Clothing is much more these days than what our ancestors used it for--protection from the elements. Or is it? Some new technological advances have amped that protection from just keeping out wind and cold to keeping out bullets and nosy photographers.

The latest entry in the category is the defensive clothing line by Miguel Caballero, a Colombian designer who grew up in an atmosphere where many of his schoolmates wore protective vests every day--the heavy, thick kind worn by police. He realized that the fashion-conscious client who could afford to pay what the designs would cost, would appreciate what he could give them.

As quoted from Time Magazine, "His new collection includes blazers, raincoats and suede jackets, some replete with a comforting stab-proof lining. Customers get to select from three levels of ballistic protection. For instance, a polo shirt that can withstand a slug from a 9-mm revolver costs roughly $7,500; a version for about $9,800 protects wearers from automatic weapons, including mini-Uzis."

If that's a little out of your price range, there's something for the more common man. British manufacturer Bladerunner has created a series of hoodies, the earlier ones able to deflect a knife, the new ones bulletptoof, according to the company owner Barry Samms.

Cost of the black hoodies, which are machine washable, unlike the Caballero creations, is just under $600 US dollars, and Samms says he is selling quite a few to US buyers.

"..

Bulletproof clothing is not as ridiculous as it first seems," he told the London-based Daily Mail.

If you're not worried about guns or knives necessarily, but more personal invasions, perhaps the No-Contact Jacket is for you. Powered by a 9-volt alkaline battery, the jacket  provides 80,000 volts of low amperage electric current just under the surface of the jacket to deter anyone from touching the wearer.

The shock is non-lethal, but is designed to startle any potential attacker long enough to let the intended victim escape. The FAQ says the jacket can be worn in the rain and is designed not to be dangerous to its wearer, only someone not authorized to lay hands on.

On another front, or actually, rear, there's the fascinating topic of anti-spy underwear. This isn't defensive in the attack sense, but in the privacy sense.
Cramer Japan, one of that country's largest sportswear producers, created these panties and pads for inside bras after a wave of Peeping Toms with infrared cameras started snapping women and children on the street, able to see right through to the naughty bits, as it were.

No one is sure exactly how these work--but the theory goes if infrared reads off heat, then how cold do your body parts need to be to keep them from being seen?  Obviously a choice for the individual to make. And at 2000 yen, or about $19, much more affordable for everyone.