My 15 Hot Takes of What's In for 2024

By: Dakota D. Duran

Over the past year, there have been several trends that I have found myself favoring. I have thoroughly enjoyed “girl dinner” and “girl math,” and being delusional was definitely the easiest trend to participate in. However, as the year comes to an end, the trends do as well. 

As I find myself reflecting on the past year and preparing myself for the next, here are some things I have recently added to my lifestyle that I would want to stay in 2024:

1.Mixing Metals

Once I saw this trend, I was iffy about it as it made my OCD go insane. Being a “gold girl” since birth, I have never looked over in the silver section at any jewelry store. However, because my sister is a “silver girl,” I decided to try mixing the two tones just to see how it would look, and I ended up loving it! I think mixing metals makes one look different and avant-garde, and it makes you stand out from everyone else. Because I already have gold jewelry, I have started buying more silver pieces. My favorites have been found at thrift stores or flea markets specifically, and I love wearing them as there is history behind the gems. 

2. Saying, “That’s hot.”

“That’s hot” is a phrase I have applied to almost every situation in my life, and it fits every occasion perfectly. Did you get a good grade on a test? That’s hot. Just organized and cleaned your room? That’s hot. You just sent a risky test? That’s hot. It is the perfect phrase to use after you do something that adds to your life, and you can also use it as a compliment. It can be used variously and I have loved putting my friends on this phrase. 

3. EDM

Trust me, it took a while for me to agree on this one. But, after spending Thanksgiving break with my best friend, she put me on EDM and I have never been happier. EDM makes every situation feel like you’re at a rave or a nightclub, and it weirdly helps me focus as well. I put it on while I’m driving, doing my morning routine, or walking to class. If you put on noise-canceling headphones and put EDM on, I guarantee you that your confidence will increase by at least 50%. 

4. Restaurant Merch

With my father being in the liquor business, I have collected numerous amounts of shirts and sweatshirts of different brands of liquor. These pieces always give an amazing streetwear vibe, and I’ve noticed that restaurants that have clothing available give the same feeling. Finding clothes at restaurants is definitely more of an LA thing, but you can also find some great pieces online. I found my favorites in Malibu during my last trip home and haven’t stopped wearing them since. 

5. Not being delusional (on occasion) 

While my mindset my whole life has been to simply ignore reality, I have begun to realize that you have to be a little real sometimes. I’m not saying to be a total pessimist who’s always cynical (because that's no fun) but to simply take what happens to you at face value. As much as I want to believe that the guy who leaves me on delivered for 23 hours is in love with me, sometimes that is not the case. I have decided that I now pick and choose the situations where I want to be real, rather than telling myself, ‘The less I know the better.’ It has saved me from heartbreak and disappointment and has allowed me to move on from situations a lot easier. 

6. Cosplaying at different colleges

Sometimes, a girl gets bored and wants to see what life at another college is like, and there’s nothing wrong with that! With my long-distance best friends, I have loved traveling to their schools and acting like I’m a student there. I recently discovered what it was like to be a Yale student for a weekend, and I couldn’t have had more of a fun time. It feels like I’m switching worlds in a simulation, and I love making new friends and gaining new experiences. 

7. Using big vocabulary words 

When I hear someone randomly throw in a big vocabulary word in a simple sentence, I automatically think they’re cool. Because I have wanted to become this person, I made a list at the beginning of the year of different words that I want to throw into my dialogue, and I will be doing the same in 2024. You probably think I’m insane, but I love doing this as it gives off “literary cool girl” vibes, and it comes in handy with professors and internship interviews. 

8. Stuff with CBD in it 

During my recent staycation to Malibu, I was offered matcha with CBD in it. And let me tell you, it was great. I don’t know if it was real or a placebo, but either way, I felt zen. I have begun to buy lotions and oils with CBD, and if the option is available at a cafe, I will add it to my matcha. I love feeling like a 50-year-old hippie mom who does yoga every morning, and this is something I will definitely be bringing into 2024. 

9. Piercings 

I have always been a fan of piercings, but I feel as though I find myself favoring them more during this time in my life. Piercings are a great form of self-expression, and they also help you cope when soap-opera-level moments occur in your life (there have been way too many of these during this fall semester). I love decorating my body with jewelry, and piercings allow me to showcase my style and personality. If there is ever a little too much stress in my life and journaling isn’t cutting it, off to the piercing shop I go. 

10. Bodegas 

On my recent trip to New York, my friend introduced me to the concept of a lovely late-night trip to the bodega. Being from and going to school in California, it is hard for me to find anything that is open past 10 p.m., so once I discovered a cute little convenience store that is open at 1 a.m., I became obsessed. I would move to New York specifically for my bodega order of a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich with hot chocolate. The vibes are impeccable, you don’t have to spend a lot of money, and you get to go in an outfit that you’ve rotted in all day. I will definitely be making more bodega trips in 2024. 

11. Casually posting on Instagram 

I used to take my Instagram account very seriously, almost spending six hours curating the perfect post. I tried to execute a certain facade of my life, making sure my followers would have a specific vision of what I do throughout my day-to-day routine. Because I now enjoy the lifestyle of being raw and real, I apply this to my Instagram as well. If I want to post a picture now, I just post it. I don’t do it with the aim of validation from others or to see how many likes and comments it will get. If I think the picture is aesthetically pleasing, then that’s all that matters. 

12. Booking flights with no plan and just going 

Throughout November, I took myself on several trips, and was there a set plan for any of them? Absolutely not. Before college, I was a person who needed a set itinerary and schedule for every activity in my life. I now find myself becoming one who just goes with the flow, and it honestly makes everything more fun and exciting. When I recently traveled to the East Coast, I had the intention of going from New York to New Haven, however, I had never taken the train on the East Coast, nor did I know where I was going to stay once I arrived in New Haven. These types of situations are needed for character development, and I know I am just a little bit stronger after I was almost stranded at the train station until I finally found an Italian family who took me in and helped me. 

Being spontaneous always makes the best stories, and it also makes you more inviolable for the future. It has also helped me learn that everything works out no matter what, which is a mindset needed for 2024. 

13. Underground art galleries 

Mainstream museums used to be fun and perfect for my Instagram feed, but I find that these museums often have the same concepts of art. When going to an underground art gallery, you are looking at an individual style of work while supporting smaller artists. When finding these low-key museums, I often search through TikTok or see if any artists on Instagram want to showcase their work. This has become one of my new favorite activities, and I love finding new pieces for my apartment through this. 

14. F1 and being an aspiring car girl 

I was never really interested in cars until recently, and this is obviously because of Alix Earle attending the F1 races in Vegas. I have decided I will try my best to learn more about F1 and cars, but until then, I will be wearing the merch and browsing the Abercrombie and Fitch car graphic tee section for some new streetwear pieces. I feel that understanding different types of cars and how they work is extremely high-toned and cosmopolitan. And, who doesn’t want to channel their inner Suki from “Fast and Furious?” 

15. Unintentionally being gluten-free and vegan 

I was a pescatarian for five years until I broke that diet during finals week of my first year of college as I desperately yearned for a burger from Shake Shack. However, as I recently began grocery shopping for myself as I now live in an apartment, I have found myself unintentionally grabbing food that is vegan and gluten-free, bringing back part of the diet I had for part of my life. Surprisingly, it has made me feel less bloated after meals and I don’t find myself having random stomach issues here and there anymore. Of course, I don’t make my whole diet revolve around this, but when the option is there, I sometimes choose it. My recent favorites have been vegan gelato and cookie dough, which are the perfect late-night sweet treats that don’t leave me feeling the same pain as childbirth the next morning.