New High Mart
Ladies, take note: The fashion industry aims to make yet another facet of your life uncomfortable with high-heeled shoes intended for wear while “roughing it.”
Shoe maker Teva and New York clothing company Grey Ant have teamed up to bring us a stiletto shoe for the outdoorsy types. The fashion abomination is available in two colors (black or tan) and are currently retailing for $330.
(More on TIME: Gucci Creates $225 3D Specs)
Though Teva has yet to explain itself, here’s hoping humanity can once again prove its worth by mercilessly mocking the existence of these shoes. Then again, if Crocs have a place in the fashion world, why not these?
Article source: http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/11/30/introducing-the-stiletto-shoe-made-for-yard-work/
Image: Dawn Olsen
See Also:
Would Anyone Care If NFL Jerseys Had Ads?
Tom Brady Becomes Shareholder In Under Armour
Mark Sanchez Lands Big Endorsement With Pepsi Max
Australian fashion footwear and outerwear manufacturer UGG announced a partnership with Tom Brady yesterday on CNBC’s Mad Money program.
It’s the second footwear deal that Tom Brady has signed this month. Previously, he became a spokesperson (and shareholder) of Maryland-based athletic apparel company Under Armour.
Angel Martinez, CEO of UGG parent company Deckers Outdoor explained the agreement:
“We have decided that we needed to just get the word out there that it’s a brand for guys … And who better to give guys permission to wear UGG than … Tom Brady.”
Today shares of the company’s stock opened at 75.11, more than two points higher from Decker’s 73.01 Monday close.
Brady is married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who probably knows a thing or two about ladies’ shoes.
Article source: http://www.businessinsider.com/tom-brady-man-of-many-shoes-to-endorse-ugg-brand-2010-11
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – In a world where fashion and charity are usually associated with glitzy high-society events, a shoe company has proven that anyone can help save the world — one pair of funky canvas shoes at a time.
“Buy a pair, give a pair” remains the motto of Toms Shoes, which started up four years ago in a little barn outside Buenos Aires, with 12 people stitching together slightly more fashionable versions of the traditional slip-on alpargatas worn by Argentine cowboys for centuries.
The company gave away 10,000 pairs to poor Argentine children that first year, in soup kitchens, schools and Guarani Indian communities.
Helped by a vigorous Internet marketing strategy, Toms Shoes quickly caught on, especially after celebrities like Cameron Diaz and Demi Moore started promoting them. The company now sells six different models in dozens of colors, even wedding versions. The latest is a wedge that makes women appear a few inches taller.
The giving has expanded, too — to 28 countries and counting, with other factories opening in China and Ethiopia to meet the demand.
A few weeks ago, founder Blake Mycoskie’s dream came true when the company donated its millionth pair of shoes, to a poor child in Argentina’s Misiones province, where Toms has supported Guarani Indian communities.
The milestone is “an opportunity to say thank you to the million people who have bought Toms Shoes,” Mycoskie told The Associated Press while visiting Argentina. “We see it as the beginning of what we hope will be something greater — we’re helping kids avoid diseases like hookworm in Guatemala, and podoconiosis in Ethiopia — a terribly debilitating disease that’s completely preventable with shoes.”
Mycoskie, an entrepreneur who tasted fame as a contestant in the “Amazing Race” reality show, discovered the traditional $4 version of the shoe during a polo-playing vacation to Buenos Aires, where he learned of a shoe drive being organized for the city’s poor. He quickly saw an opportunity, founding the company with his Argentine polo instructor, Alejo Nitti.
They redesigned the austere alpargatas, adding bright colors and patterns and replacing the traditional jute sole with rubber, and began selling them for $38 each, promising to donate a pair to a poor Argentine child for every pair sold.
This simple idea turned out to be a great fashion equalizer: “It’s not very often that a 14-year-old or a 16-year-old can contribute to a charity or a cause. And because our shoes are very moderately priced — 44-45 bucks is the classic — it allows young people to participate,” Mycoskie said.
The latest Toms trend is the wedge.
“It’s crazy — the wedge has been huge. I’ve been having women come to me and say ‘Blake, I love your shoes but I do not wear flats, i’m not that tall. For the longest time I was like ‘I don’t know, it doesn’t really fit the particular style of Toms.’ And then I thought, well, in Latin America, the espadrille wedge is traditional — the shoes that have a rope sole. So I decided, why not?
