A Night Out

After a hellish week of late-nights spent in the library slaving over pre-final papers and projects, Lesley and I were seriously anticipating a weekend of fun. After Thursday night's concert and a (relatively) good night of sleep, Friday evening we ventured into chilly Boston for a BC Ski & Snowboard Club-sponsored event at the popular BC bar and dance venue An Tua Nua. This was my first time ever at An Tua, and I have to say I LOVED IT! Good music, good drinks, fun people, and lots of space. I can't wait to go back. Read on to see what outfits we rocked for the night...

As self-described "goths" with a semi-girlie flair, we rock some serious ring collections. Right now, we're digging matte colors like Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails XTreme Wear in "Wet Cement." Clockwise from top left (Rings: black bar ring by Biji for Urban Outfitters, double cross ring from Etsy, silver thumb ring from a Montauk surf shop, hammered silver ring from Free People, gold triple-finger bar ring from F21, B ring from middle school jewelry sale).

I realize that I look topless in this picture, but that's always been a problem when I wear backless American Apparel halter leotards with my hair down. I dub this look "Lady Godiva." Usually I try to wear my hair in a high ponytail so I at least look like I have some kind of a shirt on, but I wanted to wear my new headband with an attached gorgeous cascade of chain and black feathers, so I had to wear my hair loose. Unfortunately the feathers blend in with my hair in this photo (which makes for a nice subtle headpiece I can actually wear to class without looking ridiculous), but stay tuned for another post on feather hairpieces in the future. Anyways... I'm wearing a F21 feather headband, an AA halter leotard, navy blue silk high-waisted shorts from F21, a wide black belt, black tights, and black ankle boots.

I did a modern take on the "Lingerie-Inspired" trend with a dropwaist chiffon chemise thrown over a black bodycon slip, both by Free People. Unfortunately in these frigid temperatures, tights are a necessity, so I paired 'em with my favorite Free People heeled hiker boots. In natural Lucy fashion, I added tons of silver chains and finger hardware (see above).

***Special thanks to Shiva Moshtagh for being our personal RR photographer for the night. Love you babe!

XO Lucy & Lesley

RR x BC Art Club

Listen up readers! Lesley and I are proud to announce our collaboration with the BC Art Club as contributing bloggers for their supercool website.  If you guys haven't already seen the page bcartclub.com, I recommend browsing around for awhile.  Even though it's fairly new, it's pretty freaking cool and it's only going to get BETTER.  For starters, I'm obsessed with the layout; its very clean, simple, and easy to navigate.  Furthermore, the content offers something for every interest.  You can download cool new music (for FREE), browse through student photos, research upcoming events and activities on campus and around the Boston area, or read one of the specialized blogs ranging from various topics including athletics, photography, music, art, and fashion (US!).

So, click HERE and get reading.  We promise to offer you guys fun and interesting posts just like we do on the original Rusted Revolution, but with a bit of a stronger focus on fashion (think BC campus style, interviews, and trending).

Let us know what you think! What do you guys want to read about????

xo
Lucy and Lesley

Halloweekend Wrap-Up

Hi everyone, Happy Halloween! It's so weird to think that today is finally here after an entire weekend of celebrating (Lesley compared it to several days of Christmas Eve).  All-in-all, I think it's safe to say that Halloween was successful on several accounts: Our costumes, meticulously thought-out and constructed, turned out great and received ample attention from the BC crowd.  Party-wise, we enjoyed mod-hopping, dancing on tables, and socializing with friends.  We even won a football game against Clemson for the first time in a long time!

Thank God for Facebook....we've spent the whole day running through photo albums documenting this weekend's most clever costumes and priceless memories.  Thought we'd share a few with you guys to help reminisce:

Halloweekend begins on Thursday with JTree: Janine and Kelly dress as a sexy sailor and cowgirl

Add Shiva as Snooki, Danielle as a flapper, James as a lifeguard, and Lesley as a spider!

A better view of Lesley's homemade spider costume, complete with stuffed felt legs, fishing line, and a self-shredded white tank top for a web. Tough work lifting those legs up. 

Some clever costumes from Thursday night: Meghan as Eve, Mary as Madonna, and Sara as a loofah! 

For Friday, Lucy was Ke$ha. She wore denim shorts, ripped tights, big black motorcycle boots, a hand-shredded band t-shirt, and self-done feather wraps. The resemblance was uncanny.

Lesley as Davy (Daisy) Crockett in an authentic vintage raccoon hat, toy gun, handmade faux suede fringe vest, and Jeffrey Campbell wedge booties.

Cut to the mods: Les as Davy Crockett and Danielle as Ms. Marilyn Monroe

We found Ariel, the prettiest princess of them all. Molly, right, wore neon and glowstick-stuffed pants to cleverly portray a firefly.

