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Annie Hemmesch knew there was a market for high-tech winter gloves when she saw her mother answer an iPhone call from her father.

"She brought it to her face and slid her nose on it," Hemmesch, of Chicago, said. "She said it was too cold to take her gloves off."

Last February, Hemmesch, her mother and sister started selling Telefingers gloves, made by threading the thumbs, pointer fingers and middle fingers with conductive material that allows wearers to use touchscreen devices while keeping their hands warm.

The gloves are just one example of the influence that fashion and technology have had on cold-weather clothing this winter, providing more efficient but still stylish designs.

Suzanne Kopulos, cofounder and style director at the Chicago-based fashion blog Garmental.com, said she's seen boutiques increasingly stocking neck warmers, infinity scarves and looped cowls instead of traditional scarves.

The single loops can be doubled or tripled around the neck for extra warmth, making it easier to get bundled up for winter weather, said Amy Phillips, founder of TieMyScarf.com. It's a departure from the conventional long, fringed scarves that need to be tied around the neck.

"You tend to get disheveled, it's easier for them to get lopsided, one side gets longer than the other," Phillips said. "It's not always clear how to tie it."

But with looped scarves with the ends attached, "you just wrap it twice and you're done," Phillips said. "I think that's why they've become so popular."

They're also versatile, allowing wearers to drape them over their heads like a hoodie or pull them down for a shawl. They come in an array of materials, from expensive furs to alpaca and angora wools, jersey and cotton.

Trisha Fernandez, 29, of Colorado, sells chunky knit cowls and neck warmers on the crafters' website Etsy.com. She said she's selling few normal scarves this season because customers are asking for the circular and infinity shapes.

"They're good for sports, jogging or bicycling in the winter because they're not flying around or getting caught in spokes," Fernandez said.

Athletes - professional, amateur and the occasional - are among those driving demand for high-performance products because they spend time outside. Of course, many commuters, dog walkers, teens and just about everyone else want to be both warm and connected, too.

Telefingers isn't the only company offering gloves that allow wearers to embrace technology like touchscreen cell phones, music players and pad devices: North Face sells eTip gloves that the ubiquitous winter wear company says has a "gripper palm and click-wheel-compatible thumb and index finger." Isotoner offers women's plush, lined smarTouch gloves in seven colors. The brand 180s has a convertible glove-to-mitten style with a retractable "hood" that goes over the fingers. Telefingers also offers a "flip tip" design.

Moisture and salts from human fingertips are what allows conductivity with the touchscreen, said Jennifer Spencer of Colorado, who sells Agloves woven with silver conductive material.

"Everywhere we travel, everywhere we go, we have technology and we have to have gloves that match the world we live in," Spencer said. "We need our gloves to be as smart as our phones."

Questions:

1. What kind of gloves let wearers use touch screens?

2. What is becoming more popular for winter?

3. What is the advantage of the single loops?

Answers:

1. Telefingers gloves, made by threading the thumbs, pointer fingers and middle fingers with conductive material.

2. Neck warmers, infinity scarves and looped cowls instead of traditional scarves.

3. They can be doubled or tripled around the neck for extra warmth, making it easier to get bundled up for winter weather. It's a departure from the conventional long, fringed scarves that need to be tied around the neck.

去听写专区一展身手

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.