“It took me about a year and a half to design it, but once I did, it just exploded. It’s our number one selling shoe. We can’t make them fast enough,” he said.
The company’s business model builds into the cost of each purchased pair the costs associated with donating a pair — usually the classic black unisex model, since black is the color required for school in many countries.
Toms Shoes now hopes to expand further by working with developing-world entrepreneurs to set up local factories, particularly in countries where barefoot children are vulnerable to tropical diseases.
“We’ve heard from the Haitian government that shoes are critical now that there is so much debris on the ground. We’re actually working with the Clinton Foundation and several other foundations to distribute a lot of shoes there over the next year,” Mycoskie said.
Giving shoes away in Ethiopia taught Mycoskie something else — that charity alone isn’t sustainable.
“We were making shoes halfway across the world and sending them on a boat, wasting all this energy and money, where we could just make them right in Addis Ababa and put them on a truck right to the people who need them,” he realized. “What I learned was, there wasn’t very sophisticated production, but with 80 million people living in Ethiopia, they do have the capacity to do this.”
Article source: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/11/30/argentine-alpargatas-foster-fashion-charity-trend/
Walking around Texas AM, a visitor might see a variety of fashion statements that would catch them off guard. From neon-colored hats to “I heart boobies” plastic bracelets, Aggies love to advertise their organization and cause. One trend that seems to be catching on is the canvas slippers known as TOMS. They come in colors that span the rainbow, with accents ranging from stripes to sparkles. But as it turns out, these shoes are more than just the latest trend.
Blake Mycoskie founded TOMS after he visited Argentina in 2006. He was exposed to widespread poverty most are shielded from in the U.S. Children who grow up barefoot are exposed to disease and injury. Chronic illness can lead to a decline in education and opportunities for success. Mycoskie said he was inspired to make a change, and created the One for One mission. With every pair of TOMS Shoes purchased, a pair of shoes is donated to a child in need. TOMS Shoes donate to 24 countries, and have so far donated more than one million shoes.
In Aggieland, Northgate Vintage started carrying TOMS Shoes in 2007, shortly after the business began.
“Originally, we were approached by a former [student] and customer, who now works for TOMS. He called me up and said he believed TOMS would be a great fit for Northgate Vintage. After a little research, I told him I was worried it wouldn’t catch on in College Station, but it was worth a shot. The ‘one for one’ concept was really cool, and the shoes are so casual, it seemed a natural fit for the store,” said Ryan Ewing, owner of Northgate Vintage. The store began selling TOMS Shoes before major campaigning took place. “I feel fortunate that we had a solid group of individuals who adopted the trend early, and really promoted the company locally.”
Today, TOMS Shoes are commonplace on Texas AM campus. This year, the TOMS Club became a recognized organization on campus. The TOMS Club promotes the mission of TOMS Shoes.
“I love to give back, but as a busy college student, I’m not always able to donate tons of time or money to a great cause, so this is just another way that I can give back,” said Ashleigh Hancock, chairwoman for the Texas AM TOMS Club.
On April 5, 2011 the club will support the TOMS One Day Without Shoes Campaign. This day is meant to promote awareness of how vital a pair of shoes is by having supporters go one day without wearing shoes. Toms Club will also be holding benefit events in the future to profit the One for One mission.
While many students fully embrace the TOMS fad, other students are more skeptical. The shoe’s less-than-conventional design inspired criticism from some.
“They are not waterproof, so they get wet in the rain and they smell after a while,” said freshman English major Rachel Byrd, who frequently wears TOMS.
Still, Byrd said, she’s happy with her shoes.
“I wear them because it’s a good cause,” Byrd said. “And I like the way they look.”
The TOMS Shoes fever seems to be spreading, as more and more Aggies buy into the trend.
“The mission of TOMS is becoming more of a widespread phenomenon,” Hancock said. “Purchasing a pair of stylish, well-made shoes is a simple and easy way to give back.”
Article source: http://www.thebatt.com/news/toms-shoes-more-than-a-fashion-statement-for-a-m-students-1.1798782
One of Wallis Simpson’s most famous sayings was that “You can never be too rich or too thin,” and she could well have extended the aphorism to say … “or have too much bling.” The stylish American for whom King Edward VIII gave up his throne had another epic love affair: with jewellery. Yet her baubles were more than just expensive adornments. Through them, history, fashion and romance are perfectly combined and preserved forever.
