When boyfriend jeans became a part of the fashion lexicon—not to mention a wardrobe staple—they ushered in a crossover era in which gender lines are increasingly blurred. While on the runway there’s been no shortage of haute cross-dressing (with models like Hanne Gabby Odile wearing tailored suits and Andrej Pejic donning a dress), independent designers are also keeping things ambiguous by going unisex.

AANDD: While the debate still rages over what to call men’s purses (Man bag? Murse?), New York-based accessories label AANDD has opted out altogether, creating a line of bags that defy gendered description. Since multidisciplinary designer Adam Davidson launched the label in 2010, AANDD has grown to include six styles, ranging from a nautical-influenced duffel bag to a card-size folio. Although the collection is expressly functional—the Tabloid Tote doubles as a laptop case; the Pocket Satchel, a camera bag—it also emphasizes sleek design, with just the occasional subtle embellishment (rope handles, horn toggles). Further proving the line’s lack of gender bias, the model featured on AANDD’s site is as androgynous as the collection itself.

Last fall, ballet shed some of its hoity-toity stigma and now another classical art form is being democratized for a younger, less affluent demographic: opera. A new boy band answer to the Three Tenors aside, fringe interpretations of opera are bringing glass-shattering vocals to audiences previously more likely to be found at a gritty rock club than a gilded theater.

Opera on Tap: The difference between a self-taught folk singer and a classically trained opera singer may not be as dramatic as most believe. Opera on Tap is a national non-profit whose mission is to remove the socio-economic barrier between opera and its prospective fans by organizing performances in casual watering holes. A recent staging in LA saw a Rossini aria bring down the house at the Room 5 Lounge, a venue that typically hosts singer-songwriters and comedians. The open mike-style format yielded a variety show feel in which audience members could hit the bar at will rather than having to wait for an intermission like at the Met.

Kogi BBQ, the LA food truck that sparked scores of other meals-on-wheels operations, may have done more than pioneer a tidal wave of mobile cuisine. Indeed, it appears to have ignited an even wider food trend: Asian-Mexican fusion. Kogi’s signature Korean BBQ taco, which now appears on menus across America, has induced a raft of variations that co-mingle Eastern flavors with those from south of the border.

Sushi Burritos: Most sushi purists would rather avoid the dish altogether than eat a California Roll, yet a new Westernized take has even the most stringent sticklers digging in to the latest food fad to sweep the Golden State: the sushi burrito. Though the concept sounds sacrilege, it’s actually a rather ingenious interpretation for mobile diners who need a meal that can be held easily in one hand. Naturally, it’s become a food truck star, with at least two LA vendors luring the lunchtime crowd with sushi fillings bundled in a wrap. Jogasaki offers a choice of flour tortillas or soy paper, while the Hawaiian-flavored Pokey Truck sticks with the latter. 

Once the footwear of choice among those whose wardrobes came from head shops before tie-dye and caftans were chic, Minnetonka moccasins remain a gypster standard. And while the heritage brand may be a ubiquitous complement to formerly countercultural long hemlines, the authentically fashion forward have not abandoned the moccasin altogether. Rather, in keeping with the obsession for all things artisanal, they’ve merely moved on to handmade versions.

Rickard Guy Handmade: Artist Daniel McRorie has worn many hats in his life (actor, orthopedic technician, “crusty little punk”), but it was a chance encounter with a Help Wanted sign in the window of a mall shoe repair shop that ultimately led him to his current profession as a cobbler. Though he does still fix the occasional broken heel in his Brooklyn studio, the bulk of his work entails crafting custom footwear, including oxfords, bowlers shoes and, yes, moccasins. So popular have his stylistic moccasins become that he was tapped by Manhattan lifestyle emporium Love Adorned to spend every weekend this month in the store taking measurements for moccasin orders.