This week, I’m ceding control to a guest writer and one of our favorite StyleFeeders, John Palfrey. John is a trusted advisor to the company, as well as a very active StyleFeeder who also happens to have great taste. So rather than guess what the stylish men in our life are craving for Father’s Day (coming up fast on June 21, 2009), let’s ask one! Take it away, John!

For the sporty dad

We always need a new pair of running shoes, but it can be dicey to choose the right pair and the right fit. Tennis shirts are safer. A light jacket is a versatile pick. And Nike’s golf gear is rarely looked at askance on Father’s Day by the sporty dad.

For the classic dad

Dads who have to grind out a 9-to-5 in a suit-bound environment often appreciate a wardrobe pick-me-up. Think of a nice new suit, an Armani tie, new Cole Haan kicks, or some stainless steel cufflinks. You can never have too many.

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I had to have the iPhone. I stood in line and talked with other customers abut Apple conspiracy theories, and waited, and admired my vintage Manolo heels I haggled for online at Ebay, and waited, and chewed gum, and waited, and text messaged, and waited until I finally got inside. But when I walked out of Cingular (cough) I mean AT&T with my iPhone, I didn’t feel special.

You see, usually when I buy ridiculously high priced gadgets, the guilt quickly leaves when I hit the office, a family function, or a party and someone says “OMG, where’d you get that?” or “That must have cost a fortune”. But this time everyone had a phone like mine… my nightmare had come true… everyone had an iPhone! As the resident Gadget Hound at The Tastemaker Diares, and in life, my number one fashion rule is to stand out with my gadgets. I’m not a trend fanatic, I’m more of a classic, like Jackie O meets couture. My gadgets, however, are usually over the top, Kimora Lee Simmons, f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s.

So how do you stand out from the crowd? You pimp out your iPhone! Here are ways to stand out with yours.

Add Some Color

At ColorWare you can customize your iPhone the way you want it. Change the iPhone, the rim of the iPhone, the SIM card holder, the earphones, and the docking station to make a fashion statement all your own. To customize all of the above you’ll probably spend about about $250. Basic customizations range from $20 to $150.

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One of the worst things you can do is spend your well earned money on a laptop that doesn’t fit your lifestyle. With all of the specs, features, prices, and colors available…choosing one of your most important companions can be a downright headache! Below are three different fashion styles and three very different laptops that can be used as a guide to help you find the right one!

The Socialite / Trendsetter
The Dell Inspiron 1526 comes with an AMD Processor and 2 GB of hard drive, which come in handy for the socialite with millions of pictures on her computer. The DVD burner is filled with features so you can burn your favorite (cough) decent movies in style on a 15.4 Wide Screen LCD. Just enough features to keep you happy no matter whose coast you’re on.

Check out matching attire on my StyleFeed: 1)Ribbon Trim Dress 2)Prada Cervo Lux Shoulder Tote 3)Butterfly and Heart Earrings 4)LG enV Vx-9900 Transparent Pink Crystal Snap On Cover Case 5)Ladies Laptop bag KYDD – Black And Raspberry 6)Lock & Key Necklace 7)Dell Inspiron 1526 8 Studded Slippers

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Like most Stylefeeders, I love visuals. Discovering beautiful shapes, great colors, and interesting designs really makes me happy! I admire designers and artists who are able to create objects and compositions I cannot stop looking at. I secretly hope that I would be able to do the same if I only had more time available

My style can safely be called eclectic. The kinds of things that catch my attention are interesting and pleasing to the eye, make me smile, and have that unexpected extra dimension that gives them character. This includes modern furniture, ethnic antiques, artsy wall decor, silly gadgets, stylish recycling, and ingenious designs. I blame traveling and having lived in a handful of different countries, picking up aspects of various cultures and making them part of who I am.

Almost everything you’ll find in my Stylefeed are things I would love to own if I only had enough money to buy them and enough space to put them in. But who needs 27 beds, 54 lamps, and 32 couches! In future posts, I will share some of my favorites with you, and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do!

I’m not a huge makeup guru. I usually throw on some eye makeup, blush, and lip gloss for the day and add some dark liner and lipstick to transfer to the night. Being a techie and a fashionista, the natural question for me is: How do I look my best and what gadgets can help me do that? Surprisingly, there are a lot of gadgets out there that can add to your beauty regimen, costing anywhere from a few bucks to a few hundred. I tried two of these gadgets out; one I am absolutely in love with because it didn’t hurt my pocketbook, and one I was just curious about, so I decided to splurge.