In the opinion of David Bennett, Chairman of Sotheby’s Jewellery in Europe and
the Middle East, Simpson’s jewels are “the most important jewellery
collection put together in the 20th century”. When her collection was
first sold by Sotheby’s in 1987, the year after the Duchess of Windsor died
(the sale was announced on 12 December 1986, exactly 50 years after the
abdication), the auction held in Geneva caused a huge wave of interest. It
eventually raised $50m (31m) and set a new world record for a single-owner
jewellery collection.
Today, 20 pieces bought from the original collection will be sold at
Sotheby’s, and are estimated to reach in the region of 3m. If the $43m
difference between the estimate and the final figures for the 1987 sale are
anything to go by, today’s auction will raise considerably more than the
estimate. While buying baubles at this level is the preserve of the super
rich, it continues to fascinate a much wider group of people. Jewellery
remains the most potent symbol of extreme emotions; of passion, faith, hope,
power and greed. As Richard Edgecumbe, jewellery curator at the VA told
me when the museum opened a new jewellery gallery two-and-a-half years ago: “Jewels
are a potent link with the past, a celebration of art and craftsmanship, and
an embodiment of deep human emotions.”
You only have to look at the interest around Prince William giving Kate
Middleton his mother’s engagement ring to see how charged with symbolism
jewellery is. While clothes, shoes and bags receive far more attention in
fashion terms because they are affordable and renewed more frequently,
speculation about the royal meringue is so far secondary to the royal rock.
Prince William said he proposed with Princess Diana’s ring, “to make
sure my mother did not miss out on today and the excitement that we are
going to spend the rest of our lives together”. To some the gesture
will seem moving and optimistic, others will be unable to shake off the
sense that the ring is associated with some rather bad karma, given the
failure of his parents’ marriage. The unhappy saga doesn’t seem to have
deterred consumers from wanting their own take on Princess Diana’s sapphire
and diamond ring, however, as the high-street jeweller H Samuel reports a
150 per cent increase in searches for sapphires on its website, along with a
400 per cent increase in searches specifically for sapphire rings.
Engagement rings are charged with not just luck but etiquette – when Nicolas
Sarkozy proposed to Carla Bruni with the same model of Dior ring he had
given to his previous wife towards the end of the marriage, it was seen as a
considerable faux pas.
Many believe jewels go far beyond mere protocol and that they can be good luck
talismans, or cursed stones. As the private jeweller and Cartier expert
Harry Fane, who owns the Obsidian gallery in London, puts it, “they
have to be more than just rocks”. The Hope diamond is the most
legendary example of a stone deemed deeply unlucky, and unless you are
entirely immune to superstition, the chain of ill fortune which has followed
it seems convincingly dramatic. Believed to hail from the Kollur mine near
Golconda in India, legend has it that the deep blue, 112 carat, golf
ball-sized stone was taken from the brow of a temple idol by the French
merchant traveller Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in the 1660s. From then until
1958 – when it was donated to the Smithsonian museum in Washington by
jeweller Harry Winston, who sent it in a plain brown package by registered
mail – it was associated with the premature death, madness, suicide and
murder of many who possessed it, or their loved ones.
The Hope diamond is an extreme example of a stone, but a mix of attitudes
towards buying pre-owned jewellery prevails among high-end collectors.
According to Harry Fane, there are three main approaches to provenance. He
says there are certain people who simply don’t want to buy jewellery that
has belonged to someone else; those who aren’t concerned either way and will
just invest in a piece because they like it, and those for whom the story
behind a jewel, and in particular telling that story, will be more important
than the piece itself.
According to Fane, in the Sotheby’s sale “there is a synergy of all these
elements. The collection has an extraordinary provenance, it is historic and
romantic, and features major, exceptional pieces of jewellery by Cartier who
were the ‘King of Jewellers, Jewellers to Kings’. You can’t get better
examples of this kind of jewellery.”
