Fashion: What's Tech Got to Do With It?

As much as I love my purses, occasionally it’s liberating to go bag-free. But even with pockets, I can’t always stow more than a credit card and a key, and I end up holding my phone. What about sunglasses, lip balm…? (I’m skimping here.) There must be a better, fashion-friendly solution I'm missing—or at least one in the works.

Oh, right: Remember that announcement of Paul Deneve’s departure from YSL for Apple? Well, there’s been speculation that Deneve will work on wearables at the tech company. Wearables! Like the calculator watch of the ‘80s?

Not quite. Quartz recently reported that almost every single major electronics and tech company is working on a smart watch. Google, LG, Microsoft, Samsung, Apple—you name it. It seems the logical next step in technology’s innovations toward a more streamlined and convenient lifestyle. With our phones, calendars, email, contacts, camera, methods of payment, and sociability all right at our fingertips, do we still need to exert the effort of actually holding the phone? There's a lot of potential here.

But wait—before we talk watches, let's chat about tech that rests on the bridge of your nose. Model Coco Rocha recently reviewed Google Glass for PC Mag, and although she congratulates Google for their innovations, she has some qualms about the product, namely how entirely unfashionable they are.

“I expect people to be wearing watches over glasses. Only because… they are tech. Glasses we use to protect our eyes from the sun,” said Rocha in a video for PC. (Rocha hopes for oh-so-sci-fi Google Contact Lenses.)

So with the buzz of forthcoming tech watches in the air, and one model’s prediction that success lies on the wrist instead of the nose, what’s the biggest hope?

Well, Rocha’s right. We aren’t going to slap on a silly looking watch or pair of glasses just for tech’s sake. We need products that are sleek and sexy, too. Think of the iPhone’s design, which is a major selling point in itself. Apple was smart to bring Deneve in from YSL. Maybe we can look forward to designer collaborations in the future. I would definitely wear a Chanel timepiece, avec Siri, s'il vous plait.

A watch with a small touch screen would fare better and do more to convince me that it’s a good purchase than anything too bulky or too obviously techy. The features are definitely nice, but like anyone with an eye toward style, design is going to be key.

Now if only I could get my building to convert to a keypad keyless entry…

Image: @cocorocha on Instagram