It's been a while since we've seen some silly trend sweep the YouTube Nation (remember planking?), but the wait for a new trend is OVER. Enter: Draping. We actually like this one! It involves posing like Don Draper and... that's about it. Check out Mad Men fans Draping around New York City—and yes, ladies, you can Drape, too: more ›

Next time you see a guy wearing his hair in a bun, you can thank the NY Times for being on top of this trend. Because there's a feature on the proliferation of this new 'do: "In certain arty neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Bushwick, some men are twisting their long hair into a form more famously worn by librarians, schoolmarms and Katharine Hepburn. But don’t call the male version an up-do or a chignon. Call it a man bun." more ›

Everything old is new again: Today, the NY Times shares the hot new educational trend at NYC private and charter schools—wooden blocks. According to the Times, adults have been flooding to "oversubscribed" block building workshops to learn how to use the simple objects: "Jean Schreiber, a self-described 'block consultant,' advised the group to engage their children in building by photographing their work. 'Don’t rush to help them with structural challenges,' she said. 'You don’t have to ask them a million questions. Just sit with them and notice.'" Next trend: Crayons and construction paper help kids with drawing, writing! more ›

Today, the Times runs an absolutely incredible, no-this-is-not-a-joke "trend" piece about the "rise" in cat agility contests. It's worth reading in its entirety, for these quotes alone: “When we first started it, everybody said, ‘Train a cat? Impossible!’ ” and "I think we let cats’ brains rot, and I think it’s really sad." more ›

Apparently Greek yogurt—the thicker, tangier cousin to, uh, American yogurt—is all the rage these days, with sales going up by a whopping 2500% over the past six years. Who's driving this dairy-fueled revolution? Why, rich East Coast women, of course! more ›

Today, the Post has a "trend" story about how people are suddenly getting their freak on in restaurants all over the city. Under-the-table footjobs, men's room makeouts, and kitchen coitus are apparently happening all around you, although we could have sworn that this sort of behavior's been going on...pretty much since the invention of restaurants. So in the name of science, we bravely conducted an extremely scientific office poll of the best and worst bars and restaurants to play hide the salami. more ›

Would you eat a cow, and then wear its skin? Food just went from farm to table to your closet (we await the inevitable moniker for this group of foodie fashionistas: foodista?). According to the NY Post, Marlow & Sons in Williamsburg is selling leather goods constructed from the tanned hides of the locally sourced cows and pigs that make it to their menu. more ›

Are things so bad that we need to move to the most miserable city in America (according to Forbes)? They sure are. Pack your bags, we're all moving to Cleveland! According to new reports, some New York artists are fleeing to there after getting priced out of the boroughs. Animal notes that it's not "a full-fledged trend yet," but it is getting media attention. more ›

Possibly in honor of the cold weather today, the Post takes a look at how men with furry faces have become more accepted in the workplace. However, despite the newfound prevalence of beards, there are still no laws protecting those with facial hair that's not related to religion or disability! Didn't anyone tell them about Movember? more ›

Are there really people buying $500 pairs of socks out there? The NY Post is reporting on some sort of expensive sock trend, pointing to Rodarte's $500 multicolored hand-crocheted ones (pictured), and noting most high end retailers carry something similar. One New York PR girl told the paper, "They last forever, and they look amazing and feel comfortable. If you think about all the times you buy cheap socks and six months later they have holes in it, these don't." But... these crocheted socks come with holes, and besides, the editor of Elle warns, "The open-toe [shoe with] sock trend is very season-specific, and by the end of the fall, the trend is most likely to look dated or passé." more ›

[UPDATE BELOW, BRAH] The most e-mailed story in the Times today is the sprawling Dining section trend piece "Marijuana Fuels a New Kitchen Culture." While acknowledging that drug use in the kitchen is nothing new, reporter Kim Severson goes on (and on and on) about how a new generation of chefs and restaurateurs have carved out a somewhat distinct genre of cuisine, which she thinks we should call "Haute Stoner." Can we not? more ›

A thief who's hip to the latest trends is terrorizing SoHo boutiques, including the Michael Kors store that's been struck three times. Forty-nine year old suspect Mark Perkins was identified Thursday through DNA evidence, though police believe he works with accomplices, reports the Times. At West Broadway's Jeans Shop one night the gang got in with a crowbar and grabbed 130 pairs of denim pants, each retailing at over $200; at Michael Kors they grabbed flashy gold leather satchel bags. Though sellers fear the crime wave will scare off their upscale clientele, an editor of RackedNY says the spree speaks to the fine tastes of the city. When told that a Marc Jacobs store had also been targeted, he observed that “Everyone wants to get in there, even the crime rings.” more ›

The latest Times trend piece looks at a new combination of exercise and indulgence that is taking the city by storm: foodie yoga. Yes, combining the ancient and often holy practice of yoga with bacon and wine has become extremely popular. One yoga teacher, Sadie Nardini, claims it is a backlash against the "yogier than thou" mentality that purists hold, but is eating while doing yoga pushing the "anything goes" idea a little too far? more ›

After a long day bracing yourself from the wind and layering up until you can barely move, isn't it nice to come home to a warm apartment and melt next to your radiator? Not anymore! The Times is calling the newest trend of the season: voluntarily going without heat. It turns out that plenty of New Yorkers have decided to keep their layers on all winter... without even the prompt of a double-dog dare. more ›

