Pret-A-Porter Tech: The Latest Wearable Technology

With the ever-evolving capabilities of customizable smart phones and the arrival of Google Glass, the wearable tech trend is only just beginning. This year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) unveiled a bevy of new stylish tech accessories, from smart watches you’d actually want to wear, to trendy fitness trackers designed to keep you in shape. As wearable technology is shaping up to be the buzz phrase of 2014, here are just a few trends to keep your eye out for this year.

Hip Headphones

As the original wearable tech item, headphones and their design aesthetic has essentially remained the same. It is the sound quality, however, that distinguishes first-rate headphones from the rest, and the difference between earphones and headphones is simply a personal preference in comfort and style. If subtlety is more your speed, the UE 900 Earphones deliver on both fronts. Modeled after the same IEM (in-ear-monitors) used by personal musicians, the UE 900 earphones are an audiophile’s dream come true. Its unique, four-driver design produces clear, pristine sound across the frequency range so you can hear every sonic detail. Each pair also comes with eight in-ear options for obtaining the best-fit and noise-isolating sound for a completely immersive experience.

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Smart Watches

Smart watches have evolved beyond bulky sport bands or snap-in iPod accessories. Companies like Pebble are leading the pack in combining app capability with sleek and innovative design. Checking up on your texts or notifications takes just a glance at your wrist, never requiring you to be “that guy” constantly breaking out your phone. Their latest model, Pebble Steel, also comes with the option of a metal or leather wristband, successfully packaging the gadget in the guise of a nice dress watch. Dick Tracy would be so jealous.

Another purveyor of stylish and tech-friendly timepieces, Nooka Watches, recently teamed up with Cubify and 3D Systems to create a line of sustainable, 3D-printed timepieces with interchangeable watch bands. With the advent of 3D printing, customization is a key component in wearable tech.

Fitness Trackers

What better way to self-motivate than to turn daily exercise into a game? Clip-on pedometers have given way to an endless variety of wearable fitness trackers that measure every step taken, every heartbeat, and every calorie consumed. It’s like having your own personal, fitness-obsessed trainer always by your side. But instead of shaming you into a fitness routine, these trackers can turn every errand or morning commute into a fun game of calories burned and earned. Wristbands like Nike Fuelband, Misfit Shine, and Garmin Vivofit are just a few of the latest offerings.

The popular brand Fitbit is even partnering with fashion designer Tory Burch for a line of necklace and wristband accessories designed to hold the Fitbit Flex tracker — prep with pep, if you will. With so many to choose from, look for trackers that are compatible and synch seamlessly with your computer.

As technology becomes more embedded in our everyday lives, it looks as though we’re finally catching up to an almost fantastical, science fiction-y vision of the future. With gloves that analyze your golf swing, socks that track your speed and belts that improve your posture — the possibilities are endless.

Which wearable tech device are you itching to show off? Tell us in the comments.