Coquette

New Rebecca Minkoff Boutique in SF Brings New Tech to Fashion

Rebecca Minkoff Boutique
2124 Filmore Street
San Francisco, CA

Shopping goes to a whole new tech level at the new Rebecca Minkoff boutique on Filmore Street in SF. The boutique just opened today and boasts some amazing connected technology that blends seamlessly into the shopping experience. I got to visit the boutique a month ago while it was still under construction to experience the technology that was created by eBay. A large three paneled touch screen greets shoppers upon entering. The screens flip through Minkoff's runway videos and call to action buttons inviting shoppers to "tap" the screen to see looks.

You can browse items and pair them with other pieces to create a look. You'll also be able to see immediately if the item is in stock and have it sent to a dressing room.

Once you enter the dressing room, you'll see the items you bring in appear on the mirror which is actually another large touch screen. Each item of clothing or accessories is equipped with a RIFD on the price tag which is read by sensors when you enter the room. On the mirror, you'll be able to change the lighting from day, night, to club. Need another size? No need to yell out for a sales associate. Just tap the mirror and you'll be able to contact someone to bring you another size or piece of clothing. You can even request a glass of bubbly!

While at the press preview, I got a chance to meet Rebecca Minkoff. She couldn't be any more lovely in person and I'm so happy she chose SF as one of her first boutiques outside of NYC. I'm looking forward to shopping at the new boutique!

Watch the video with Rebecca where she shows you the new technology in her boutiques.

Everpurse: The Bag that Charges Your Phone

Everpurse is a bag that charges your phone so you'll never have low battery ever again! The clutches and wristlets are perfect to carry essentials when you are on the go or to be used inside your larger handbag. Prices range from $189-$319 or you can retrofit your own handbag for $600 (if your bag is compatible). Current mobile phones that are compatible with Everpurse are: iPhone 4, 4S, 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III.

How does it work? Everpurse charges on it's own mat overnight and uses inductive charging to send energy wirelessly from the mat to the purse. Inside the bag there's a special charging pocket where you place your mobile phone.

This is the perfect mergence of tech and fashion!

Watch the video above to find out more about Everpurse.

NYFW: Vivienne Tam Fall 2013

(Photos: Elle.com, Imaxtree, and Alessandro Lucioni)

It seemed only fitting that Vivienne Tam show her Fall collection on the day of Chinese New Year. The collection was Asian inspired with a rock edge. The collection colored in red, black and white features a fun print of silkscreened images of President Obama in sunglasses laughing.

In addition to the playfulness, Vivienne makes a philanthropic statement by incorporating the SaveLoveGive logo in her designs to promote the organization that encourages eliminating waste (printed bills, texts, etc) and proposes online management of wireless plans that with the savings gives microloans to women in need.

I have always enjoyed Vivienne's adaption of new technology. This season she brings a QR code dress to life as the dot matrix image as seen above in the dress worn by Vivenne herself.

You can view the full collection on Elle.com.

Here's to the year of the snake and long life!

~Leigh

NYFW: State of Style Summit

(photo: StyleCaster.com)

I attended the State of Style Summit this past week, a new edition this year (and deemed the unoffical kick-off) to New York Fashion Week put on by StyleCaster and the 92nd Street Y. It was a day packed with fashion insight and best ways to leverage technology from some of the best in the field.

 

(photo: StyleCaster.com)

The panel I most enjoyed and had the best takeaways was "From Social Commerce to Soho: Where Does Digital Drive Traffic."  Lauren Indvik, Media and Fashion Editor at Mashable moderated with panelists: Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Co-Founder and CMO of Gilt Groupe and Catherine Moellering, EVP, Tobe Report of Doneger Group.  Wilson said Gilt's value proposition has become a place for brands to get the word out and market to consumers, a leap from where they started as a discount ecommerce site. She shared some data that I found interesting (and validates the mobile device usage surge), 30% of sales on the weekends are from mobile devices. And if you can believe it men buy more via Gilt mobile. Her advice to anyone in fashion is to be helpful – help drive consumers to a brand's retail store, website, social media or mobile app.

Catherine shared a ton of great data from The Tobe Report her company publishes on retail trends. Her advice for anyone who wants to see what consumers want for free, use Pinterest. She feels it is the best way to forecast trends, see what people are interested in and see what people are sharing. She would love to see conversion data shared to determine if people are actually buying the products they pin.

