The first thing I do everywhere January 1 is look at the Washington Post Style Section's INs and OUTs for the new year. This year, I had to wait because January 1 comes earlier in Vietnam and I was in Tam Dao, away from my computer and newspapers.
Last year, I wrote my first list for the Huffington Post. Looking back on it now, as Google is trying to acquire yelp.com and Toms Shoes now exist in millions of styles, I have to say, "I told you so." Someday my insights will be really valuable, but for now I offer them to you for free. Oh, leggings are still out, even though they are now disguised as jeans and called "jeggins."
(This list may be slightly biased because I am living and blogging in Hanoi, Vietnam. However, I was just in the United States for the holidays and I think the distance helps me see the current zeitgeist: everyone is searching for answers and new ideas, but consumerism still prevails)
OUT.............................IN
Twitter ...................... haiku
crockpots.................... netti pots
Brazil nuts .............. coconut water
black nail polish .............. dark green nail polish
wine tastings .......................... cheese tastings
studying abroad ......................... living abroad
salsa ................................. fish sauce
froyo with cultures ......... cultured ice cream (ie olive oil ice cream from the SF ferry building)
yoga teacher training .................... ayurveda institutes
cable knit sweaters......................... cable cars
restaurants............................ street food
New York................................ New Orleans
change .................................. progress
raw foodies ........................... "keepin it raw"
triathlons ............................. not trying too hard
Taylor Swift ........................ tailor-made clothes from Hoi An, Vietnam
Irish coffee .......................... Hot Toddies
big sunglasses .............................. pocket watches
digital cameras ............................ pocket-sized video cameras
living off the grid ...................... geolocation websites
the rat race ............................. soul-searching
Guantanamo Bay ..................... jailbroken Iphones
Whole Foods ......................... farmers' markets
salad................................. soup
newspapers ................... E-readers
all-purpose cleaners .................. repurposing everyday household items
black............................... tortoise shell
beer gardens......................... denim bars
dried cranberries ..................... figs
olive oil .......................... tea tree oil
emotional baggage ................. luggage
verbal emoticons (ie "sad face")............... more smiling
American Apparel............................ Alternative Apparel
kettlecorn..................................... Peruvian corn
gluttony....................... gluten-free
Phuket....................... Phu Quoc, Vietnam
drama ............................ llamas
"doing the wave" in stadiums ................. Google Wave
surfing............................ rock-climbing
foes ...................... pho
cars..................karma
sinking bank accounts........syncing devices
headbands.................hats
Rockstar the energy drink.............Rockstar the jeans
blaming the man...................blaming global warming