With items like pigs feet and brains showing up on the menu at an increasing number of high-end eateries, offal has turned from butchers block reject to a trendy delicacy. The New York Observer writes that in this world of celebrity chefs, well crafted "offal is the perfect medium for showing off." The dishes are appealing to young and old alike, as most new foodies will dare themselves to try anything, and most older patrons remember when sweetbreads were homecooked dinners. So is this trend part of the ongoing de-vegetarianizing of New York? Or are our brain-favoring palates just further evidence of the coming zombie apocalypse? Until someone sends some fresh brains over to our office, we're withholding judgment! more ›

Eating animals is apparently hip again. The ever-growing bacon trend coupled with the rising popularity of meat-loving chefs means that vegetarianism and veganism are out, according to a lengthy New York Press article. Meat is getting so popular that some formerly vegan eateries have even started serving it. more ›

Since it would be a shame if you missed this and walked around Williamsburg like a fool without a coconut, here's the latest NY Times style piece about walking around Williamsburg with a coconut. Although we share NYMag's apprehension of this "trend," as we've actually never seen anyone doing it, and even if we did, there's allegedly no alcohol in these coconuts; we are simply not interested in your virgin trends, Gray Lady. more ›

This week The Observer coins a new word to describe those enthusiastic eaters who spend an inordinate amount of time discussing, blogging, contemplating, and tweeting about food: They are foodiots, and New York is crawling with them. We hope this catches on, because "foodie" just doesn't go far enough to describe a mother tweeting about her homemade pear tofu purée nutmeg baby food. more ›

Color us enlightened, we never would have guessed self help would get a NY Times trend piece penned about it. The breathy two-page treatment discusses new-age spirituality, candles, incense, saffron pillows... you know, all the basic enlightenment props. We didn't make it past “Hang out in the light," so let us know how it ends. more ›

In an unfortunate pairing with the alleged potbelly trend happening in Williamsburg, the NY Post's Justin Rocket says that showing a little man-thigh with some short shorts is now all the rage. This is all based off of the final Pool Party crowd this weekend, where men were showing more skin than the ladies. One 27-year-old told them, "I can feel the breeze now. I do feel a little girly, but this is great!" Meanwhile, 31-year-old Nicolas Carr, who teamed up his short shorts with suspenders, said, "My wife was giving me a hard time when I left the house this morning. Said I looked like grandpa. If you are revealing testicles, then it's too short. But otherwise, why shouldn't guys be able to wear shorts as short as girls?" Women applauded, saying they aren't the only ones with nice legs. Perhaps, but they are the only ones with shaved legs. Are you there, winter? It's us, Williamsburg ... please arrive soon. more ›

Over the weekend it was reported that Cafe des Artistes, the serenely romantic restaurant near Lincoln Center, has closed after more than 90 years in business. The wife of owner George Lang blames the closure on the restaurant's unionized workers, who recently sued the restaurant for unpaid benefits, including medical insurance. Local 100 union president Bill Granfield tells the Times, "We think Mr. Lang is a great figure in the restaurant industry, a great person, and it’s a great restaurant. But it feels like time passed it by a while ago." more ›

Some New Yorkers leave the city for our reasonably-priced neighbor, New Jersey, others leave to start farms, and now NYMag reports that some are leaving for Buffalo, NY. One couple (and there's more than one!) in their 30s recently left their 1.5 bdrm Sunset Park apartment (and $1300/month rent) for the greener pastures of the upstate city, where they enjoy their new rent of $795/month. Just what does one get for that price? Three-bedrooms, living room, dining room, basement, a front and back porch, stained-glass windows, and a separate office...on a tree lined street...400 miles away from what used to be their city of dreams. One of the Buffalonians had this to say, “I don’t miss my old life in New York. I only miss the life in New York I know I never would have had.” Sad, really, but if you too have dreams of stained glass windows...there's plenty available. more ›

MSNBC has a long trend-piece about how increasingly younger girls are getting bikini waxing. How young? Well, Wanda Stawczyk, who runs Wanda's European Skin Care on West 57th Street, offers discounts for clients as young as 8, and she says pre-teen business is booming, telling the Post that "in 10 years waxing children will be like taking them to the dentist or putting braces on their teeth." Her company’s website says it all:

"Virgin-waxing for children 8 years old and up who have never shaved before. Virgin hair can be waxed so successfully that growth can be permanently stopped in just 2 to 6 sessions. Save your child a lifetime of waxing... and put the money in the bank for her college education instead

Because of rising rents and lowering profit margins, supermarkets city-wide have been disappearing, according to a recent study. New York's boroughs have been especially hard hit, forcing low-income residents like Fort Greene's Della Dorsett to power her electric wheelchair several blocks uphill along Myrtle Avenue, "returning home with plastic bags dangling from handles and nestled between her feet." Something to think about next time the lines jam up at Whole Foods. more ›

In a world of Julia Allisons, personal blogs about personal relationships have become the norm; the Reality TV of the internet. But what happens when these tell-all bloggers grow up? For better or worse, they continue their sagas online. more ›

Now that the glory days of moving to Brooklyn after being priced out of Manhattan are all but gone, the question remains: where do Manhattanites move? more ›

Wine bars are popping up all over town these days, and diners are also gravitating toward food made with local ingredients, so it makes sense that the next wave in the vino trend will be local wineries. Though a Staten Island vineyard is in the works, and the centuries-old Queens County Farm plans to sell wine from its vineyard this fall, the new urban wineries have to make do with grapes from Long Island or the Finger Lakes. more ›