The New Sneeze

2009 will be remembered for a lot of long lasting and significant trends- Michelle O's bold bare arms, round glasses, bahn mi sandwiches, the return of ditsy dresses and doc martins (and 90's style in general), biking as the new black, haute barnyard/locavore cuisine, and staycations are just a few of this year's heavy hitters. But perhaps the single most important trend of 2009 (I know, its a bit early to be making such a bold call) is the New Sneeze.

The New Sneeze, also known as the Sleeve Sneeze is revolutionary in its obviousness. A direct result of H1N1 hysteria (which is warranted, this flu packs a mean punch) the Sleeve Sneeze prevents germs from landing on the hands, which cannot always be washed or anti-bacterialized right after a traditional sneeze, by taking the germ hit in the crook of the arm, an area that is far less likely to touch, or be touched directly. So simple, yet so smart.

One draw back to this otherwise faultless fad is the effect it may have on clothing. How will the inner sleeve region stand up to all the sneezing action? Will designers begin making reinforced inner sleeves? Perhaps inside elbow patches are going to be the shoulder pads of 2010? I certainly wouldn't mind if they replaced the ultra low V trend that's been happening on men's t-shirts for the past few seasons.