While Tuesday’s sale of “Exceptional Jewels and Precious Objects formerly
in the collection of The Duchess of Windsor”, also contains items such
as cufflinks, buttons and medals belonging to Edward in his early life, the
jewels commissioned and exchanged by the king and his mistress-turned-wife
are likely to generate the most interest. The gem-set and diamond cross
bracelet by Cartier, is probably the most intimate piece, with each cross
bearing an inscription marking a critical point in the couple’s lives. One,
reading “God save the King For Wallis”, refers to an assassination
attempt on Edward, another records Simpson’s appendectomy. Another, with the
words “The Kings [sic] Cross” marks the time in 1936 that, after a
heated argument, Simpson hailed a taxi and said “King’s Cross” to
the driver. “I’m sorry lady,” he replied. Perhaps the most
remarkable item from a historical point of view is a gold and gem-set
cigarette case given to Edward (or David as she called him) by Wallis for
Christmas in 1935. On the lid is a map of Europe which shows holiday voyages
made by Edward and his guests – including Wallis Simpson – in 1934, 1935 and
1936. The final holiday, taken in the summer of 1936, would have been marked
on the case after Wallis had presented her lover with the gift. It is
particularly poignant because in 1936 he made the historic decision to
abdicate; it was during the cruise around the Mediterranean that the
couple’s relationship started to come out into the open after being reported
in the international press.
Wallis Simpson was a style icon, thanks to her unswervingly simple and
immaculate take on fashion. She was rigidly disciplined about what she wore
and about her figure; to maintain the lean frame necessary for the sleek
silhouette she favoured, it is said she would subsist on very little food if
she felt she had gained weight. She was a mistress of self-invention and
image, and it’s hardly surprising that Madonna is making a film about her
(WE, after Wallis and Edward, slated for release next year). Simpson’s
severe clothes provided the perfect foil for extravagant jewellery, and in
1936 as the love affair was about to reach boiling point, the society
chronicler Henry “Chips” Channon wrote that “Mrs Simpson was
literally smothered in rubies.”
There’s certainly nothing subtle about her taste in rocks, which seems to have
become increasingly opulent throughout her life. One of the standout pieces
of the sale – and one that became a familiar motif from the 1987 auction –
is a ruby, sapphire, emerald, citrine and diamond flamingo clip, mounted by
Cartier in Paris in 1940. In order to make the jewel, the Duchess had
several of her pieces unmounted so the stones could be reused; she did this
frequently, and even had jewels reset that previously belonged to Queen
Alexandra. Encouraged by the Duke, the avant-garde statement was designed by
Cartier’s high jewellery director Jeanne Toussaint (the designer behind
Cartier’s Great Cat jewels, who was known by Louis Cartier as panthre) and
designer Peter Lemarchand.
Another notable animal-inspired piece is the onyx and diamond panther
bracelet, designed in 1952, by Toussaint and Lemarchand. When I visited
Sotheby’s to preview the collection, Alexandra Rhodes, of Sotheby’s
International Jewellery Department, took it out of the glass and placed it
on my wrist, explaining that Lemarchand would sketch the big cats at the zoo
in Vincennes in France, in order to make his designs as lifelike as
possible. Its impressive miniature engineering – the articulated body
enables the cat to lie sleekly over the wrist, its paw stretching outwards –
conveys a powerful sensuality. Run your fingers across the pav diamonds
along its back and you can feel the animal’s musculature. If the bracelet
had been given to Simpson before the abdication it might have reflected her
image as a sexual predator, a kind of “Mata Hari” as Hugo Vickers,
author of Behind Closed Doors – The Tragic Untold Story of the Duchess of
Windsor, to be published in April 2011, puts it, fuelled by society rumours
that during a year spent in China in the 1920s Simpson had become skilled in
the erotic arts. By 1952, however, the message is more like here is the cat
that got the cream.
At least that’s what it looked like on the surface. Perhaps, however, these
later jewels tell the story not only of passion, but of excess and an
obsession with style borne of lack of purpose. In her 1988 book The Windsor
Style, Suzy Menkes reveals the underlying shallowness of the couple’s life
in exile in their lavishly decorated home in Paris. She repeats a line
spoken by Edward VIII to a friend, in which he says: “You know what my
day was today? I got up late and then I went with the Duchess and watched
her buy a hat.” It captures the rather empty pursuit of style that
characterised their days. The Duchess declared that she “would rather
shop than eat”, and spent much of her time being fitted for couture
dresses. In Menkes’ book, the Duchess of Marlborough, one of the couple’s
social circle, is quoted as saying, “I went to look at the flowers at
[the Duchess's funeral]. It was tragic. They were all from dressmakers,
jewellers, Dior, Van Cleef, Alexandre. Those people were her life.”
Of course this was over a decade after the Duke of Windsor had died, and the
Duchess was left a widow, and few lives can live up to the unfading, eternal
lustre of diamonds, sapphires and rubies. Despite the more nuanced reality
behind the image, and the fact that the Duke was already disillusioned with
the duties associated with being king when the romance blossomed, what these
jewels will be associated most with is a love affair powerful enough to make
a king give up an empire. That’s what will bring down the hammer at
Sotheby’s tonight.