If you would like to read more about the event and see photos, Stylecaster has a great wrap-up and slideshow.

 

~Leigh

FLORA: Open-Source Wearable Electronics Platform

Fashion technology is one of my passions and it's always exciting for me to see more movement in this direction. Adafruit just announced their new open-source wearable electronics platform, FLORA. What does this mean? It means that in the near future, you will start to see much more interesting ways in which clothing or accessories can light up, connect with your devices, and take things into the future.

FLORA is very beginner friendly so if you are looking to get into fashion technology – this module can be a great first step! I'll continue to keep up on this new technology and will post new developments in fashion tech as they come up.

Read the FAQ and find out more about FLORA at Adafruit.

FLORA by ADAFRUIT from adafruit industries on Vimeo.

iNecklace

This iNecklace ($75) by Adafruit is a fun way to show off your geeky tech side. The aluminum necklace features a pulsating LED pendant reminiscent of the Apple "breathing" LED on Macs. Before you wear it out, just pop the battery in and the LED will gently pulsate for up to 72 hours. And even better geeky news? The iNecklace is completely open source! Watch the video below to see it in action.

iNecklace by Adafruit from adafruit industries on Vimeo.

Rebecca Minkoff @ eBay - Exclusive Tech Collection Launches Monday

Mark your calendars! Rebecca Minkoff has partnered up with eBay to launch an exclusive new six-piece tech collection of accessories. Beginning Monday, November 14th you can pick up her stylish iPad or iPhone cases at eBay Fashion Vault. The leather Spike Stud iPad Envelope ($220) is an edgy way to carry your iPad in style!

Here are more photos from the Rebecca Minkoff @ eBay Collection:

Perf and Stud iPhone Case, Black ($28)

Cheetah Laser iPhone Case, Neon Pink ($28)

Spike Stud Wristlet, Leather with Metal Studs ($220)

Diana Eng's Laser Lace Tees and Tops

(Photos by: Ricardo Louis)

Inspired by floral anatomy and botanical cells, fashion designer Diana Eng has launched her new mini collection of Laser Lace Tees and Tops. Traditional distressed t-shirts are popular for their tattered and well-worn style. Diana uses the accurate targeting of a laser cutter to precision distress floral cell-inspired lace patterns into a lightweight 100% cotton tee. Pictured above is the Laser Lace Basic Tee ($68) that comes in multitude of colors.

I love this Laser Lace Super Distressed Tee ($68) in silver pictured above. It is so stylish and the pattern will continue to distress and evolve along the neckline of the shirt.

Diana writes:

I love wearing t-shirts and jeans and don’t usually wear light up clothes with 140 volt circuits. But t-shirts and jeans aren’t really design studio appropriate. So I decided to distress a bunch of T-shirts in lace patterns. The laser was a perfect solution to creating precision lace patterns coupled with techniques found through A LOT of experimentation to properly distress and stabilize the lace.

Read more about Diana Eng's Laser Lace inspiration.

Diana Eng Technology Fashion Show at World Maker Faire in NY

I'm super excited that my friend, fashion designer (and former Project Runway contestant) Diana Eng will be presenting her technology fashion show at the World Maker Faire happening in Queens, NY on September 25, 2010 at 2pm. Diana Eng utilizes math, science, and technology to create whimsical designs. She is inspired by fairytales, sea creatures, and tea parties, and her designs are made possible by technologies such as deployable structures, microcontrollers, and number patterns.

She's an amazing designer and to see her do a runway show at the same location as where the World's Fair used to be is pretty cool! Don't miss the show. Fashion press can email the address in the invite above and everyone else should buy a ticket to Maker Faire where you can enjoy some great DIY activities and the Bust Craftacular fair all weekend!

Read more about Diana Eng's fashion show in the press release and see her previous Fairytale Fashion Show from earlier this spring.

(Photo: James Graham)

Fairytale Fashion Show

Fairytale Fashion is using technology to create a collection of magical clothing in real life and is created by one of my good friends, fashion designer Diana Eng. Last week she had her first Fairytale Fashion Show at Eyebeam in NY. Models hit the runway in sophisticated tech fashions, while a quartet of circuit bending DJ's created music from a hacked sewing machine and conductive felt. Enjoy the video of the show above.

Diana has been guest blogging on CRAFT where she shared some behind the scenes process in sketching designs and constructing designs.