M-Dress by CuteCircuit: The Little Black Dress That's Also a Cell Phone

Who needs a clutch purse to hold a cell phone when you could just slip into the cell phone itself? Design outfit CuteCircuit has recently announced the M-Dress, a crepe silk-looking affair with soft telephony electronics. While most of the electronic womenswear we've seen has tended toward the dramatic (including CuteCircuit's own Galaxy Dress), this cell-phone-cum-sheath brings a sophisticated, if funereal, minimalism to the tech-couture scene.

The M-Dress contains a slot, just beneath its tag, for your cell phone's SIM card, thereby keeping the same number. When the phone "rings" (or, let's hope, gently vibrates), the wearer answers by simply lifting a palm to her ear, speaks into what looks like an embedded speaker/microphone, and returns it downward to end the call. The problems posed by this phone/dress, though, are substantial. With no display, you can only dial out one pre-programmed number, and you'll have no idea who's calling your frock. But we're not too upset about the missing features. (Aw, you can't play 'Angry Birds' on your dress?) That's because we remember it's a dress that makes phone calls. Sure, you'd look a bit batty talking into your hand, but no more so than the Bluetooth-headsetters that jabber on street corners like mental hospital runaways. Just think, ladies, one less thing to haul in your purse.

Tags: cell phone, cellphone, cutecircuit, dress, geek chic, GeekChic, m-dress, top