Microsoft and Bloomingdale's got together at New York Fashion week to explore the intersection of fashion and technology. New York, September 07, 2012 Courtesy of Microsoft / YouTube

New York, USA – September 07, 2012

Posted by Steve Clayton
Editor, Next at Microsoft

With high tech playing an increasingly significant role in our lives, it was only a matter of time before technology became a big part of our decisions about style.

Steve Clayton, Editor, Next at Microsoft. New York, September 07, 2012 Courtesy of Microsoft / YouTube

At the fall Fashion Week in New York City, visitors to Bloomingdale’s are seeing a sampling of this trend, including the wearable printing dress from Microsoft Research, a new wave of retail experiences using Kinect for Windows, and Microsoft products that accentuate a wide variety of styles.

Microsoft and Bloomingdale's got together at New York Fashion week to explore the intersection of fashion and technology. New York, September 07, 2012 Courtesy of Microsoft / YouTube

One of the most fun parts of my role at Microsoft is exploring trends in technology and the role Microsoft is playing.

In the past on this blog I have talked about trends such as Natural User Interface.

Over the past year, the convergence of fashion and technology is a trend on the rise.

Microsoft is exploring the field of wearable computing, technologies that enable retailers to offer new ways for customers to experience apparel and have long been in the business of designing products that help our customers reflect their personal style. New York, September 07, 2012 Courtesy of Microsoft

There are a lot of examples of this, especially in the sports industry - such as LeBron James’ new Nike sneakers featuring sensors that tell you how high you’re jumping, or UnderArmour’s Biometric Compression shirt that tracks performance indicators like heart rate and body position.

As technology has become more natural, intuitive and woven in to many aspects of our daily lives, we’ve become more comfortable with it – all of which is helping this trend explode across brands, continents and inside Microsoft.

The Swivel Virtual Dressing Room Microsoft partner FaceCake uses Kinect for Windows to create Swivel, an interactive virtual dressing room experience. Kinect started out as a gaming and entertainment device for Xbox 360, but its ability to see, hear and understand gestures is enabling amazing experiences across many industries, including fashion and retail. New York, Sept. 6, 2012. Courtesy of Microsoft

We have researchers exploring the field of wearable computing, technologies that enable retailers to offer new ways for customers to experience apparel, and have long been in the business of designing products that help our customers reflect their personal style.

It’s fitting then that for New York Fashion Week, Microsoft is teaming up with Bloomingdale’s - a brand synonymous with fashion - to bring the intersection of fashion and technology to life for consumers.

Your Virtual Bloomingdale’s Closet Bloomingdale's is featuring the Swivel virtual dressing room in 20 stores nationwide, illustrating the convergence of fashion and technology and how Microsoft is leading the trend by bringing natural technologies such as Kinect for Windows to market. New York, Sept. 6, 2012. Courtesy of Microsoft

One place you’ll see this is in Bloomingdale’s NYC 59th Street store, which will feature the Microsoft Research Printing Dress.

The dress is an early prototype and artistic installation that integrates computer components into a dress made almost entirely of paper and shows us what could be possible when technology becomes wearable.

Change Your Style With a Wave of Your Hand Powered by Kinect for Windows, Swivel lets you simply wave at the TV to choose an outfit, move around to see different angles as you would on screen, and snap a picture of your new look to share with your social networks. New York, Sept. 6, 2012. Courtesy of Microsoft

The wearer can write tweets on the surface of the dress using a bodice mounted keyboard and visitors to the 59th Street store can send tweets using the #MSBLOOMINGDALES hashtag.

The dress won Best Concept and Best in Show at the 15th annual International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC) in San Francisco last summer.

Other Microsoft Researchers are exploring wearable technology that could make any surface an interactive display as well.

With the Wearable Multitouch Projector, our researchers are exploring wearable technologies that could one day be a brooch or lapel pin that turns any surface into an interactive display.

With PocketTouch, we’re exploring the integration of fabric and sensors and how to remove the barrier to interacting with technology in our pockets and purses.

The Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse For the first time, Bloomingdale's is selling Microsoft Hardware technology. The latest mice and keyboards from Microsoft Hardware demonstrate how technology is a vehicle to express individuality and personal style. The award-winning Arc Touch Mouse is a one-of-a-kind device that is designed to be lightweight and travel flat, but bends to fit the shape of your hand when in use. New York, Sept. 6, 2012. Courtesy of Microsoft

Another aspect of the fashion and technology trend is the potential to use technology to explore the latest fashions — virtually.

Microsoft’s Kinect sensor has unleashed a wave of new experiences for retail.

Swivel is a virtual dressing room from FaceCake that enables you try on clothes without the pain of really trying on clothes.

The Microsoft Research Printing Dress The Microsoft Research Printing Dress is an artistic installation that illustrates the wearable computing trend with integrated computer components sewn into a dress made almost entirely of paper. New York, Sept. 6, 2012. Courtesy of Microsoft

It leverages Kinect’s motion sensing technology to recognize the human form and display it on a TV screen.

From there, you simply wave at the TV to choose an outfit, move around to see different angles like you would on screen, and snap a picture of your new look to share with your social networks.

Wear Your Tweets on Your Sleeve With an integrated projector, the Microsoft Research Printing Dress showcases tweets in real time, transforming the skirt into a real-time twitter display. New York, Sept. 6, 2012. Courtesy of Microsoft

Swivel will also be featured in the Bloomingdale’s 59th street store and 19 other Bloomingdale’s stores nationwide.

Of course, the way most people interact with technology today is via the devices they use.

Along with our partners, we’ve always believed that offering the widest choice possible in the world of PCs allows people to express the own style.

When Fashion and Technology Converge The Microsoft Research Printing Dress hits the runway at Bloomingdale's 59th street NYC store for Fashion's Night Out. New York, Sept. 6, 2012. Courtesy of Microsoft

The PCs on the market today and the wave of new PCs arriving with Windows 8 will continue that self-expression.

And just as we accessorize our outfits, we accessorize our PCs with important technology such as mice and keyboards.

The latest mice and keyboards from Microsoft Hardware continue to offer beautiful design and artistic inspiration.

The Microsoft Research Printing Dress Goes Virtual Bloomingdale’s 59th Street NYC store features a unique dress to "try on" — the Microsoft Research Printing Dress. New York, Sept. 6, 2012. Courtesy of Microsoft

Personally, I’m a fan of the new Wedge Touch Mouse and Wedge Mobile Keyboard as they offer the ideal balance of form and function.

Speaking of design, beginning this week, select Bloomingdale’s stores and Bloomingdales.com will carry the award-winning Arc Touch mouse, which fuses beauty and function.

You can get your hands on lots of this great tech (and more) by entering Bloomingdale’s sweepstakes.

One Ultimate Grand Prize winner will receive a Windows tablet, Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse and Wedge Mobile Keyboard, Xbox 360 with Kinect and a Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone.

Interactive Window Displays Bloomingdale's 59th Street store in NYC installed interactive window displays that allow customers to touch the window to change the virtual mannequins' looks. New York, Sept. 6, 2012. Courtesy of Microsoft

Forty first prize winners will receive a Windows tablet and Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse and Keyboard.
To enter, simply text “ITSON” to 51515 (US only).

This has just scratched the surface of where Microsoft is integrating fashion and technology – there is much more to come.

Check in on the Next at Microsoft blog to follow this trend, view this slideshow on the Microsoft News Center, see my report from NY Fashion Week and find out whether I really did try on this Printing Dress.

And if you’re in New York or near a Bloomingdale’s store, be sure to stop by and check out the products first hand.


Steve Clayton

Editor, Next at Microsoft


Video
Microsoft and Bloomingdales at New York Fashion Week 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VEC4hpAXHU&feature  


Source: Microsoft Corp. / The Official Microsoft Blog

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/  



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