With the Spring 2005 season slated to kick off on June 27, 2004 with the start of the Milan Menswear Show, it’s time to check into what the fashion journo will bring to the shows that are not necessarily fashion items but nevertheless fashion must-have.

The Laptop

The DEFINITIVE must have of the mobile worker, and that includes the fashionista. According to a recent survey conducted by KRC Research and commissioned by Toshiba's Digital Products Division, laptop computers have become the new "must have" on-the-road travel accessory, rivaling the mobile phone.

There are a lot of laptops available in the market. The fashionistas usually choose thin and light like the Dell Inspiron 300m, which weighs under 3 pounds and less than 1 inch thick.

If you’re thinking it’s because it looks fashionable, you are far off the target. Thin and light is chosen for convenience. Being at the shows 12 hours a day, and carrying a laptop that weighs 5 pounds get heavier by the hour, hence the lighter, the better.

Laptops are chosen for function too. Having a CD burner is a must to store all those runway photos. And a big hard drive, preferably at least 30 gigs.

Having a built in wireless network card is also becoming very important. With WiFi available in most of the big cities, including where the fashion shows are held, the convenience of being able to send email or surf the web anywhere and anytime is a high priority.

Articles are written and sent within 6 hours after the runway show. Connectivity is important and at this time, the Internet is the fastest way to keep in contact with the home office.

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