Back in the day, trends followed a general rule of threes. We’re told this is how saddle shoes and Hula-Hoops became a thing. But with the advent of Twitter, trending, as it were, has been revolutionized. These days, a simple # is all it takes and voilà! A trend is born. Carolyn Lipka and Jane Darby Menton, the trendiest girls WEEKEND knows, investigate the art of the #trend at Yale.

Box 63 on Wednesdays

The monopoly on Wednesday nightlife that Toad’s Place had is being challenged by newcomer Box 63. The restaurant features an upstairs bar area that is brimming with Yale students on Wednesday nights. With fancier drink options, a more casual atmosphere and consistently clean floors, it poses a serious threat to Toads. The prices haven’t deterred the Yalies who thus far have flocked to the rookie bar for both meals and entertainment. The addition of loud (and sometimes live) music and an area to dance (although I haven’t actually seen people dance) adds all the ambience of a club without any of the grime. And Box isn’t just for Wednesdays — Yalies have begun to go there on weekends (the bar, that is). There’s a bouncer at the door checking IDs, so it’s certainly more of an upperclassman hangout, but that hasn’t stopped its popularity from growing. Box, with its quality drinks and relaxed atmosphere, symbolizes a larger trend taking hold at Yale — maturity.

Heels to class

Every day when I’m walking to class, without fail I see some girl teetering in high heels, balance thrown off-kilter by her hefty backpack. The only thing I can really say about this trend is — really? As any girl knows well, heels hurt; spending an extended amount of time in them is not fun! Think back to high school dances: No matter how adorable your heels were or how well they matched your dress, 15 minutes into the dance they were in the corner of the room with everyone else’s and you were barefoot on the dance floor. While, sure, heels are stylish, and they make your legs look better, unless you’re a Kardashian sister, there is certainly no reason you need to be wearing them midday on a Tuesday. But if you absolutely cannot live without them, I hope for your sake (and the sake of your poor, tortured feet) that you don’t have a class on Science Hill.

Photographing the Beinecke

It’s a given that Yale has a beautiful campus. It’s so beautiful, in fact, that we are reminded every five seconds by the tourists flocking to Cross Campus and Old Campus to snap photos of themselves with Sterling Memorial Library and Harkness Tower from every angle. It’s always been taboo for students to photograph buildings because we live here and that’s for tourists and wannabe admits. But recently, groups of students have taken it into their own hands to photograph one of the most beautiful buildings on campus, and probably the most unique. At first, I thought maybe it was for a class, but for the past few weeks groups of students have been taking pictures outside and inside the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, particularly with large cameras. Maybe in another year we’ll mature to the point of taking photos of our own residential colleges.

Rainboots when it’s not raining

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This trend is just slightly confusing, but it’s been pervasive in the past month. Walking down the street on a sunny day, you pass people wearing rainboots. Now, rainboots aren’t exactly the most stylish of footwear; in fact, I’d argue that they are patently not stylish. They’re large, amorphous and made of rubber. … [E]ven if you do get them in a bright color or cute pattern, they still don’t look all that great. The value of rainboots lies in their practicality, which is pretty solidly negated when it’s not actually raining. I sincerely hope that this trend is more the result of faulty weather reporting than of a conscious fashion initiative. Realistically, in a few months, we’ll all be wearing boots every day to sludge through the piles of snow, so let’s give them a break for now, OK?

Mochi

Since the Mochi Store opened on Crown Street last April, Yalies have been raving about the delicious ice cream treat. I mean what’s not to love? Bite-sized bits of dairy deliciousness wrapped up in a sweet rice dough shell. … [T]hey’re like the tater tots of ice cream! With many (sometimes odd) flavors including green tea, mango, tiramisu, chocolate coconut and red velvet, the Mochi Store never fails to impress with its wide variety. Top that with quirky, seasonal flavors such as honeydew and pumpkin, and you’ve got an unfailingly broad menu from which to choose. Though the $1.50-a-piece price tag might give pause to the average broke college student, if you order a dozen or more, the price per item drops, and you have more mochi to eat! Really it’s a win-win situation.

Big headphones

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Just a disclaimer: I proudly wear large headphones and have for about a year. Nonetheless, Yalies seem to agree with me that not only are they stylish (so many color options!!!) but also are comfortable, providing better sound quality and serving as earmuffs that play music. More and more headphones are popping up on campus certainly proving that they are a superior option to the uncomfortable and unreliable earbuds that come with iPods. An exception to this trend is in the gym, where the tiny and uncomfortable earbud still reigns as the most popular option (because who would want to get their awesome noise-canceling headphones sweaty?). Both a fashion statement and a sign of better taste, large headphones are growing in popularity on campus.