biggest draw back for me.
-No option for hardcover.
-There's one size, which maybe too big for some and too small for others.
I'd like to add that the newest Vera agendas now do have lines to write on the for days, so that's a huge addition! It's super cute!
So I hope that kind of breaks down my thoughts on them. I think you can't go wrong either way, and both make fantastic agenda for college students. While Target has some super cute ones, and of course many Universities give away free ones, I think you can't beat a Lilly Pulitzer or a Vera Bradley!
As for me, you may be wondering which one I'm picking up for my final year of college. In that case, I'm definitely leaning toward the Lilly Pulitzer Large Agenda in True Navy Tiger Lilly:
