Techie Thursday: iPhone 5

My new iPhone 5 arrived in the mail today and I could not have been more excited for this shipment. My iPhone 4 (not 4s) was getting more and more senile by the day; I had gotten use to my Home button not functioning (annoying), but its overall sluggishness - ie taking 30 seconds to load a new text message when unlocked - was insufferable.

And, okay, if we're being honest - I was really sick of having a black phone and had been dying for the white ever since Apple released it for Verizon about 4 months after I upgraded.

And of course, like the good little consumer I am, the thing I'm most excited about is updating my case.

I've been rotating between two monogrammed cases from Etsy for the last two years, and I'm not sure I'm ready to fully give up the monogram, but it's time for something a little different too. I've been loving a lot of prints and photography from Society 6 recently (how adorable are those macarons?) but I am still stuck on the idea of special overspecialization. Below are a few of my faves lately:

Confetti | Pink Diamonds | Herringbone | Nautical Stripe

Gold Glitter | XO Phone | Macarons | Tortoise | Green Speckled

Gold & Navy Stripe (SWOON) | Glitter Flag | Multi Glitter | Ombre Gold Glitter

I think I'm going to go with the confetti dots in a custom blush with gold dots and black initials, but I might not be able to resist adding the tortoise and the navy & gold strip to my collection...

What kind of iPhone covers do you go for? Which one is your fave?

Friday's Fancies: Cape Crushing

I honestly haven't been able to get over this image since I stumbled on it on Pinterest months ago.

{via Claudia Fessler}

It truly is the epitome of winter chic in my mind; gorgeous winter white wool, polished patent pumps, luggage leather gloves, a classic satchel and of course, a deep red lip.

I am a long-time cape lover, but I have yet to invest in one. It's one of those "tipping of the scale" problems - every time I look, my favorites are (of course) extremely pricey, and all of the budget options I find are just not quite what I'm looking for. I just can't justify splurging on such an on-trend item, but at the same time, spending around $60 on something this is "just okay" is a complete waste.

And so, after three seasons of lusting, I am still cape-less.

Then, on a recent online cape hunt (which I'm apt to do from time to time), I started coming across a slew of $50-$100 capes that I consistently loved - all of them coming from a single retailer: SheInside. I had never heard of it, and the site seemed a little weird to me, so I decided to do some research.

Though I'm glad I looked into it, I have to admit that I was a little heartbroken. I found horror story after horror story about endless issues with sizing, quality and returns. Even for my dream cape, I'm not ready to risk $45 in shipping costs to return it to China (and potentially won't even get my money back). It is pretty gorgeous though, no?

Sigh, the hunt continues.

Cape | Dress | Eyeliner | Necklace | Tights | Satchel | Gloves | Chanel "La Sompteuse" (seriously the best deep red for brunettes) | Pumps | Tote (I couldn't pick just one!)

{more inspired goodness over at {longdistanceloving}!)

Do you rock a cape? Any good sources? I'm desperate!

Friday's Fancies: Elegant Emerald

It's no secret that I am obsessed with the color green. I'm not discriminatory; I love almost every shade of the color out there (currently sporting mint jeans, though!) - so I couldn't be more ecstatic that it has finally come back into fashion in the last year in the saturated hue of emerald.

Now that Pantone has named it the official color of the year, I'm expecting even more retailers to be jumping on the trend - especially the less couture and more affordable ones - which means danger for my wallet, but happiness in my closet!

I, of course, was beyond excited for this week's Friday's Fancies to be focusing on emerald - I love it so much I have actually done a past Friday's Fancies board on the same hue! My last green love board was based on a casual, everyday look, so I thought this time around I'd class up the color for a fancy nighttime ensemble.

Fur Stole | Maxi Dress | iPhone Case  also love this | Earrings | Bracelet | Leather Gloves | Cream Eyeshadow | Dome Satchel | Feather Pump | Gold-Flecked Emerald Polish (amazing one-coater; absolute favorite!)

While I might not rock all of these pieces together (I have to admit there is a possibility of too much green!), I would absolutely pair the gown with that (gorgeous) bracelet, the stole, and of course, the perfect polish.

Are you a green lover? What's your favorite way to sport this trendy hue?

Get more emerald inspiration over at {longdistanceloving}!