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
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Tags: Ladies Shoes Fashion
