Hey, buddy, watch that cup of coffee. Whoa! Hate to tell you this, but that brown splatter really stands out on the floral tie. How much did that thing set you back? Seventy-five bucks? Ouch. Great suit too. Worsted wool, eh? Hey, did you run all the way to the office today-I mean, you can't ignore those dark sweat marks creeping down the pinstripes. But I'm sure no one will notice if you hold your arms at your sides and carry a file folder in front of that tie. Maybe you should skip lunch, head home for a change, and get that stuff to the dry cleaner. Use your lunch money to cover the bill.
That was yesterday. Tomorrow, embarrassing-and expensive-clothing disasters will be history, because textile designers are teaming up with materials scientists to develop fabrics that remain fresh and wearable regardless of what you spill on them. Familiar cottons, wools, and polyesters are getting face-lifts from the atoms up. No longer will clothes simply adorn the body and passively shield it from the elements. Fabrics are being coached, molecule by molecule, to engage with their environments, to get in the ring with odor, bacteria, heat, cold, and dirt.
