BOSTON -- It's hard enough to stay in fashion with your wardrobe. In the not-too-distant future you could have to worry about how smart your clothes are, too.

This week the Materials Research Society convened at the Hynes Convention Center where the buzz was about garments.

NewsCenter 5's Liz Brunner reported that the fashion models were mostly engineers showing off "smart wear" fabrics that change color, light-up, and interact. Textile and technology are converging to produce clothing with beauty and brains.

A garment from Warm-X contains silver nanoparticles that, with the switch of the battery, warm the body.

Another featured garment was a skirt made of viscose and nylon can be worn as a short or long skirt.

For those headed to the dance floor, how about a shirt that lights up? Sewn in LED lights emit a blue glow from the shirt's glass fibers. In darkness, an illuminated jacket can be seen 2,000 feet away.

"This is the most modern textile, it's non-structured, prevents anything on clothes that stick to it," said Ralf Wehrspohn, of the Materials Research Society.

The smart fabrics are in development all over the world. Some have already hit the market and others are prototypes.

There is even a jacket that can charge cell phones with sunlight.

"The jean jacket has flexible solar cells there and on sides -- can essentially charge our electrical appliances," said Wehrspohn.

One of the most ambitious, albeit a bit of a sci-fi, concepts at the show was the wearable computer. Using hands-free technology, the wearer can interact with the computer. The computer can sense movement and can anticipate needs and actions.

Scientists said the technology could be used to help the disabled, monitor health care, or be used in the workplace.

The Material Research Society said all the garments can be washed at least 100 times.