Lucy as Ke$ha, Shiva "Snooki" Snickers, and Davy Crockett. Pickles, anyone?

The Lion King Crew starts Saturday off right: Danielle as Mufasa, Shiva as Pumba (and Timon), Lesley as Scar (with her prisoner Zazu), and Lucy as Rafiki.

RR's Best Costume Award goes to our friend Jason as Gandhi!

Scar and Rafiki looking surprisingly stylish.

We hope you all had a great weekend! It's never too early to start planning for next year!

xo

Lucy and Lesley

Une madeleine du matin, éloigne le médecin....

A madeleine in the morning keeps the doctor away....

Bonsoir tout le monde! If you don't understand a word of French and/or have never experienced the edible nirvana that is "une madeleine," then please, allow me to clarify....

I'm fresh back from an evening with La Maison Française de Boston College spent baking madeleines, sipping tea, and enjoying friendly conversation (en français, bien sûr!).  As a registered French major and ardent cultural enthusiast, I receive a slew of e-mails from La Maison, BC's official French Society.  The Club is actually more of a membership - every student enlisted in a university French class is invited to attend the events hosted by La Maison over the course of the school-year.  Depending on the month, events range in subject and variety; they offer movie screenings, conversation hours, group dinners, instructional speakers, exhibitions, field trips, and my personal favorite: cooking classes! Though I am genuinely interested in attending these events, I usually find myself making excuses or caught between the demands of juggling a job, schoolwork, and social life. However, being in my senior year, I vowed to make time for one such event that seriously piqued my interest: making madeleines.

A madeleine is a pound cake-esque cookie baked in pans with scallop-shaped depressions.  These iconic French culinary delights are equally delicious as they are aesthetically pleasing.  They're relatively easy to find, being sold at most American bakeries and even pre-packaged at Starbucks counters.  While I've enjoyed the packaged cakes with coffee or tea, I've never actually tasted a "freshly baked" madeleine.  You can probably guess how this story ends....

Upon arriving in Vouté, I felt somewhat intrusive, disrupting a group of already acquainted individuals deep in conversation.  However, my obvious love for all things French (and culinary), combined with a warm welcome from Ana, La Maison's head coordinator, soon put me at ease. Cindy Bravo, director of BC's Language Lab, was our resident chef-directrice for the evening.

Cindy first gave us a brief history of this iconic French pastry.  The madeleine originated in Commercy, a small village in the Lorraine region of northeastern France.   There are actually several stories concerning how the small cake gained its fortune and fame, but its widespread popularity and cross-cultural renown is indisputable.

The preparation of the dough was extremely easy! The only ingredients used were flour, eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla extract.  While we discussed the many different variations of the madeleine (ranging from chocolate-dipped to citrus-infused) Cindy, as a self-titled "puriste," assured us that the original recipe was best.  She called upon various members of the audience to assist her in preparation; some people mixed, some melted, some scooped, and some taste-tested to ensure that everybody got the opportunity to lend a hand..  While we waited for the madeleines to achieve their perfect golden shell, Ana read to us an excerpt from mid-20th century Marcel Proust's famous autobiographical novel  À La Recherche du Temps Perdu (The Remembrance of Things Past), in which the famous writer/philosopher describes his sensory experience of biting into a madeleine:

"She sent for one of those squat plump little cakes called "petites madeleines," which look as though they had been molded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell … I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure invaded my senses …

And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray … when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Leonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane …. and the whole of Combray and its surroundings, taking shape and solidity, sprang into being, town and garden alike, from my cup of tea."

I must admit that the experience of eating a freshly baked madeleine for the first time, was in a word: magical.  If you are ever hosting an event or want to reward yourself with a sweet treat, these little cakes are SO easy and quick to make.  I promise you won't be disappointed; your senses may be ignited as Proust's, but if nothing else, you will enjoy the gustatory pleasure of this famous French dessert.

Before we left, Cindy handed us each the official typed recette for concocting our own madeleines.  I know that I'll be whipping these up for family and friends at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and beyond!

Madeleines (Makes 24)

Ingredients:

-1 ¼ cup sugar

-1 ¼ cup flour

-1 ½ tbsp vanilla

-2 eggs

-4.4 oz. melted margarine (one stick + 1 tablespoon)

Directions:

Mix together eggs and sugar.  Gradually and alternately blend in flour and melted margarine.  Add vanilla.  Mix well.

