Clueless Man's Guide to Being Hip, Trendy

Let's admit it. Secretly, we all wish we were cool-really, really cool. Deep down inside, no matter how much we pretend like the latest fads don't faze us, we really wish that we could be counted among the coolest people that our friends know. So how does one go about being hip and trendy? Here's the clueless man's guide to be just that.

1) Listen to cool music. Hip people, contrary to popular belief, do not listen to "hip hop." Oh, no; hip people listen to the trendy and often unsigned artists streaming online. One of the easiest ways to spot a hip music listener is to hear them say, "Wow. I can't believe it took the mainstream record labels so long to sign ______. I've been listening to them online for ages." If you don't find that you have room in your schedule to browse the web for possible trendy upcoming artists, stick to streaming WeAreHunted's playlist of the 99 most popular emerging songs, or listening to Urban Outfitter's free online radio station. (As everyone knows, Urban Outfitter's just screams of coolness.)

2) Wear cool shoes. While Converse/Chuck's tell that their wearer is hip and classic, hip and trendy people usually stick to a different shoe wardrobe. Since hip and trendy people also tend to be aware of social justice issues, TOM's shoes are often a popular shoe for them. Barring TOM's, trendy people are often spotted wearing boots (the trendy ladies, at least), unique sandals (not really flip flops), or moccasins. Extremely cool people are even often seen walking barefoot.

3) Shop at cool places. Walmart is out, Trader Joe's or Whole Foods is in. Trendy people opt for the "all organic" products found in stores like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, even if the prices are much higher than the non organic varieties found in other grocery stores. It is also extremely hip to shop at local farmer's markets for fresh fruits, vegetables, and baked goods. Actually, the latest trend right now is to grow all your vegetables yourself, if you happen to have room in your yard for a garden.

4) Wear scarves. Scarves are "in" for trendy people no matter what season of the year it is (at least if you're a trendy female.) Trendy women often have a huge collection of Pashmina scarves for every day of the week. Trendy men should always be seen with a scarf knotted around their necks during the winter months-even if they live in a region that is not positively frigid.

5) Dress like you're "foreign." Hip and trendy people know that foreign (non-American) fashion is always cooler than whatever is crawling around the streets of America. In general, this means dressing more classically for most; raid your grandfather's wardrobe for ideas if necessary. Wanna-be trendster's should also check out blogs such as The Sartorialist for more detailed ideas on foreign fashion.

6) Read blogs. Speaking of blogs, blogging just so happens to be an extremely cool thing to do, and reading other's blogs is extremely hip as well. It really does not matter exactly which blogs you spend your time reading, as long as you can randomly throw out phrases like "Well I saw this idea on a blog..." into your daily conversations.

7) Sit around coffee shops. Cool people always know the greatest local coffee shops (not Starbucks) and lounge around there every evening or weekend. After ordering simple coffee (or tea) at one of these shops, they then sit around and do cool things: painting, reading intense literature, or writing novels. Sometimes they can be spotted playing chess in said coffee shops.