Reviewed by Kelly Keltner.
When I first got my iPhone 3GS, I immediately wondered what it would look like in a nice tweed jacket. I’ve always had this thing for geeky professor types and my iPhone was so smart that it just seemed like a good fit.
My first reaction upon seeing Griffin’s Elan Form Chilewich case ($40) in the box was that it was, well, a bit ugly. This case didn’t look quite as sexy on the rack as my favorite blazing-pink rubber — I know, sounds like I’ve equipped my phone for safe sex, which, admittedly, I’ve thought about — case currently on my iPhone. Once I took the case for a fitting, however, I changed my mind. It’s not really a nighttime number, all pink and sassy, but is definitely alluring in its own way.
The case comes in two pieces, which made it look a bit flimsy at first, but like my first reaction upon seeing the case, I was wrong. Once the phone was slipped into the case, the case fit snuggly around the iPhone and didn’t seem flimsy at all.
There’s no audible click when the two pieces are snapped together. While the case fits perfectly around the phone, I felt I was missing that moment where the two pieces came together securely. Still, the case seems secure around the phone; a thumbnail between the two pieces easily pushes them apart.
The windows that allow you to access the power button, volume rocker and the mute switch make access to these things fairly easy. Controlling the volume while using the phone caused a bit of fumbling at first, but was eventually whipped with a bit of maneuvering.
10 responses to “Griffin Elan Form Chilewich Case Turns Your iPhone Into a Stylish Professor Who Would Wear a Bowtie if He Had a Neck [Review]”
It’s a great case until the glue holding the fabric starts to loosen. then it’s a frustrating mess.
I’ve had this case for about a year. It is the best case I’ve owned. The texture helps keep the phone firmly in hand, and it provides a bit of cushion when the phone falls as well.
How long have you had yours that that started to happen? The edges of mine have frayed a smidge, but not enough to make it less attractive.
I keep hoping that Chilewich will eventually get around to offering a case for the iPad.
Know from prior correspondence with Griffin when the iPad was first introduced that they’d love to add it to their lineup.
So, Chilewich, please, please, please! I’m on my knees, begging. (and it’s not a pretty sight!)
it looks kinda like the back of a blackberry
What a sleek iPhone case! I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, everything that Chilewich produces is so simple and stylish!