Slowly and methodically, Toyota’s upscale brand has been pursuing a course to make themselves relevant in the eyes of the young and restless. When the LFA came out of nowhere, it signaled the beginning of this strategy. Here was a no-compromise poster car done in a way only the Japanese could have conceived. Then came an expanded F line, as well as a trio of sleek concept cars that the public begged to buy. Begged to buy? A Lexus?!?! This then, was a turn of events.

Now we enter today with their affinity for Testarossa fins and angular bodies, their cutting edge electronics and lighting, and their increasingly modern interiors. Lexus is becoming cool, and I suspect will be the next “it” brand sometime in the next decade. BMW is increasingly pursuing SUV’s and leaving behind their “ultimate driving machine” persona. Mercedes lost the plot years ago and seem content to sell to golfers and retired dentists. Sure there’s a GT or Black Series here and there, but all that lipstick does nothing for this pig. Audi might be the cool car of the moment, but their recent designs have shown that they have no idea where to go forward and with the billions lost on the VW diesel scandal, Audi will likely see their development budgets slashed dramatically. The space is open for Lexus to occupy it – the crown of “It” car is ready for the taking. I think they are going to do it.

Whether the new Lexus will make it into the annals of boy racer legend remains to be seen. It seems unlikely that it will sit in the pantheon of greats like the original Golf GTI or even GM’s Nova – a classic back in the day. The car certainly has that type of appeal and looks like the sort of vehicle that young drivers would use to get into trouble with the law. But these things are inherently unpredictable. It is usually only after the fact that you find out that a vehicle was something special and had a cult following. Hindsight is a wonderful thing in the automotive world.

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In recent trends, loud prints like floral and paisley have been emerging through high end designers, trickling down to fast fashion retailers, such as Uniqlo or H&M. These loud prints have always been lurking on tourists and your parents, but as the fashion scene switches to “dadcore,” Birkenstocks are becoming more common.

Dadcore is simply described as things dads wear. Dadcore is coming back on the scene in part from movies with older movie stars like Liam Nesson and Bruce Willis. Seeing this older generation go crazy on the bad guys all while looking masculine and scoring the girl have popularized dadcore. Light wash jeans, shorter shorts, and New Balance fall into dadcore amongst a variety of others. Usually these clothing choices are ugly by itself and beautiful when paired correctly. Alright, enough about dadcore and onto the reason you’re reading: Are Birkenstocks cool?

The verdict: A courageous “yes.” If you’ve just started trying to dress better, don’t even think about trying them. I usually tell folks to stay away from sandals if you’re new at caring how you look and go with the safe option of boat shoes. Maybe you’re bored with white sneakers or Sperry’s and want to get adventurous. Well then, Birkenstock’s Arizona or Boston models are for you. Arizona has the classic double strap with metal clasps, giving your feet plenty of air if it gets too hot. The Boston model is less conventional and is more of a clog. My favorite is to wear them with wool socks. As an added bonus, they will be some of the most comfortable footwear you will ever have the pleasure of wearing. Dads are known for their laid back, casual style with comfort at the highest priority, so take a page from their book and get comfy.

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