Summer is nearly year-round in southeast Texas so it should be no surprise that the free stuff to see and do in the sprawling metropolitan area of the nation’s fourth-biggest city focuses on the outdoors.An average morning, sometime in the near future:
Wake up. Temperature predictive clothing chooses itself. Clothing then provides driving directions to work via GPS system imbedded in shoe.
Drink coffee while watching news on the television screen located at the bottom of coffee mug.
Walk from car to office. Lose 5 pounds courtesy of miraculous weight-loss shoes.
The future sounds like such a wonderful place, doesn’t it?
Well, we’re getting there. Fashion is becoming increasingly functional as designers begin to incorporate two or more uses into one wearable item. Shoes aren’t just shoes anymore. They’re exercise equipment. Teething rings are disguised as adult, duckie-and-clown-free jewelry. And purses are a handy way to watch a movie.
Here are a few functional fashion pieces for the multi-tasker in all of us.
BagTV. We predict that, in the future, TV screens will be everywhere – the bottom of cereal bowls, on toothpicks, wedding bands, hairbrushes. But let’s just start with purses. London-based BagTV’s line of purses feature a 7-inch TV screen and DVD player built into the outside of the bag (which can also be discretely hidden by a flap.) So, when the situation calls for it, you can watch DVDs (or movies and photos downloaded directly to the purse) while commuting, at doctor’s offices or on particularly bad dates when you’d rather watch the third season of “Full House” than talk to the putz across the table from you. About $325, BagTV.com.
Jack Frost scarf. Former “Project Runway” contestant and designer Diana Eng has created a line of “smart scarves,” cozy accessories that combine fashion with math, science and technology. The Jack Frost scarf, for instance, has a snowflake pattern on it that only appears when the temperature is 65 degrees or less. And when it gets colder, the snowflake pattern gets larger and more defined. This is particularly handy in Indiana, when temperatures are only slightly more stable than Charlie Sheen. Just chuck the scarf outside, check the snowflake pattern and see whether it’s cold enough for that mid-May blizzard. $60, DianaEng.com.
Teething Bling. Don’t think of this product as a necklace your kid can chew on. Think of it as a chew toy disguised as a necklace. Because no matter what you’re wearing around your neck, a baby is inevitably going to put it in its mouth, chew it and finish with some light vomiting. And another thing, a baby will inevitably drop his or her chew toy on grocery store floors, in toilets or into plates of spaghetti. With the Teething Bling – Ooo! It comes in zebra print! – you always know where the teething toy is. Starting at $19.10, SmartMomJewelry.com.
Toning tennis shoes. It seems like every major shoe company has jumped on the decrease-the-size-of-your-butt shoe trend. LA Gear has the Walk-N-Tones. Reebok’s are known as Easy Tone. Sketchers calls them Shape-Ups. And MBT – the big daddy of rocker-soled shoes – offers everything from toning tennis shoes to sandals and boots. The companies say the shoes – because of what Sketchers calls “wedge technology” – help tone glutes and leg muscles through resistance training, support and stability. The one problem? The giant heel and roly-poly bottom of these shoes make you look like you’re preparing for a moon landing. Nevertheless, if you’re the type who walks from the gym to the Dairy Queen across the street, they’re probably worth a shot. Every little bit helps.
Carry-On Coat. Frequent fliers – and absentminded people everywhere – rejoice. Created by Scotte Vest CEO Scott Jordan, this trench coat doubles as carry-on luggage by using – unbelievably – 33 pockets. The coat is designed to hold shirts, pants, underwear, toiletries, an iPad, a camera, phone and bottled water. The coats are made with what the company calls “NoBulge Pocket Design,” so we can only assume that the wearer will look like a slimmed-down Inspector Gadget. Go go gadget baggage claim-fee ditch! $225, ScottEvest.com.
