Fashion mag Elle, for example, has become the first major publication in Australia to feature the smartwatch, with its April edition going with a multi-page style guide recommending garments to wear with the device for particular occasions, whether it’s a special cocktail party, a day at the office, or simply “on the weekend.”
The latest edition of the women’s magazine focuses on three Apple Watches with different bands, paired with “this season’s power pieces.”
Shown off by the publication’s fashion editor, Sara Smith, the article encourages cocktail party attendees to “mix statement jewels with your watch,” though the idea of slinging on a “fine diamond tennis bracelet” suggests Apple’s watch may, in this particular case, have to compete for attention.
The Elle feature highlights Apple’s determination to push its first smartwatch as equal fashion accessory and piece of must-have tech, and follows a similar spread in last month’s U.S. edition of Vogue, as well as UK publication Style.
The company made its intentions clear at the very start when it invited a selection of fashion writers to the watch’s unveiling event back in September. A few weeks later the watch was shown off at Paris Fashion Week by Apple design chief Jony Ive. With health and fitness features also a big part of the soon-to-launch gadget, Apple has been showing it off in magazines like lifestyle-focused Self, too.
The Apple Watch launches on April 24, with prices ranging from $350 all the way up to $17,000, depending on materials. Whether the device will be a hit with consumers is anyone’s guess, though as Apple’s enthusiasm for fashion-mag features demonstrates, it really needs to be popular with trendy types as well as gadget fans in order to help propel it to success.
[Source: Elle]
