Case in Point: The Stylish iPhone Case Dilemma

I do not drop my iPhone off bridges, I do not throw it 60 feet across parking lots, I do fling it into bon fires. But yes, much like your average iPhone owner, I occasionally drop my phone on the sidewalk. This is where my dilemma arises. I do not need one of these...

 The Griffin Survivor

Or even one of these...

The Otter Box Defender

Something like this...

Speck CandyShell

I like the idea of a hard and soft case, without the bulk. This led me to Speck's collection of more colorful cases, which seemed like the perfect choice: Protective, colorful, sleek, and affordable (at only $35). Apparently everyone else thinks the same thing. I began to notice that every other iPhone user had a Speck CandyShell case. The two less popular color combo's I liked the most were the FineWine Burgundy and Sunflower/Peacock. Remembering the broken edge (at the bottom, in front of the USB port) on my old Speck case, and how much fun a unique case can be, I decided to keep looking. 

The next brand I looked at was Case Mate. I liked the idea of having multiple designer's design their more stylish cases, any of which you could purchase as a "tough case", which had the basic back cover with a cute design, and a rubber case that wrapped around the front edges. The only problem? I didn't find any designs I loved, and the black rubber doesn't look great. These are my favorite of the designs.

Monkey With Umbrella by iomoi

Bamboo by iomoi

Sardinia Case by Jessica Swift

Sparre Case by Jessica Swift

Then I fell in love with this Case-Mate tortoise shell case. The major problem? It provides little to no protection for my phone. I then decided to compromise. 

I concluded that I would be okay buying a super cute hard case (with no rubber) as long as it wrapped around the front edges of my phone. I had seen some cute designer cases like that, so I began my search into the wonderful world of designer iPhone cases, most of which are around $40. Only a few designer's have hard cases that wrap around the front. I found the most that I liked from Kate Spade.

All Eyes Case

Chit Chat Case

Garance Doré Girl Case

Cockatoos Case

I would suggest buying designer cases from Nordstroms, they have a great selection both in-store and online, and they ship online orders for free. I ended up with this super cute Kate Spade Composition Notebook case, $40 from Nordstroms. The design is simple and stylish, it's a unique case, and the black and white will go with every outfit!