M&S launches revolutionary iSuit

This is the first suit which is so loud that it needs its own volume control.

Actually, the classic black pinstripe appears rather conservative - until the electronic wizardry hidden within is revealed.

The £149 Marks & Spencer iPod suit has a 'smart-fabric' control pad for the MP3 player sewn into the left lapel, allowing the wearer to adjust the level of sound and to skip through tracks.

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The £149 iPod suit has a 'smart-fabric' control pad for the MP3 player sewn into the material

The pad is attached to a cable that runs beneath the lining and plugs into the iPod, which of course has its own pocket.

The lapels even have loops to hold the earphone wires, eliminating the usual cats' cradle of connections.

The iPod suit - in wool with added Lycra and electronic wizardry - is going into nine stores, and costs £90 for the jacket and £59 for the trousers. It is, unsurprisingly, dry-clean only.

The 'smart-fabric' technology has been developed by the British technology company Eleksen.

The firm, based in the old Pinewood Studios where James Bond films were made, has developed a series of smart-fabric devices, including a full-size keyboard.

This connects wirelessly to a PDA or smart phone and allows users to access the internet or send emails. It runs on two AAA batteries and rolls up into your pocket when you're finished.

While the iPod suit seems a major innovation, it is considered just the first step in a new era that marries fabric with technology.

Scientists are working on TV screen technology using materials so thin and flexible that they can be worn like clothes.

These could display moving images, changing colours or designs to match the mood of the wearer.

And we already have the Hug Shirt, with embedded sensors that transmit the strength of the touch, the skin warmth and the heartbeat rate of the sender to someone else wearing another Hug Shirt anywhere in the world.

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