1. USB Lighted Mirror

This little baby is pretty cool. It’s surrounded by light, making lining your eyes that much easier, and you can put your picture on the mirror to make a personal photo frame. It’s powered by USB and has four feet of cable. Very cool, very chic, and very cheap… only $15 dollars from USB Brando.

2. The blu_ray™ Collection by Cargo

Okay, it’s not a gadget… but the technology is amazing. My worst two fears in life are ending up in the emergency room wearing an old pair of underwear, and inadvertently getting my 15 minutes of fame looking a hot mess! Now with high definition TV, looking good doesn’t even cut it anymore, you have to look perfect. Cargo made this makeup line especially for makeup artists shooting in high-definition situations. The technology used includes photochromatic pigments, optical blurring, and hyaluronic spheres…in layman’s terms, the technology prevents your pores from looking big enough to drive a truck through. Shown from left to right are Lip Gloss, Blush/Highlighter, Pressed Powder, and Mascara… And don’t worry about being on TV, you can use this makeup in everyday life, especially if you’re prepping for your wedding day, special events, or a photo shoot. You can only buy the line at Sephora. The entire collection is $130.00, but it’s on sale now for $59.

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Innovation has redefined itself as “small”; from VHS to DVD… smaller, from car phones to cell phones… smaller. Today everyone wants their gadgets to be small, compact, easy to use, and light. The only problem is sometimes you have to sacrifice power for the size.

I took a look at a few ultra sleek, small, and stylish devices that could be incorporated into any fashionista’s style without sacrificing either technology or your wallet.

One of my favorite sites, ThinkGeek, features a Credit Card Size Digital Video Player for $99.99. It’s cute and sleek and big on power with an 8 hour battery life, heat-sensitive glowing buttons, 2GB of storage, expandable memory card, FM Radio, audio and voice recording, and much much more.

This next small and very cool gadget I ran across is my favorite. It’s called the iStraw and you have to check out the website to really get a good feeling for how awesome this small product is. iStraw is a “straw fitted with a special membrane, which uses Micro-filtration technology and is suitable for personal use to protect against water borne bacteria and protozoa found in tap water and ice in many countries.”

Wouldn’t you love this if you were a contestant on Survivor! It kills 99.9999% of germs and only cost $39.99!

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Okay, before you look at the title of this post and wonder what in the world I’m talking about, let me explain. I love 007, but I always secretly wished that the next James Bond would be a girl! Of course, in the society we are in, that wasn’t going to happen, but there are Charlie’s Angels, Aeon Flux, and many others to focus on. But for some reason, to me, nothing is more glamorous and stylish than a Bond Girl.

So I asked myself, if I were a modern day Bond Girl, what would I wear and what gadgets would I own? The inspiration for this post came from Lauren Conrad’s new Spring 2008 Collection. I love Lauren’s style and think some of her new pieces are quite classic and would fit very well into a current Bond Girl’s Closet. Don’t believe me? Decide for yourself as you take a ride with my wild imagination and check out this modern Bond Girl’s 24 hour mission:

7:00 PM: Charity Gala
Location: New York, New York
Check out this combination from The Lauren Conrad Spring 2008 Collection which includes the Nicole Skirt, Jackie Tube Top, and the Katherine Wrap. It reminds me of a bond girl at a Charity Gala right before she runs into James Bond while tailing the bad guy. Add a secret flash drive necklace, like this Heart Beat USB Memory Key by Phillip and Swarovski and wait for love and scandal to follow.

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Spring 2008 is coming fast and the styles range from Global (think Angelina Jolie mixed with the Queen of Sheba) to Goddess. I’m really excited about the new trends because they reflect the women of today: powerful, business-minded, eco-friendly goddesses and traveling divas. And of course, gadgets are needed to make these trends come to life! Here are four of my favorite Spring 2008 Trends and my suggestions on how to “gadgetize” (to accessorize using gadgets) them.

The Global Woman
Spring 2008 brings in a global theme that focuses on tribal-like patterns, bright colors mixed with earth tones, and natural but strong makeup! Every global woman needs a multilingual electronic talking dictionary. Try this one, the E15C800, by Ectacto which includes a car charger, headset, microphone and power converters for any country. Pair it with this cute global-inspired dress from Etro’s Women Spring 2008 Collection and you’re ready for any tribal adventure.

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