AFP
PARIS-E-cigarettes replaced nicotine patches, grunge returned to the catwalk, Daft Punk swept dance floors and the “selfie” made it into the dictionary. Here are some of the lifestyle trends of 2013. The scene at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service served as confirmation — if any were needed — of the selfie’s newfound place in the English language.  As the ceremony for the anti-apartheid hero who died earlier in December dragged on, US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt were captured posing for a self portrait like a group of excited teenagers.
Another of the year’s most memorable selfies was by Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano who photographed himself in space outside the International Space Station capturing the Earth’s reflection in his visor. Originally a social media buzzword, “selfie” was named word of the year in November and admitted to the online version of the Oxford English dictionary.
It is defined as “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website”.
Its evolution into the mainstream combined with a “phenomenal upward trend” in its use warranted its inclusion in the dictionary, Oxford Dictionaries said. Touted as “the real thing minus the tar, ash, smoke and most toxins”, e-cigarettes took off as an alternative to tobacco.
The battery-powered devices come with tips that light up and glow with the aid of an LED. Smoke appears to waft from them but it is in fact water vapour. Singer Robbie Williams and Twilight actor Robert Pattinson are among the famous names reported to have tried them out. Like traditional cigarettes, they deliver nicotine but experts say there are only trace amounts of the other toxic chemicals to which smokers are habitually exposed. The jury is still out on whether they pose other yet-to-emerge hazards to health. But their popularity is not in doubt.
Sales have doubled in the US each year since 2008 and were predicted to reach $1 billion (750,000 euros) in 2013. On the catwalk, Saint Laurent’s cult designer Hedi Slimane served up helpings of grunge, prompting a mixture of consternation and rave reviews. Dismissed as nothing new by some critics, his creations, however, have a habit of taking off. The designer, who helped give the world skinny jeans and was at the helm of Christian Dior menswear until 2007, is considered among the most influential of his generation.