Thoroughly grease (with Crisco) and flour madeleine pans.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  While pre-heating, chill batter and pans in refrigerator for a few minutes.  Drop generous teaspoon of batter into each madeleine mold.  Bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for 10-12 (maybe even 15) minutes, or until edges of madeleines are golden brown.  Remove from oven.  Let stand for 5 minutes, then remove each cake from mold (use the reversed tines of a fork to “nudge the madeleines to freedom”).

Cindy explains the baking process

The making of the batter commences!

Greasing the special shell molds...is there Crisco in France??

A volunteer helps to grease the pans

Into the oven they go!

Almost ready......

It's all about the presentation....aren't they si belles?

Bon appetit!

Je vous verrai dans la cuisine!!!!!

xo Lucy

...lovelier now, but dressed for funeral

Saturday night was the LMFAO and Kid Cudi concert at Boston College. Obviously a big night to make a fashion statement.

Here are our outfits from that night. We interrupted our pregaming to snap these before heading down to Conte Forum where the concert was held.

Lesley paired an American Apparel cropped tank top in Oyster Piqué with quirky Ecoté high-waisted leopard print culottes. She also wore a vintage silver necklace inherited from her grandmother's extensive costume jewelry collection, a woven leather belt, and edgy biker-inspired black heeled ankle boots from Forever 21.

Lucy put a twist on classic black and white by pairing a Free People lace bandeau under a Free People tank worn backwards to show off its cool crochet/lace pattern.  She included a tribal bodycon mini skirt from American Apparel, and finished off the look with a simple black Goody headband, an assortment of silver rings, and vintage Bagatelle leather boots.

After waiting in line -- actually, more of a giant blob of pushy drunk people -- we finally made it inside Conte. We caught the tail end of the opening act, a BC student DJ competition winner called CoastConnect.  LMFAO came onstage pretty soon after.  Their energy was high and their outfits were ridiculous.  We especially loved one bandmember's green sequin harem pants and another dude traipsing around with a robot box over his head....SO bummed we didn't get a pic!

Lesley's Review: As big a fan as I am of Cudi -- he seriously is a musical genius in my opinion, whoever would have thought Band of Horses and hip hop would go together? -- I was pretty disappointed in the concert as a whole. For having waited so long to get a ticket, it just wasn't up to par with my expectations. LMFAO had a very peppy performance, but it was almost too peppy. They kept jumping up and down that their voices sounded winded. Also, I was unfamiliar with a lot of their songs and a lot of them blended together and sounded the same to me. I'll admit though that I went wild for "I'm in Miami Bitch," and "Shots." Definite crowd pleasers. As for Cudi, I felt that he didn't play enough of his catchy, upbeat hits to keep the crowd's attention. First off, the speakers blowing in the middle of his song was a giant buzzkill, not to mention I was afraid he'd get pissed off at the booing crowd and just decided to end his set early. Thankfully, he came back onstage after a tense wait, and continued giving a relatively entertaining performance. The biggest issue I had with his set is that he spent too much time singing his less-upbeat, newer songs. Not to say that those songs aren't great, but it's not the kind of music I want to hear at a concert. I got kind of bored half-way through, to be honest. The only very chill song that I actually wanted to hear, "The Prayer" wasn't even performed. I guess overall I had a good time at the concert -- just being in that kind of atmosphere is fun in and of itself -- but had I known that I'd have to wait 6 hours in line for a ticket to a so-so show, I wouldn't have wasted my time.

Lucy's Review: I'll be the first to name Kid Cudi as one of my favorite contemporary artists; I think he is incredibly talented as a lyricist and producer, not-to-mention his ability to effortlessly blend an urban hip-hop and retro hipster style.  As such, I'm giving this show a mixed (and somewhat biased) review.  After LMFAO left the crowd craving shots, Cudi made a less-than-spectacular entrance onstage; it seemed that his enthusiasm for the performance was somewhat lacking in that he wasn't quite so passionate about being there.  When the mic cut out during "Soundtrack 2 My Life," the rapper swiftly left the stage, not to return to the crowd for at least 30 minutes.  I had heard of Cudi's diva-ish behaviors from friends and celebrity sources, so this course of events didn't exactly fare well for my concert review.  I'll be honest, when Cudi returned after the technical difficulties, he finished strong.  "Up, Up & Away (The Wake & Bake Song),"  "Cudi Zone," "Memories," and "Pursuit of Happiness" were definite crowd-pleasers. I was pretty disappointed that he didn't include mixtape classics such as "Mauie Wowie," "Cleveland Is the Reason," and "The Prayer," but I think it's safe to assume that problems with the soundsystem caused him to have to cut his set short.  In conclusion, I'll say the show was a success.  Was it worth the 6-hour wait in line for tickets and body-crushing mosh pit-style entry? Ehhhh....I dunno if I would do it over again....but I certainly enjoyed rocking out to the Kid for a night.  I'm still pretty starstruck.