Article source: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/wallis-simpsons-jewellery-god-save-the-bling-2146950.html
Cold weather can be such an inconvenience: your toes freeze; you can’t work your iPod with your gloves on. But a few technologically themed accessories have hit the market, aiming to eliminate the discomfort of cold weather. I decided to test out three of them.
The Wikiboot
The first item on my fashion-meets-technology review list are Wikiboots, a new two-in-one concept shoe/boot.
“It’s a new take on men’s rubbers,” Mark Kingsy-Poole, president of Wikiboot, explained during the launch event at Beaver Lake (the boots are unisex). With Wikiboots, a pair of sneakers gets nestled into rather large pair of protective over-boots, so the sneakers can be worn muck-free indoors.
Speaking of muck, I arrived at the event with my cowboy boots drenched after running through the rain to get there, and was eyeing a stack of sample pairs.
But back to the interview: What does “Wiki” have to do with “Wikiboots”? I asked.
“Like Wikipedia, a collaboration program, everybody can participate -everybody can wear it,” Kingsy-Poole said.
I cocked my head to the side. Huh?
“Wiki means ‘fast’ in Hawaiian,” he tried again, “fast to put on, and fast to take off. It’s also an acronym: What I Know Is -my feet are warm.”
I decided to spare him from wiki-justification and tried on the lightweight sneakers in copper (they also come in black). I was impressed with how smoothly they glided on. However, getting the sneaker inside the zip-up boot required much prying. And it was such a snug fit, clearly a different shoe would never work inside the boot. I typically only wear sneakers to the gym, so these Wikiboots presented a lack of versatility.
Meanwhile, men in trench coats gathered around, smiling and nodding at next year yet-to-be-released Wikiboot models, which came with leather loafers. They held their new sneaker-version Wikiboot sample boxes under their arms.
I, however, arrived home in my cowboy boots. It would be wonderful for someone to invent the women’s equivalent of winter rubbers -ones that would fit over heels or dainty shoes. But for now, the Wikiboot is best reserved for men, women and children eager to protect their Wiki-style sneakers.
The waterproof boot is $139.85 and the sneaker is $69.99 on wikiboot.ca.
Etre Touchy gloves, ideal for i-devices
Other technologically themed winter gear is surprisingly simple. I opened the package for the Etre Touchy gloves, sent from Britain, and found two black 100-per-cent woolly numbers with the tips of the index finger and thumb missing, then stitched with grey wool.
“Keep your hands warm while using your touch screen phone, portable game system, media player …,” it reads on the back of the package.
By some mechanical marvel, simply having these two digits exposed allows one the freedom of touch and mobility without suffering much loss of warmth.
Wasting no time, I put on the Touchy gloves and hit the streets. I shot out a text message and used the bank machine no problem. By the time I’d gone to a meeting, conducted a brief interview (using a paper and pen), and went to a store and bought some juice, I realized I hadn’t the slightest urge to remove my Touchys for even the most basic activities.
Article source: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/todays-paper/High+tech+fashions+style+conscious+geek/3903183/story.html
Image by AlishaV via Flickr
I went to school in Ann Arbor, Mich.–a very lovely, but very cold, college town–and my freshman year my mother made sure I had a good pair of boots for tromping through the snow and ice, which some years began as early as October and could cover the ground well into May. Yet so many males I met during my four years of undergrad wore not boots or sensible covered shoes at all. They wore Tevas, those supremely unattractive sandals with clunky, often woven Velcro straps that are meant for white-water rafting and other outdoor adventures. Not only did they wear Tevas, but they wore them with socks when the temperature got below 40 degrees or so–socks that often clashed with the colors on the sandal’s straps.
I thankfully have not spotted a pair of Tevas since leaving Ann Arbor (except during a rafting expedition in Patagonia, an entirely appropriate place and situation in which to sport them). Once ubiquitous, in the 90s, around the same time that Birkenstocks enjoyed a resurgence, they have fallen out of favor; most young men prefer Converse or some other kind of sneaker if they are going to dress down–even Mark Zuckerberg has opted for the more streamlined Adidas slide. That is I hadn’t spotted one until this morning, when I opened my inbox and found an e-mail from lifestyle e-newsletter Daily Candy with the subject line “You’re Never Going To Believe This: Grey Ant Makes Tevas Cool Again.”
