Forget finding out whether the groundhog saw his shadow; never mind the lilies and tulips lining the sidewalks; simply ignore this 80 degree weather.
To know that spring officially has sprung at the University, you need only look at one thing: feet.
Of course, the feet themselves are secondary to what's actually on them. And on that note, I've noticed that lately, my fellow students have cast aside their cumbersome winter togs in favor of light summer apparel, of which flip flops are the key ingredient.
But apparently, not just any brand of flip flops will do for the discerning 'Hoos out there. Old Navy's come in a plethora of styles, as do J. Crew's, while Rainbows' appeal stems from their monochromatic hue.
And while all of these brands are well-represented around Grounds, none can hold a candle to the biggest fish in our flip flop pond: Reefs.
A quick check of the Reef website revealed that Reef makes over 20 styles of sandals. Yet the ones you're most likely to see around Grounds on men and women alike are the Smoothy (interesting name, I know, but don't ask me where it came from).
With their flat black soles and straps that come in colors such as red, blue, black and purple, they're what most students reach for once April rolls around, even if it's still 50 degrees out.
As with any other aspect of fashion, shoe trends come and go. Take, for example, the Dansko clog trend that spread like wildfire within the sorority crowd last fall and winter.
I'm not sure who started it (it definitely wasn't Vogue), but what I am relatively sure of is that next fall, you won't see nary a one around Grounds.
But as countless pairs of Dansko clogs sit gathering dust in the years to come, Reefs continue to be dragged out of the closet summer after summer, retiring only from eventual wear and tear rather than fashion fickleness.
Point in case: I've had my Reefs for three years, and like most people, I look forward to the day I can drag them out of the closet, despite my winter-white feet. Most other shoes haven't been so lucky. I've had my tenth grade homecoming shoes for five years, but they haven't come out of the closet since, well, tenth grade homecoming.
However, I'm not willing to let Reefs get off scott free here. The fault comes not from any inherent flaw in the shoes themselves - they're comfortable, durable, relatively attractive and reasonably priced at around $20. The only problem with Reefs seems to be that they are the unwilling victims of overuse.
Let me preface this explanation with a question: have you ever seen a child wearing a blatantly incongruous outfit? You know, Barbie sneakers with a ruffled pink dress or cowboy boots with shorts and a t-shirt?
We've all been that child at some time or another, suffering from an uncanny attachment to an item of clothing that we swear to wear at all times, regardless of what our mother tries to bribe us with to get us to surrender. Don't believe me? Ask your mom. I'm sure she could come up with a picture or two to back me up.
In any case, quite a few University students seem to be suffering from this syndrome that I thought ended with elementary school. But this time, it's not a Snork T-shirt or a glittery tiara that we're unwilling to surrender; instead, it's our Reefs.
Last year at my sorority's parents' weekend formal, one guy in particular stood out among the formally-clad attendees. He was wearing a tux like all the other men present, but as I glanced down, I saw that he was wearing not standard dress shoes, but Reefs. With red straps, nonetheless. I decided to pass it off as merely a fluke - perhaps he was coming off a foot problem that prevented him from wearing anything else.
But unless there's some sort of foot malady running rampant among our fraternities, subsequent observations have proved that this guy wasn't just a fluke. However, I have yet to figure out exactly why wearing Reefs with a tux is necessary. Sure they're more comfortable than anything else, but jeez, if a girl's voluntarily buying you dinner and drinks all night, I'm pretty sure you could deal with closed-toed shoes for a couple of hours.
Bottom line - to men who wear reefs with tuxedos - no one is cool enough to pull it off. Really. That first year might have told you otherwise last Saturday night, but that probably was just the Natty talking.
Here's a handy rule of thumb: any shoes that go with a bathing suit sure don't go with a tux.
Thankfully, I have yet to see women incorporate Reefs into their own formal attire. However, I do think that pairing them with sundresses and skirts is sort of pushing the envelope. Preppy or beachy - let's pick a look and go with it, girls. If you're that concerned with comfort, then do you really need to be wearing your cleavage-bearing strappy sundress to class in the first place?
No item of clothing validly can span the extensive breadth between beachwear and formalwear. Reefs are no exception to this rule.
This is what they are -a comfortable, causal shoe, perfect for wearing with shorts or casual pants, even some skirts, and this is what they aren't - dressy. After all, your mom dealt with your Spiderman socks because heck, you were five. But last time I checked, we were all (supposedly) adults around here.
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