Pregame in Edmonds (Left to right: Shiva, James, Lucy, Katie)

My favorite diva rocking the shades

At the concert (Left to Right: Danielle, James, Shiva)

Shiva, Lucy, & the two Danielles!

Rockin' out to LMFAO with James & Sheevs (had to whip out the wayfarers)

That look of disgust is really one of love!

More pregaming in Edmonds! (Lesley, James, Shiva, Lucy, and Katie).

James singing along while Shiva and Lucy cheese it up for the camera. Favorite thing about this picture? The smiling freshman in the background.

Zareen and Lesley smiling big after hearting "Shots," Z's theme song.

Also, check out Cudi's new video for the catchy song "All Summer" featuring Best Coast and Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij. The artists are seen wearing big caricature heads of themselves, which makes for a strange but entertaining sight.

Tight and Bright is Not Alright

What are the first things that come to mind when someone says "college theme party?"

Togas, obviously. Or CEOs/Secretary 'Hos. Right?

Wrong.

In this day and age, the number one college theme party sweeping the nation is (gag) Tight and Bright.

But seriously, who thought of this brilliant and extremely tired idea? Bros, obviously. The bros get to wear obnoxious nylon jogging jackets, flamboyant short-shorts that expose too much hairy thigh, and crazy-colored Nikes. And of course, the girls are as usual, dressed in tight gold lamé and 80s work out tights. Genius. 

Not really.

First off, I Lesley, as a girl, protest this theme. I love rocking the body con trend as much as anyone else -- nothing gets me more excited than a newly released, scandalous body suit from American Apparel -- but this party takes the fun out of leotards for me. Plus, I hate any color that's not black, so this automatically makes the "bright" aspect of the theme a challenge. And honestly, has anyone ever sweated to death in spandex before? Not pleasant. For some reason, guys like looking at half-naked, slick with sweat girls whose hair is a knotted mess and whose mascara is running down their faces. Not to mention the smell all the hot dancing bodies make. Ughhh. 

And as for the bros, you do realize all these tight and bright clothes come from hipster-central American Apparel, right? You claim the hipsters as your worst enemy with their flipped hair, skinny Gollum-like bodies, and penchant for wearing flannel, carrying back packs full of PBR, and dissing any lifestyle choice you might make (particularly music and drinking Smirnoff Ice). And yet with this obsession for the Tight and Bright theme, you're putting thousands and thousands of dollars into the hipster-making machine. Smart.

 vs.

So if I may make a suggestion, leave American Apparel to the hipsters and fashionable few who actually can wear a leotard without looking like a complete moron. If you throw a party, girls will wear tight clothes anyway. In fact, if I were a guy, toga parties would be my favorite. Come on, half-naked girls wrapped in bedsheets that are most likely going to fall off? 

I'm all about being current and trendy, but sometimes, it's best to stick with the classics.

Celebrate National Yoga Month

Good afternoon RR readers! Lucy here with our very first Health & Wellness post.  I hope you have enjoyed our first few posts and are ready for more, because we promise there is TONS coming your way!!  For this Health & Wellness post, I’m writing to remind you all that September is National Yoga Month.  The purpose of the National Yoga Campaign is to educate people about the many benefits of yoga so that they may lead happier, healthier, more balanced lifestyles.  As a self-proclaimed “yogatic,” If you’re not already hooked, now is the perfect time to try! Most gyms and fitness centers allow you to join a class free of charge for your first time.  There are many different types of yoga to choose from…you might be familiar with names such as Iyengar, Ashtanga, or Vinyasa.  While each type of practice differs in intensity, variety and flow, you will always be left with a sense of energy, vitality, and expansiveness.  Here are some tips on getting started!  Namaste.

If you are in the BC Area…

If you attend Boston College or live in the surrounding area, I’m sure you are well aware of the fitness programs offered in the school’s Flynn Recreation Complex.  I’ve tried nearly every class available and come to the conclusion that their selection of classes, frequency of times, and skilled instructors is unparalleled, thus making for a pleasant workout experience.  My personal favorite class is Iyengar Yoga at 12 pm with Lee.  While Lee’s subtle sense of humor (only exacerbated by his thick German accent) leave me smiling, his thorough explanations, constructive criticism, and evident passion for the practice always leave me in a positive and enlightened mood.  Be sure to check the Flynn Rec website for the class schedule: http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/ath/plex/groupfitness/schedule.html

If you are elsewhere…..

Check yogafinder.com to find a studio near you!

New students can get one week free yoga during National Yoga Month which can be redeemed at over at 1,000 participating yoga studios nationwide in September and October! This is for new students, but all you need to do is take this card to your local studio anytime this month!