Grey Ant, a hipster fashion label known for its denim and its 80s-inspired clothing, has collaborated with the outdoor shoe brand to bring you the Teva stiletto (you can get a look at it here). The shoe comes in tan and black–both decorated with funky prints–and retails for $330.
Now, a lot of sports brands have collaborated with high-end designers for more luxe–and expensive–product lines. Adidas has enjoyed successful collaborations with Japanese avant garde designer Yohji Yamamoto–who designs the Y-3 line–and Stella McCartney. Reebok teamed up with Giorgio Armani’s Emporio Armani line for an apparel collection this summer. And Puma has a new line, called Urban Mobility, designed by iconoclastic British designer Hussein Chalayan. There’s nothing like a glossy, high-fashion name to sex up a rather stale sportswear brand.
But this collaboration seems a little odd. For one, Grey Ant is not a household name–nor is it one with a lot of fashion world clout like Yamamoto or Chalayan. There are a limited number of these shoes available, but limited availability alone isn’t enough incentive to get people to buy your product. For two, these shoes don’t seem to fulfill any function or need. McCartney and Armani created clothing that could be worn in the gym but still look stylish. No matter how comfortable these Tevas are, you can’t possibly hike in 4-inch heels; I manage to get mine stuck in a subway grate at least once a day–can you imagine wearing them in a rugged terrain filled with rocks and crevices? And, most important of all, the shoes look more than a tad ridiculous–non?
Article source: http://blogs.forbes.com/raquellaneri/2010/11/29/grey-ant-and-teva-collaborate-on-most-ridiculous-shoe-ever/?boxes=financechannelforbes
We know that Facebook and Twitter are hugely popular on the internet but now it seems they are making their way into our real lives in the form of fashion. Sports giant Adidas has released a new line of training shoes which are themed with the social networks on them.
Although a Facebook and Twitter trainer may not sound very cool, they still do look very fashionable and you can see large images and some of the features on Shiny Shiny.
On the Facebook shoes the pair are decorated in the traditional blue and white with the logo being featured on the tongue and heel. The slogan “Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you” is printed on the inside of the shoe.
As for the Twitter shoes, you have again the traditional light blue and white colours, with the Twitter bird logo printed on the heel. I am sure due to the popularity of the sites that these trainers will become and instant hit with social networking and sports fanatics alike. Leave us your comments with your thoughts and if you are going to get a pair.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Article source: http://www.onlinesocialmedia.net/20101129/adidas-concept-shoes-based-on-twitter-and-facebook/
MONTREAL – Cold weather can be such an inconvenience: your toes freeze; you can’t work your iPod with your gloves on. But a few technologically themed accessories have hit the market, aiming to eliminate the discomfort of cold weather. I decided to test out three of them.
The Wikiboot
The first item on my fashion-meets-technology review list are Wikiboots, a new two-in-one concept shoe/boot.
“It’s a new take on men’s rubbers,� Mark Kingsy-Poole, president of Wikiboot, explained during the launch event at Beaver Lake (the boots are unisex). With Wikiboots, a pair of sneakers gets nestled into rather large pair of protective over-boots, so the sneakers can be worn muck-free indoors.
Speaking of muck, I arrived at the event with my cowboy boots drenched after running through the rain to get there, and was eyeing a stack of sample pairs.
But back to the interview: What does “Wiki� have to do with “Wikiboots�? I asked.
“Like Wikipedia, a collaboration program, everybody can participate – everybody can wear it,� Kingsy-Poole said.
I cocked my head to the side. Huh?
“Wiki means ‘fast’ in Hawaiian,� he tried again, “fast to put on, and fast to take off. It’s also an acronym: What I Know Is – my feet are warm.�
I decided to spare him from wiki-justification and tried on the lightweight sneakers in copper (they also come in black). I was impressed with how smoothly they glided on. However, getting the sneaker inside the zip-up boot required much prying. And it was such a snug fit, clearly a different shoe would never work inside the boot. I typically only wear sneakers to the gym, so these Wikiboots presented a lack of versatility.
Meanwhile, men in trench coats gathered around, smiling and nodding at next year yet-to-be-released Wikiboot models, which came with leather loafers. They held their new sneaker-version ‘Wikiboot’ sample boxes under their arms.
