Everybody knows you're not supposed to get a tan anymore. So what's the point of lying out on the beach, if you're just going to wear SPF 800 sunscreen? Well, if you're sporting designer Andrew Schneider's solar bikini, you can at least be charging your iPod while you nurse your pale yet cancer-free flesh.
The bikini is covered in photovoltaic film strips terminating in a USB connector. You can get five volts out of it, which is standard maximum voltage for a USB, which means you can plug in your phone or your music player, or your external keyboard if you're into cyborg cosplay. And best: You can actually go swimming in this thing, as long as you UNPLUG EVERYTHING FIRST (and don't plug back in until you're totally dry).
The suit costs about $200, which is actually not that outrageous for custom swimwear, and Schneider — who may not know the difference between the words "couture" and "coterie," though he is clearly otherwise a genius — is taking orders at his site Solar Coterie. In the works: A dude version that chills your beer for you, hopefully in an attached cup holder that looks like this.
