Clothing

Lacoste imagines some truly techy clothing

Regardless of my clothing brand preference, I can't help but get when excited major players in fashion tease a future filled with techy clothes that change color or size with a flick of the wrist.

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Polo shirt in 2013, Lacoste collaborated with ad agency Mnstr on a video that envisions a future in which the high-end shirts contain some extraordinary technology. … Read more

Hagfish-slime clothes could be new fashion statement

Welcome to the library. Would you rather read the book "50 Shades of Grey" or the article "The production of fibers and films from solubilized hagfish slime thread proteins?" Good choice! Here's your hagfish reading.

For defensive purposes, hagfish produce a slime full of protein threads. Draw it out into a thread, and you have the potential for an incredibly strong fabric that isn't made from petroleum like popular existing synthetics. … Read more

Interchangeable clothing uses magnets to switch up the style

Anyone who has ever worn a necklace or bracelet made of Buckyballs knows the potential of magnets as a force for fashion. Ian Stikeleather is taking it a step further by integrating magnets into his Affectation clothing line.

Affectation is up on Kickstarter, working to raise enough to put the magnetic fashion line into production. The biggest draw is the interchangeability of the clothes. For a $50 pledge, you can pick up the Duality Interchangeable Tie. It comes with an extra tail that can be exchanged and is held on by magnets. Click it together and you have a new look for your busy day in the cubicle farm.… Read more

Laundry additive turns shirts, pants into pollution eaters

Last year, we heard about the first article of Catalytic Clothing, an experimental dress that pulls pollutants out of the atmosphere. Now the technology is moving along to the point where it could be used as a liquid laundry additive and become part of our regular clothes washing chores.

According to a release from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in the U.K., "Within just two years, we could all be wearing clothes that purify the air as we simply move around in them."… Read more

Do RFID socks tell us we're pathetic?

Today I bought some Calvin Klein socks that seemed pretty fancy: they're antibacterial and made of "rayon from bamboo."

But leave it to the Swiss to make a mockery of such humdrum foot coverings. Smarter Socks are high-tech socks with RFID buttons that can help you find a sock's mate, figure out how worn it is, and manage your sock inventory via an iPhone app.

Yes, you can manage your socks by logging on to your account and messing around with their RFID numbers. It's supposed to make your life simpler compared to messing around in your sock drawer. … Read more

Wear a Wampa skin: 'Star Wars' outfits for the ladies

Some people watch the Wampa cave scene from "Star Wars" and think, "Look out! Wampa attack!" Others watch it and think, "I could make a dress out of that!"

Nerd Alert Designs falls into the latter camp. The geeky Etsy store is full of custom dresses with "Star Wars" themes.

One of the most impressive of the lot is the $130 Wampa dress crafted of fake white fur with a bomber-style horned hat and clawed boot covers. A little touch of blood on the chest really makes it pop.… Read more

TechnoSensual expo tries on far-out future fashion

It's 2020 and you've a party to go to. What do you wear? If the techno-garments on display at the TechnoSensual exhibition in Vienna are any indication, you might strap on some backbreakingly high 3D-printed shoes and a dress that lights up when you blush, and top it all off with a feathered hat that reacts to medium-wave radio signals. (Or you could just go in jeans and your usual "I heart R2-D2" T-shirt, but what fun would that be?)

TechnoSensual -- which runs through September 2 at the MuseumsQuartier Wien art and culture center -- … Read more

Princess Leia hoodie brings the buns

Princess Leia hair maintenance isn't an easy task. First, you have to grow enough of it to wrap up into double buns. It has to be brown. You pretty much need an expert to get it into the right shape and place.

Forget all that trouble. Just pick up a Princess Leia Hoodie. The $49.99 officially-licensed hoodie at ThinkGeek is made from a poly/cotton blend. I'm guessing that fabric will help it hold up to the rigors of the garbage chute. It's also likely to be a lot more comfortable than Princess Leia's metal bikini outfit.… Read more

Windows Phone swag store full of baby onesies, beer glasses

Apple fans have long had plenty of outlets for displaying their brand loyalty, perhaps most noticeably through Apple logo stickers on the back windows of their Subaru Foresters. Now Windows Phone fans can get in on the nerd pride action with clothes and accessories from the online Windows Phone Gear Store.

The Windows Phone logo done up in the style of an "I heart..." message is available on everything from a large Thermos bottle to an infant bodysuit. You can never be too young for brand loyalty. … Read more