I, however, arrived home in my cowboy boots. It would be wonderful for someone to invent the women’s equivalent of winter rubbers – ones that would fit over heels or dainty shoes. But for now, the Wikiboot is best reserved for men, women and children eager to protect their Wiki-style sneakers.
The waterproof boot is $139.85 and the sneaker is $69.99 on wikiboot.ca.
Etre Touchy gloves, ideal for i-devices
Other technologically themed winter gear is surprisingly simple. I opened the package for the Etre Touchy gloves, sent from the U.K., and found two black 100-per-cent woolly numbers with the tips of the index finger and thumb missing, then stitched with grey wool.
“Keep your hands warm while using your touch screen phone, portable game system, media player …,� it reads on the back of the package.
By some mechanical marvel, simply having these two digits exposed allows one the freedom of touch and mobility without suffering much loss of warmth.
Wasting no time, I put on the Touchy gloves and hit the streets. I shot out a text message and used the bank machine no problem. By the time I’d gone to a meeting, conducted a brief interview with a paper and pen, and went to a store and bought some juice, I realized I hadn’t even the slightest urge to remove my Touchys for even the most basic activities.
True, it’s tempting to just snip off the tips of an old pair of gloves and sew up the seams. But in 100-per cent wool and at approximately $32.60 a pair, the authentic Touchy are a safe bet.
Go to Etretouchy.com. Add about $3.40 for shipping and handling, which varies with order size. Delivery takes approximately 5 to 10 working days. For digital-friendly wool gloves with covered finger tips, visit fivepointgloves.com.
A heated, plug-in boot
With a closet full of various Ugg-style boots and Sorel-style clunkers, it was with great hesitation that I opened the box of battery-operated Columbia Sportswear Bugathermo boots, which come with three thermal settings.
But from the moment I saw the adorable lace-up mid-rise hiking boots, I felt immediate affection. Each blue-detailed boot has a discreet rubber stopper for the charger to enter, much like a cellphone. I plugged the accompanying adapter into the wall, and waited four hours for the boots to charge. It takes three to eight hours for the battery to drain, depending on the setting.
Weighing in at almost two pounds each, these hardcore boots with mega sole grips are clearly intended for the great outdoors. So I paired the handsome blue devils with my rain jacket and hat (it’s sure been a wet season), and leashed up my little dog Molly. I turned the Bugathermo boots to the high setting, since I’m often chilly, and quickly felt that delicious car-seat-warmer sensation – on my feet.
Clearly intended for snow, these electric boots weren’t too hot and heavy for an urban hike in the rain. From just above Sherbrooke St., Molly and I continued to push our way up the steps to the Mount Royal lookout. After a brief rest at the top, we navigated our way down the mountain, off-trail over rocks and branches. We’d clearly become true urban warrior princesses. Only thing is, I could swear that every time Molly glimpsed the electric red glow emitted from my boots, she cocked her fluffy head to the side.
Both men’s and women’s Columbia Sportswear’s Bugathermo are available at Sports Experts for $349.99. In fall 2011, look for Columbia plug-in jackets and gloves.
Article source: http://www.montrealgazette.com/High+tech+fashions+style+conscious+geek/3901652/story.html
Posted on November 29, 2010 · 
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Filed Under Fashion News
There is something so comforting about this time of year. It’s not just that the shortening days and darkening, cold nights that make anything dry, warm or above 0 degrees feel like a treat. Autumn/winter often brings out the best in style as well.
The other great thing about having to factor weather into our choice of shoes in this season is that we often end up making our best buys when it comes to party shoes and smarter heels – because we anticipate the pain, cold and potential cobbles of walking around in wintry conditions which we would normally never notice. The craze for wedges, wedge boots and wedge shoe boots seems to be a really productive meeting of the sexy and the comfortable. A black pair of leather or suede wedges won’t shoe up the puddles or even the snow – and chances are they’ll let you dance longer than a stiletto.
I love the fact that all manner of hardy looks are back, for work as well as play. Brogues, brogue boots and heeled Doc Marten-inspired calf-length boots are really working right now, and are all over high street and designer websites. Check New Look, who does some great versions of these shoes, at opposite ends of the high street price spectrum. I want a chunky heel, I want shearling, and I want some hardcore eyelets and studs and I don’t want to feel like taking them off after five minutes. This autumn/winter, maybe I’ll find the right shoes to tick all those boxes…such as Black Patent Bow Court £24.99, Navy Patent Platform Heel £19.99 or Butterfly Platform Heel £30.
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