apparel

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

Amazon shutters popular shoe site endless.com

Never fear, Amazon says, it's not really closing down its trendy shoe and accessory Web site endless.com -- it's migrating it to Amazon.com/Fashion.

The company posted a note on its Web site today saying that it has "exciting news." Apparently, as of September 27, endless.com will be no more. The goal for the company is to integrate this mainly shoe Web site into its bigger apparel site.

Here's more from endless.com:

This new style destination will have the latest shoes, handbags, jewelry and watches from an expanded selection of brands--including … Read more

Hoodie iPad sleeve brings geek chic to your tablet

The technology industry hasn't exactly spawned the most fashion-forward looks of all time, but the hoodie stands out as a persistent fashion meme, thanks to an ongoing assist from Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.

While you're all zipped up in your Zuckerberg tribute hoodie, nice and toasty, your poor tablet is left out in the cold with nothing but a scant Smart Cover to keep it warm. Maybe it's time to buy your iPad a hoodie of its very own.

The Hoodie Sleeve comes from Computer Apparel, the same company that brought us V-neck shirts for iPads. I suppose you could combine the two if you really want to treat your iPad like a Cabbage Patch Doll.… Read more

Zappos for bras: True & Co. to take on Victoria's Secret

PALOS VERDES, Calif.--There's a lingerie company launching at the D conference today. And it's no ordinary bra marketer, no ma'am.

Apparently, trying on bras is even more depressing and unrewarding for women than trying on pants is for men. This new company, True & Co., is using algorithms to guarantee its customers a good fit for bras ordered online. And it doesn't even require people to take measurements.

Given the user's dress size and answers to a several-page visual questionnaire, the True fitting system identifies bras that will fit based on what True knows … Read more

'Belly Armor' expands maternity apparel line to SF

Back in 2008, Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, had an announcement to make:

[There is a] growing body of literature linking long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects, including cancer. We shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later.

Herberman joined a growing chorus of cancer and radiation experts who, without yet establishing a definitive causal relationship between cell phone use and cancer, warns that it's too soon to know for sure how safe cell phones are, especially … Read more

Amazon laces up Zappos buy

Amazon's acquisition of shoes-and-more retailer Zappos is complete, the e-commerce giant said in a release Monday. The company in July had announced its intent to make the purchase, for about $850 million in cash and stock.

Zappos, which made a name for itself based on outside-the-box customer service principles, will stay independent from the Amazon.com brand and will continue to operate out of its Las Vegas headquarters.

Numbers released by J.P. Morgan Research in conjunction with the acquisition announcement predict that Zappos will post moderate, single-digit growth for the 2009 fiscal year after raking in $635 million … Read more

Fashion planner

SmartLook Dress offers users a chance to preview how clothes will look on their body before purchasing them. While this program has its strengths, its description is slightly misleading.

The program's interface was simple to maneuver and work with, even though it unnecessarily broke into two separate screens. Operation moves intuitively, feeling almost like a shopping Web site rather than fashion software. Also, the Help file is a great source of information and guidance for those with questions. Picking clothes and trying them on the model was simply a matter of pointing and clicking, which made this program fast … Read more

In online ad space, blank-faced hipsters in panties prove powerful

It's no surprise to anyone who reads blogs about celebrity gossip, nightlife, indie music, or pretty much any other niche of pop culture: American Apparel, the Los Angeles-based retailer infamous for bringing back the '80s aerobics look, has been named by ComScore as the top apparel outlet in the online ad world.

In other words, that means their ads, many of which feature nubile young models clad in just about nothing, are freaking everywhere on the Web.

A total of 483,389,000 American Apparel ad impressions were seen across the Web in April, reaching a whopping 48,887,… Read more

Boxers for those who love their iPods too much

We know people love their iPods and want them as close as possible at all times, as part of their personal wardrobe. For that reason, even the iPod mini-skirt didn't come as a complete surprise.

But boxer shorts?

The " iBoxers" have a special pocket that's designed to hold a media player or mobile phone (no jokes, please), according to Chip Chick, available for both women and men in an array of patterns and colors. There's obviously only one reason to buy them: So that, if anyone asks if that's an iPod in your pocket, … Read more