It appears the fashion world has finally bowed down to society's love for technology by entering the age of the "wearables," where polar opposites technology and fashion meet to bring you closer than ever to your smartphone.
Though many fashion experts have condemned wearable technology as unflattering, most notably the Apple Watch, designers like Rebecca Minkoff and Ralph Lauren have taken it upon themselves to market wearables with the hopes of appealing to the masses.
With a little bit of tech mojo, the ordinary shirt, ring or bracelet is transformed into a "smart" device that monitors breathing, alerts you to calls and texts and charges your phone among other amazing things you never thought clothing and jewelry could do. Like fashion icon Coco Chanel once said, "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only," according to the Daily Collegian.
Here are five outrageously-futuristic tech wearables to look out for:
-Designer Rebecca Minkoff introduced at New York Fashion Week a $120 gold chain-link bracelet that connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth and alerts the wearer to calls and messages, according to Forbes. Another $60 leather bracelet morphs into a phone charger. The smart bracelets are expected to hit shelves this holiday season.
-Speaking of phone chargers, Tommy Hilfiger unveiled a coat that uses solar energy to charge mobiles, tablets and any other USB-powered device you can fit in your pocket, the Daily Collegian noted. The revolutionary coat has solar panels on the back that powers a built-in battery.
-Ralph Lauren created a line of biometric polo shirts earlier this month made with silver fibers embedded into the nylon that tracks heart rate, breathing levels and the number of calories burned during a workout, according to Tech Times. The shirt, launched at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships last month, won't be available until spring 2015.
-For those craving eye-candy for the finger, there's an entire company dedicated to fashionable smart rings. Ringly, launched this summer, offers a line of colorful cocktail rings enabled with Bluetooth technology to alert the user to incoming calls and texts. The $195 gold-plated rings come in four colors and can flash lights or vibrate upon receiving notifications.
-One fashion company, Studio XO, is already brainstorming wearables like the ones straight from "Back to the Future." The three-year-old company, which has created outfits for artists like Lady Gaga and Azealia Banks, is developing a robotic clothing line with the ability to shrink or increase at the push of a button.
Co-creator Nancy Tilbury was probably speaking for the entire fashion world when she told The Guardian, "We haven't even scratched the surface."
