Gone Off the Deep End? Wet Vest Keeps Your Head Above Water
NO MORE DUNKING: The Wet Vest is an innovative new product that is designed to keep your head above water while doing pool aerobics.
This new form of aqua wear from Bioenergetics Inc. will keep you afloat and save you from tilting like a buoy during deep-water workouts. Amazingly, unlike a life preserver, it’s not bulky.
Made of neoprene on the inside and nylon on the outside, it fits close to the body and is fastened with a tail brought up through the legs and hooked with Velcro to the stomach area.
According to Bioenergetics spokesman Rick Sullivan, users of the Wet Vest include 1984 Olympic marathon gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson, 1990 Los Angeles Marathon winner Julie Isphording and Priscilla Welch, winner of the 1987 New York Marathon.
“When they use it,” he says, “they get into deep water and run in place. It’s like slow-motion running. Their feet never touch the ground. It’s really funny to watch.”
At the moment, Wet Vests are available only through mail order. They’re $125 for standard sizes, $140 for extra-large sizes and $150 for a “Rehab Wet Vest,” which comes with a neck brace and back attachment that allows a therapist to hold a person while he or she moves in the vest. A less expensive ($40) version is scheduled to be introduced in stores by year’s end. In the meantime, Bioenergetics will send a free video demonstrating Wet Vests to anyone who calls its customer service number: (800) 433-2627.
DEAR HOT: I’m a secretary who sometimes has to shop for my boss--you know, gifts for his wife, kids, mother--for people I know little about. I usually play it safe and get perfume, scarves, the latest toys. But what can I do to make this less of a hit-or-miss task?
DEAR HOT SHOPPER: Find out from your boss the gifts they received in the past that really made them light up. Perhaps his wife has a favorite author, his mother is a big Liberace fan or his kids are Nintendo addicts. Maybe there’s something they use a lot that’s almost worn out--a tote bag, tennis racket or lunch box.
After all, personal shoppers make their living by finding out as much about their clients as they can, including color preferences, favorite designers and hobbies.
INSTANT PARTY SHOES: After her husband died 11 years ago, Jeanne Reiter started her own accounting firm and spent her days driving to and from clients’ offices, scuffing the heels of her shoes as her feet repeatedly moved from gas to brake to clutch pedals.
“One day when I said, ‘Somebody ought to do something about this!’ my smart-alecky daughter said, ‘Why don’t you?’ ” recalls Reiter, the inventor of ShoeJewels stick-on heel guards. Available in gold or silver (pictured), ShoeJewels are made of opaque plastic, but look like metal. They’re designed to stay on permanently and sell for $7 a pair (plus 51 cents for California sales tax and 25 cents for postage) from ShoeJewels, 1600 Petersen Ave., No. 12, San Jose, Calif. 95129. For more information, call (408) 253-8178.
