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Style + Tech = Ray-Ban Shama Shade

The Manual
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Behold the first-ever content series between Digital Trends and The Manual. The Bromance has begun. Since there are a plethora of brands out there melding style and technology, we thought we would take this opportunity to profile one item per week for the month of October, breaking them down and offering each of our unique takes on their tech and style components.

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For the whole series, click here; for the most recent gazillion dollar idea that you forget to come up with, read on … 

the-manual-logo-dkThe Manual:

Now here is one of those, “Why didn’t I think of that?” products. Sayalee Kaluskar, an advertising wunderkind in India, had the genius idea of harnessing solar power through sunglasses to charge a phone. Google Glass should really take note because Sayalee’s glasses don’t make you look like an absolute idiot. Wisely, she is working with Ray-Ban on this concept.

The idea is simple: The arms of the standard-issue (and classic) Ray Ban Wayfarer have been hacked to carry photovoltaic cells wired to a battery hidden within the plastic. The cells charge the battery while you’re wearing your glasses in the sun, and when you head inside the arms pop off to reveal a microUSB or Lightening connector that plug into your phone and give its battery a shot of juice. Brilliant!

We are thrilled that this wonderful woman is alive and creating remarkable, energy-saving devices whilst keeping style in mind. But we’re more thrilled that she’s made sunglasses even less likely to be worn indoors, because that is as lame as it gets. The 80s are over people.

dt-logoDigital Trends:

We couldn’t agree more with The Manual, except for the part about the 80s being over. We don’t care what you say, The Manual! Our “Where’s The Beef?” Tshirt is cool! It was originally cool, then it wasn’t, but now it’s retro cool again. We know, because we asked Brooklyn.

Wearable tech may be all the rage, but as long as the manufactures of this stuff think that a postmodern cyborg aesthetic is wearable by anyone other than Google’s first few thousand Glassholes, it’s not going to get very far. When it comes to fashion and tech, the fashion has to come first because, frankly, the tech can’t be left to its own devices when comes to fashion.

All the bells and whistles in the world won’t amount anything more than bells and whistles if they’re hanging off something no one in their right mind would be caught wearing. Fortunately, everyone looks cool in Wayfarers.

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There are clothing subscription boxes for men available to fit pretty much any budget. Some services only charge a minimal styling fee, around $20. After that, you only pay for the price of the clothing, and even the shipping is free. They offer clothing at a wide range of prices but they all have very affordable options. You can start with one session and do more if you like the service.

Other services charge by monthly fee and you don’t get to choose exactly what you get, only what your style preferences are. They all provide a type of style quiz to fill out that will guide the service toward your personal style needs. These services tend to offer several tiered pricing options with the lowest tier usually well under $100.
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On January 20, Amazon announced that it plans to open its first physical clothing store in Glendale, California. Called Amazon Style, the 30,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar retail location will open in the Los Angeles suburb “later this year” at The Americana at Brand, a popular SoCal shopping destination. The Jeff Bezos-led mega corporation’s first-ever physical apparel outlet will offer clothing, footwear, and accessories, centered on a phone-first shopping experience.

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Stitch Fix is a pretty awesome service, especially if you want access to curated styles, that are picked out just for you. After taking a quick style quiz, they'll begin sending you outfits, every month -- or when you specify -- that you can try on, keep, or send back. Best of all, they offer name-brand apparel from places like Nike, Adidas, Toms, Callaway Apparel, Under Armour, The North Face, and much more.

We reviewed Stitch Fix at The Manual, and we found it nothing short of amazing. But will you feel the same? Of course, one of the best ways to find out is to head over to Stitch Fix, take your style quiz, and try out the service. You're under no obligation to keep any of the items sent to you, and returns, exchanges, and shipments are always free. If you're still hesitant, don't fret, we're going to take a look at six reasons why Stitch Fix is so highly recommended.

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