Is A Luxury iPad Case Worth The Money? Capulet London Review & Giveaway

By: Jenna Gonzalez (Editor In Chief)

Staff Note: July 5, 2011 This contest is now closed. We’d like to offer a huge Congratulations to Eva B. (entry #48), Bessamy S. (entry #73) for winning MRT & Capulet London’s Facebook Luxury giveaway! Let us know what you picked out! We’re excited In addition, from the comments below, Jenna would like to congratulate to Carolina D. for winning her Joanne case. We’ve got lots of summer gadget prizes coming so don’t forget to like us on FB and win some prizes of your own!

Yes, we ARE giving away two gorgeous, ultra luxurious & very chic $360 Capulet London cases. Contest runs from May 30-June 30. Kindly read through the review and check out the giveaway details at the end for your chance to own one of these highly coveted items.

iPad luxury in a class all it's own with Capulet

Most of you already know the iPad 2 is one of my favorite pieces of technology and it has become such an important accessory I take wherever I go, be it the sidewalks of New York or the cafes of London or Paris. Furthermore, I’m a woman who straddles both the world of fashion (as an executive buyer) and the functional galaxy of technology (as editor in chief). With that said, I’m always looking for fashionable iPad cases that I can incorporate into whatever wardrobe I may be wearing. Since the birth of the first iPad, a lot of companies have sprung up catering to Apple’s game-changing tablet. Now that the iPad 2 sits on it’s throne, it’s no different. Even the most distinct fashion houses have devoted their unique contributions to the melding of fashion & technology.

Capulet makes housing your iPad a supermodel walk in the park.

As a fashion buyer, I’ve received & own every luxury case known to exist currently. A few such as the Louis Vuitton ($400), Vaja ($280) and Gucci ($400) made me smile, others like Chanel’s quilted case ($1,555), Hermes’ orange flap ($1,400) and Domenico Vacca’s alligator case ($3,900) made me raise an eyebrow. Regardless of what and how much, and as much of a shock as it may come to the popular majority, there is in fact a strong market for luxury cases. Trust me, I would know.

I've had it all, and dare I say no other case but Capulet will carry my Swarovski encrusted iPad 2's

As I was talking design ideas for my latest Swarovski crystal encrusted iPad 2′s with a friend from CrystalRoc in London, I came across a line of beautiful luxury iPad cases from a little known UK based company by the name of Capulet London. Capulet is a company birthed by fashion and technology, specializing in the manufacturing of high end leather tablet and laptop cases for women (and the fashion forward man). I was both bewildered by what I initially thought to be yet another iPad case maker trying to compete in the ultra exclusive high end market….and intrigued by the eye catching products at the same time. So I took the plunge and ordered three cases from their website, namely the Allison, the Marija and the Joanne. 

The beautiful microfiber & satin lined dustbags exude the finest luxury

The first thing I noticed upon the arrival of the Capulet cases was the elegance of their packaging. While they didn’t come in boxes standard to most designer products (eyebrow raised here), the cases did come housed in beautiful orange microfiber dustbags lined inside with black satin and secured with orange satin bows. Anyone who’s ever owned an expensive designer handbag knows that dustbags are a staple of luxury.

I'm informed the Allison is currently sold out

And when you touch it, hold it, show it off, you'll see why

The cases themselves (as I saw and later found out) are individually hand crafted out of the finest Tuscan leather in Andalucia, Spain. Having dealt with many a fine leather manufacturer myself, I have no doubt to this claim. The quality and craftsmanship really shows through, and the leather is buttery soft with a delicate finish exclusive only to the finest leather products (think Manolo Blahnik shoes!)

The python printed Marija is a complement magnet for all my socialite girl pals

The Allison (Green) and Marija (Python) cases have a nice sized front pocket under the the flap which stays closed by use of a magnetic clip. On the front is a small compartment that would comfortably hold small items such as a few pens, some papers or a Judith Leiber compact mirror. These glove cases will hold both generations of iPad. The compartment which is lined in the softest suede leather is big enough to accommodate an iPad with a Smart Cover on it. These cases are quite chic and sophisticated and accomplish the tricky task of doubling as a stylish clutch more so than other luxury cases.

The Marija & Allison housing both my iPad 2's

The Joanne (eggplant purple) is a much simpler case yet still fashionable. It has a single compartment for your iPad with a narrow magnetically fastened flap. Because of its relatively more affordable price, I can actually see a lot of budget & fashion conscious people attracted to this. However, I do have one gripe about this case. The leather is a bit more stiff with the top edges being exposed, so the ipad tends to slide around inside. If held upside down or dropped, it risks the exposed corners of the ipad to damage. However, it is interesting to note that this particular case is made using an eco-friendly tanning process that leaves a miniscule footprint on the environment. I really love when companies try to be more environmentally conscious. My advice: Keep this idea rolling but re-do the case.

The Joanne presents a mixed bag for me...

 As we all know, with fine quality comes an even finer price. That being said, these cases currently range from £95.00 to £240 roughly translating to $154 USD for the Joanne, to $390 USD for the Allison & Marija. These prices definitely put the Capulet London line within the luxury bracket of the Gucci’s & Prada’s.

If you're looking for the right kind of luxury to spend your extra bucks on, look no further.

It is also worth noting that Capulet London offers the same hand made luxury bags for Kindles, Galaxy Tabs, as well as 10 and 13 inch laptops. They come in a variety of styles and colors for whatever your wardrobe deems necessary. So whether it’s a conservative board meeting or a romantic dinner date, these are made for the tech-savvy fashionista that is always on the go.

Reality Grade: Speaking as a luxury crazed fashionista who loves my iPad, a resounding “A” to the Allison & Marija for the stylish clutch-like qualities and exquisite craftsmanship. A tentative “B-” to the Joanne for its good use of eco-friendly methods, but unfortunate details that expose the iPad to possible damage. The market is practically flooded with hundreds of iPad cases to suit your every need and budget. In fact, when the functional nerd side of me calls out, my $99 Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG is a heaven send…but if you happen to be anything like me, and the fashionista side of you just wants to spend the extra money on something luxurious, you can go for the obvious Gucci; The all-my-friends-have-one Louis Vuitton; Or $,1400 Hermes investment. If you ask me, Capulet has found a great median in me. Luxurious, unique, daringly new, environmentally conscious and visually striking. Dare I say it, even my iPad’s love being snuggled in them.

Giveaway Details:

MRT is happy to announce a partnership with Capulet London (a first of it’s kind here at MRT). For this particular giveaway, we will be awarding two very lucky winners with any Capulet case of their choice (Valued at $375 USD or less and to be shipped to them by our friends at Capulet). The rules are so very simple, it’s almost too easy.

1. First and foremost, you must be a Facebook fan of both MRT & Capulet London.

2. You must share (and have evidence) of sharing the article/contest link at least once on your Facebook wall.

3. Go here: Capulet London & MRT Exclusive Giveaway and simply check what exciting new gadget you think Capulet should design a case for next!

4. Posting a comment down below gets you a separate entry to win Jenna’s brand new $154 Joanne case which she still likes but doesn’t need.

That’s it. How simple is that? Two very lucky winners will be have the chance to pick out any case they want on Capulet London’s website on June 30, 2011. Best of luck! Love, Jenna. 

To check out and daydream about which case you’d like to be making your friends jealous of, go to www.capuletlondon.com