If you consider yourself a fashionable person, you probably spend a good amount of time carefully crafting your outfits to make sure everything matches and you have the right accessories. Maybe you wear bracelets or a necklace, or you have several different watches to match various styles. Have you ever thought about how your phone case might also complement your outfit?

Your phone case is as much a fashion accessory as any piece of jewelry, scarf, or hat you might wear. It’s something that people will see when your phone isn’t tucked away, and it can actually influence how you’re perceived.

Your phone case is a bonafide fashion accessory

Your smartphone case is, first and foremost, designed to prevent a cracked screen, cracked camera lens, and hard drive damage if dropped or impacted. Its secondary purpose is to be part of your attire. That’s why so many smartphone case manufacturers make hundreds of designs in every genre you can ever want. There are simple patterns, familiar characters, and complex designs in every color and style imaginable.

Most people choose their smartphone case based on their individual style preferences because they want it to represent their personality. It’s an excellent way to express yourself in the world, whether you’re with friends or at work.

Technically speaking, anything that augments your choice of attire can be considered a fashion accessory, and for many people, their phone case does exactly that.

A phone case can be a status symbol

Some people choose to drive a certain car because it carries a specific aesthetic or represents their desired or actual social status. For example, a lot of people drive BMWs because they represent luxury and wealth. There are also certain types of phone cases people buy to feel luxurious, like cases with a lot of bling or gold, and some cases even have real gold embedded into the design.

In 2017, fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquière made an iPhone case that looked just like an authentic Louis Vuitton trunk, and one of his models walked the runway carrying nothing but an iPhone decked out in that case. The case was made available for purchase but costed nearly as much as a basic iPhone. It’s an expensive case, but for people who embody the Louis Vuitton look, it’s worth the cost.

If status is something you care about, then it’s worth finding a phone case that will match the aesthetic you’re trying to embody. However, you’ll find that fancier cases cost much more than even the most expensive basic cases. The other issue is whether or not a fancy phone case will protect your device.

Your phone case can shape other people’s perception of you

For the most part, it shouldn’t matter what anyone else thinks about you. If people are judging you negatively because of your clothes or even your phone case, they’re not worth trying to please. However, there could be times when having a professional or classy phone case matters. For instance, if you have a top position in a corporation that requires you to dress up for your meetings, your phone case should match.

Unless your company has a culture that appreciates creativity and individuality despite your position, you probably don’t want to walk into your meetings with a Scooby Doo smartphone case, or something inappropriate for a work environment. In this case, a simple, yet classy case is ideal.

On the other hand, if the company you work for is pretty casual and it’s common for people in the office to joke around or let their personality show, then you probably don’t need to worry about what kind of phone case you have. However, it will still shape people’s opinions of you, so if you’re going to be fully self-expressed in the office in a way that shows your interests, make sure it’s something you want people to know about you.

Fashion is arbitrary – that’s the good news

At the end of the day, fashion is subjective to each individual, and what you prefer may not be what anyone else likes. Your idea of what’s fashionable is personal to you, so wear what makes you happy. The point of fashion is to feel good. Choosing your attire just to impress other people is a waste of time and energy. 

So wear the clothes you want to wear and get the phone case that makes you feel good about yourself.