Are they "Hip?"

While we were in DC, Corinna was kind enough to chauffer plasticmom and I to the mall so we could shop at the LL Bean store. The Tyson's Corner LL Bean is smaller than the Freeport, Maine company store, but still pretty impressive and very exciting for us non-camping, non-outdoor enthusiast, LL Bean fans. We stopped by Nordstroms and my mom purchased a pair of comfortable black, but not so much hip, ECCO walking sandals. While I was paying for the sandals at the cash register, I spotted a pair of red ones on the counter and a woman, around my mom's age, enthusiastically asked the sales person about the very sandals I was purchasing. Here is a reconstructed conversation:

EnthusedWoman: When did you get a new shipment of those sandals?
Salesperson: I’m not sure.
EnthusedWoman: I already have a pair, but I haven't seen all these other colors. What colors do you have?
SalesPerson: Black, Blue, Red, Beige.....
EnthusedWoman: I'll have to go take a look at them.

Flash Forward a few minutes...plasticmom is browsing the shoe sales rack and plasticann decides what the heck, why not try on a pair of red sandals just like plasticmom’s. EnthusedWoman catches plasticann trying on sandals:

EnthusedWoman: Excuse me, are those hip?
plasticann: Ummm...I don't know, but I'm not really someone who would know what's hip. They seem very comfortable.
EnthusedWoman: I know. I have a pair, but are they hip?
plasticann: My mom just purchased a pair and she seems to like them.
EnthusedWoman: Are they cool? Would you wear them?
plasticann: [desperately trying to deflect the questions and not wanting to offend EnthusedWoman who already owns a pair of the sandals in question] I don't own a pair, but my mom just got a pair.

After a while, she got fed up and left. The sandals were not exactly hip, but they looked nice and comfortable and most importantly, plasticmom really liked them. I didn't want to offend her, but I didn't want to lie either...a moral dilemma indeed. The problem is, hip is so nebulous...the line between "ironic" hip and not at all hip is really very fine. I suppose someone very hip could pull off these sandals, but I'm just not that hip.