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.

For the cool dad

When in doubt, think “gear” and “gadgets”. And there’s always the MacBook Pro (no chance you’ll go wrong there, if you have $1,800 hanging around with no purpose in your checking account).

For the high-end dad

Prada. Versace. Moschino. Yes, the dad in your house may be able to handle couture, too. Maybe even covets it.

For more ideas, check out a few of the fresh StyleFeeds of great dads we know (and there are more dads around our office this year than last…congrats!). They’re always checking out something new and putting it on their feeds.

It could be that the dad you’re shopping for isn’t exactly as hip as Phil , Shergul or Alex, but maybe they can help. Whatever you do, don’t forget June 21. (And don’t think for a minute that we don’t care. Just in case you were wondering. We like a stylish gift or two this time of year as much as you do. Maybe more.)

- A Concerned StyleFeeder Dad

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.

Be Yourself

Visit Skinit and add your own picture and colors to your iPhone for $39. This is a picture of the first (and last) fish I caught on an abandoned high rise off the Mississippi River. (I say last because my fiancé will never take me again. Maybe because of the three hour shopping trip the day before to get the perfect fishing attire… complete with fishing boots, a green cargo jacket, a fishing t-shirt, Baby Phat Jeans, and a pink pole. Maybe because of the pink Barbie tackle box I insisted on carrying…which held my lip gloss, cell phone, and a fingernail file. Or maybe it was the horror screams that had him running to kill an attacker, which turned out to be a bug…not my proudest moment). Anyway, Skinit has some awesome skins that allow you to join a cause, be political, or just be yourself.

Be Luxurious

Okay this is a dream, because even if I had a million dollars I wouldn’t by a $20,000 iPhone. But a girl can wish can’t she? Below is a stainless steel iPhone encrusted with white diamonds, did I mention it was $20,000? But if you feel like splurging like a regular human being in this economy, you can purchase a $255.00 iPhone chain case. Both of these are by the over the top designer Amosu. Visit the website for more outlandishly luxurious phones as well as pictures of celebrities who love them.

As always feel free to contact me by commenting below on more ways to customize your iPhone, for some general tips on pimping out your gadgets, or to tell me how you stand out in the iPhone crowd.

Happy Shopping…

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

The Rich Glamourista
For those of you with a little more cash in your pocket, check out the Toshiba Transformer Laptop with its 17-inch flat screen. It’s called The Transformer because it transforms from the utility of a laptop computer to the fun of a flat screen home entertainment center. Unfortunately, this is a concept laptop, but money talks…

Check out matching attire on my StyleFeed: 1)Toshiba Red Transformer Laptop 2) Floppy Hat 3) Sweetheart bustier dress 4)Marcia Moran Rings 5)Gold ladder bracelet 6)Chinese Laundry “Willy” Evening Sandal

The Rocker / Artist
Artists need music, photos, movies, software, and many various files of different types. They need ports to hook up their cameras, amps, guitars, light boxes, etc. The Macbook is an artist’s best friend because of the 2GB of memory and the ports in the back… you can hook up anything to this baby!

Check out matching attire on my StyleFeed: 1)Zipped hem jeans 2)Graphic Tee 3)Black beaded necklace 4)Handbag Notting Hill Design5)Anna e Alex Nero Earrings 6)Black silver twist bracelet 7)Crystal Icing – Swarovski Crystal Laptop, 8 Apple Powerbook G4 Laptop 9)Black Vest 10)Guess ‘Morticia’ Pumps

From one Tech Geek Fashionista to another… Happy Shopping.

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!

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.

3. Safetox Beauty

Sorry if this description is too scientific, but Safetox packs a lot of technology into this little gadget in order to provide alternatives to botox or surgeries. The device acts on the causes of wrinkles on the muscular level through five minute sessions each day for a number of weeks. Safetox relaxes the muscles in the front of the face altering the muscular balance in favor of the muscles in the rear of the head which open up the face and uplift the skin. For about $410 you can get your own. Check out the website for more information or check out the video on YouTube; it’s not in English but the action is enough for you the get the picture.

3. MiniTISSUES

I love, LOVE, love this product. I purchased these last month, and because I travel a lot, they come in handy in airports and anywhere you have access to water. Just take these mint-looking products and add water…and presto, you have a full-fledged, heavy duty wash cloth. I show people these all the time and they are truly amazed. And the best part? They are great for foreign countries and travel abroad because they are individually wrapped to be germ free and bacteria free while also being natural, disposable and biodegradable. When you purchase MiniTISSUE you get 96 individually packed tissues, 8 in a bag for convenience. Personally, the thing I love most about MiniTISSUE is that it is lint free, so feel free to wipe a black skirt with it. Visit minitissue.com and check out the video on YouTube to get a up closer look.

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!

If you are really a tech star then you know that Mobiblu is a company known for the cutest and smallest gadgets. I like the Cube3 which is available everywhere, even Wal-Mart, and packs a lot of power for it’s size. This media player supports multiple extensions, is podcast ready, can view digital images, holds 1,000 songs, has a full color LED Display, and can fit between your finger and thumb, all of that for $99.

I guess sometimes good things do come in small packages.

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.

11:00 AM: High Speed Chase
Location: Los Angeles, California
This outfit reminds me of a Bond Girl trying to be undercover but stylish while tailing the bad guy. This top by Lauren is called the Britton Top, add some skinny jeans, platforms, and a floppy hat… and of course sunglasses and you’ll be in a high speed chase behind the wheel of the 2009 Camaro, convertible of course! (Okay, I know the 09 Camaro isn’t necessarily a “gadget”, but I’m in love).

4:00 PM: Mission Accomplished
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Finally, it’s time lock up the bad guys and say good bye to James. Try this kimono style Sophia Dress by Lauren Conrad with an empire waist. But don’t leave the house without a LG watch phone, which was unveiled at this year’s CES awards.

As women, I’m sure we’ve all used different techniques to help us investigate something in our lives, hopefully you’ve learned how to do it in style and with some really cool gadgets.

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.

The Greek Goddess
Last year’s gladiator sandals have now inspired an entire goddess vibe this spring. The look is almost whimsical and is a great trend to incorporate into your wardrobe if your trouble spots include your tummy! Try this dress from Marchesa’s Spring 2008 Collection and pair it with the new Chanel Choco Phone designed by Fred de Garilhe. Too bad the phone is still a concept; hopefully the real product will follow soon after.

The High-Waisted Career Chick

Fashion and the workplace are probably the highlight of my 9 to 5! I love career-minded trends like the high-waisted pants shown below by DKNY. To make this look work, add a ribbon or skinny belt with a tucked-in tank and cardigan or a cute button-down boyfriend shirt and you’ll look sophisticated, especially if you check your emails on a Samsung Blackberry Pearl II in a delicious red wine color.

The Safari Diva

Go down under with this cute trend, best represented below in Michael Kors Spring 2008 Collection. I love the way he incorporates the trend with a look of sophistication that balances trendy with glamourous. Pair this look with the new ultra slim and stylish Optio M40 digital camera by Pentax. Specs include a 8.0 mega pixel image quality and high-quality extended movie capture in QuickTime motion.

Hope you are as excited about Spring 2008’s new trends as much as I am. Are there any Spring 2008 Trends that you are planning to incorporate into your wardrobe this year?