U GUYZZZ I HOPE I GET INTO ELIOT HAUS!!!!!111 NOW SIGN MY SHIRT

We just heard about the most EPIC party. No, seriously. It’s a slumber party. For the freshmen. On the night of March 10th, 2010. Which just happens to coincide with the night of, uh, RIVER RUN.

After reading the description of the event on Facebook, we wanted to weep. Are these the kinds of lies we’re feeding the young ones these days? That the night before Housing Day, you’re supposed to wriggle into your cute jammies, bring a few pillows, and scrawl on cheap Hanes t-shirts with markers that are probably already too dry? That the night before Housing Day, you are to partake in this “much-cherished pre-Housing Day sleepover ritual”? (Note to freshmen: It’s not.)

Listen up, freshmen. The night before Housing Day (called “River Run” for you n00bz) is not meant for your ass to be wiping the gross, pillow-strewn floors of Annenberg whilst decorating cute shirts. The night before Housing Day is a night meant not to be remembered, but blurrily and hazily recalled the morning after (“I puked WHERE last night?!”). The night before Housing Day is a night in which a flask is highly advised. The night before Housing Day is a night  in which you are meant to go wild, party like you’re at a normal college like Tufts, and pay homage to the River Gods in any way possible.

[Disclaimer: The Voice does not endorse underage drinking or vandalism or fires.]

It looks like the College has decided to poop on Housing Day Eve as a whole. See the new policies after the jump. Class of 2013…looks like you’re SOL. Lucky number 13, eh?  Read the rest of this entry »

Not a huuuge fan of Old Spice, but I just really like this ad. Just sayin’!

So I am a fan of Anthropologie on Facebook, and they just released this amazing sneak peak lookbook titled “Midcentury Proper.” I love the 60’s looks in the academic setting! Looks like a prettier version of Widener Library.

Also, given my track record I have come to realize that I will probably choose “fashion” or “style” as my beat for this amorphous Editor’s Blog.

Is it just me, or was J-term a complete waste of time for most of you?

When Harvard first announced that it had changed its calendar to make room for a month-long winter break, I rejoiced. A whole month? Of doing like, nothing? That’s heaven. No longer would we envy our friends at state schools and other schools who had a nice three weeks of winter vacay because we got a whopping four and a half.

J-term, at least for me, promised to be a time of uber productivity, filled with internship applications, course shopping, career pondering, book reading (for pleasure), on top of seeing friends and family. Did it prove to be productive? Not really. This graph painfully but accurately describes my month of January:

So what was the problem? One solution that I put forth in my 500-word-ish-long spiel in the survey was obviously to provide students with more options for staying on campus during J-term. I mean, as much as I love my family, staying with them for 4.5 weeks is just begging for someone’s blood pressure to skyrocket. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy frolicking about in a kind of empty campus? Spending J-term on campus with more student-led programming or offering quirky not-for-credit classes would be a fantastic option for students. See MIT’s Independent Activities Period, which is a program that has been successfully running for four decades! MIT students are given the option to take either for-credit or not-for-credit activities during the month of January. You can take a “Art and Architecture Tour of the Boston Public Library” or attend the “32nd Annual Science Fiction Marathon” or take an introductory language course in Japanese. Such diverse programming without the pressure of grades or credit would give students a truly relaxing yet intellectually stimulating winter break. It would definitely be a nice change from the unfortunate amounts of Hulu and junk food I consumed over J-term.

What do you think? Was J-term fruitful for you? What suggestions do you have?

Amy Odell of NY Mag writes this headline: “Prada’s New Menswear Collection Contains Disturbing Harvard References.” Harvard? Disturbing? Prada? All in the same sentence? We were obliged to continue reading.

“We’re disturbed. Not by the tight cropped sweaters, for we’ve always been a proponent of men showing their figures and wearing less clothing…. But since when is Harvard a fashion point of reference? … Even if Harvard kids would never wear this stuff (or most things remotely more interesting than boat shoes with no socks), the problem is, the world doesn’t need them to think themselves any more important or WONDERFUL than they already think they are.”

Dear Amy, thank you for lazily subscribing to two of the oldest Harvard cliches ever: that Harvard student’s can’t dress well and that Harvard students are completely self-absorbed. A quick look through Noicethreads can prove the first wrong, and an actual encounter or conversation with any Harvard student will prove the second wrong.

But wait! It doesn’t end there. See Amy’s other fantastically incorrect vision of Harvard students in her article about Harvard Yard, the fashion line launched by Harvard:

“…Harvard Yard — a lawn we imagine makes a nice resting ground for Harvard students to repair glasses, wipe down their pocket protectors, and memorize an extra few digits of pi — inspired the spring collection.”

Yeah, that’s real original.

Proenza’s pre-fall collection has preppy vibes galore, and we all know how much I approve. With varsity jackets, oxfords, and (my favorite) PLAID shorts, this collection is a nice bit of prim and polish. The two looks above are my favorite. It’s a refreshing, conservative break from the dizzying amounts of studs, sequins, and embellishment-crazy pieces of fabric that have walked down the runway for the past few seasons.  [link]

At The Voice, we are avid proponents of using Web 2.0 to foster an online Harvard community. So, we were naturally thrilled when we found out that Harvard has partnered up with Foursquare, the popular video-game-meets-smartphone application. The application allows friends to visit places while sharing information about their favorites, all the while unlocking “badges” and earning points along the way. According to the Gazette, Harvard is the first university to team up with Foursquare. Currently, the Foursquare application is only available to iPhone and Android users, but a Blackberry application is being released soon.

Photo from the Harvard Gazette

Since it’s no longer a secret that I love prep style, I think it’s safe to announce my excitement about this: Sperry, maker of the ubiquitous Topsider, is celebrating its 75th anniversary with  some classic designs from when it first started, and from what I’ve seen so far, I am obsessed:

So perfect.

[link]

I am not a WASP. But a quick dig through my wardrobe would reveal to you that I’m a closeted WASP fan. Beneath the mounds of hipstery leggings and frocks I own lurk the few, the proud, and the WASPy. In my second drawer are telltale seersucker and madras prints. The third drawer contains a horrific amount of Ralph Lauren sweaters in every color of the rainbow. Tossed carelessly by the foot of my desk you will find a pair of Topsiders (never worn with socks, naturally). Although I have yet to own a Lily Pulitzer dress or lobster embroidered headband (er, I’m not rushing to anytime soon), I’m secretly an avid proponent of prep style.

For girls though, prep style must be treated with the greatest delicacy. Like many things in life, it’s tempting to overindulge. Simple sweaters and skirts, monogrammed jewelry, a well-tailored tweed jacket are all acceptable staples. But if a girl walked into lecture wearing madras shorts, pearls, headband, and some pasteled variation of a shirt, I would smack her in the face with a tennis (or squash?) racket and then proceed to ralph. As in, barf, not Lauren. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo from yelp.com

La Flamme, the budget-friendly Harvard Square barbershop has apparently been featured in the January/February issue of Playboy magazine. The barbershop has quite the history — it was established in 1898 and has serviced many a famous Harvard alumni, including Barack Obama. If anyone, er, sees the issue around, let us know what you find! (Besides the obvious.) [link]

Oh hayyyy

You may think that The Voice has a thing for Emma Watson, but damn. Her brother is way hotter! Emma’s 17-year-old brother Alex debuted as a model alongside her for the Burberry Spring/Summer ad campaign.