British retailer Marks & Spencer is to start selling a “smart fabric” business suit with built in iPod controls in the lapel.
Perhaps it was inevitable, given the ubiquity of the iPod: Someone has designed a business suit for it.
The two-piece employs so-called “smart fabric” technology to allow controls to be built into the lapel, enabling the wearer to switch tracks on their iPods without having to go to the excruciating effort of removing the device from their pockets.
According to a spokesperson for the makers, the Eleksen Group, the fabric will transform the lapel “into a five-button electronic control panel” and make “clothing into must-have fashion for the billion-dollar portable MP3 and mobile phone market.”
The suit will be available initially in Britain, sold by Marks & Spencer at nine of its department stores. Made from wool and lycra, and available in a classic black pinstripe, two button cut, it will be priced at around $300, although the jackets and pants will be available separately for about $180 and $120, respectively.
As fashion accessories go, this is a pretty big step, and the tailoring has been specifically designed to accommodate the iPod. A connector is sewn into the pocket, and there are loops within the jacket to keep the ear pod wires well out of sight. However, when the user wants to switch albums or artists, he will have to remove the device from his pocket.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the suit is dry clean only.
Suits you, sir?
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