This is time for the first official round of KPOP WTF! What is KPOP WTF? Its all the Wonderful, Terrible, and oh dear god kill it with Fire fashions featured in Korean music videos.
Round One: Miss A - I Don't Need A Man
I have yet to listen to this song, I've been sitting here watching Batman with the video on mute while I look at the clothes and take screencaps. Needless to say this isn't a song review, but this isn't a music blog anyway.
These aren't bad, but they aren't fabulous either. The main thing that could be done to fix the outfit is find a jacket with a fitted waist and a flare at the bottom so that their shape isn't lost while wearing them. The only time the girls don't look boxy with those jackets is when they are in extreme motion like the above screen cap.
Oh dear god. This could be passable if they got rid of the dollar sign buttons, but even then it wouldn't be anything special. But those buttons are so terrible that I am not only frustrated with their stylists, I want to smack around whoever decided their existence was a good idea.
Fei:
This headband/tiara is killer. I wonder where they found it... And I've been partial to shredded t-shirts for quite a while, so it is nice to see it is making its way into this little corner of my life.
Just a ripped up t-shirt and shorts? Boring. This is something I might wear out to do my grocery shopping. A bit simple to have in a music video.
Even though this outfit isn't my favorite, I cannot deny that some clever design went into it. The heart that appears when her sleeve and the side panel are aligned is not exactly a simple thing to do. I'm extremely glad they caught it in the video.
Kill it. Kill it with fire. Oh dear god who thought this was a good idea? There is nothing good or redeemable about this. Her shirt doesn't even fit well.
Jia:
Mini crown! I miss her pink hair, but that is something which will never change. I'm glad she has some red streaks to add, for lack of a better word, "flavor". I cannot fault this on any level, even the red lipstick.
I love this. I don't know why, but I do. I might swap out the t-shirt for something more visually interesting, but it is still wonderful.
I used to be surprised when they showed her navel piercing, but I'm now worried that it is going to be a styling gimmick. The tassels on her belt are rather tacky, but she made it work. And I want that hat. Oh man do I want that hat.
Did their stylists just get lazy hipster on all of us? They put no effort into her hair and I'm sorry, but moustache accessories are not, have never been, and will never be cool. And that poor dog, not only did it get a tshirt, but it also got a bunch of necklaces and braids? That is a bit too much. Just one of those three would have been too much.
Min:
Again with the dollar signs? Ugh. Also her nail polish doesn't match. Too heavy of a blue tone. The necklace looks like it would be fairly easy to make, but it works very well as a statement piece in a music video.
Get rid of those brooches and this is probably my favorite outfit in the video. The fact that the flared shirt is paired with matching shorts rather than a skirt is unusual and actually a rather perfect idea.
The outfit is okay at best. The skirt isn't a flattering cut. Originally I wanted to say it just doesn't fit, but upon closer inspection it does fit and is just hideously unflattering. At very least the stylists were smart enough to not put her in fishnets. I would be extremely pissed if someone dressed her up like a cheap hooker.
Again with the sloppy styling. She looks the least horrendous, but again, the shirt doesn't fit. This is bland and uncreative. Add a jacket, find a shirt that fits, do something more interesting with her hair/makeup. Anything but this.
Suzy:
Apparently now that Suzy is getting older the company wants to sexualize her. Sorry guys, its not working. She still just looks like a little girl playing dress up. I like the crop top, but it doesn't flatter her. I hate the plaid shirt, it doesn't flatter anyone.
Seriously what is with the oversized plaid shirt? Was it stolen from her boyfriend or something? The shoes are cute, but nothing terribly special. I'm just partial to wedges. It was hard to get a good shot, but I should probably also mention that her shorts are at least 2 sizes to large.
Why is she smelling that caterpillar? Seriously, why?
Their stylists need to be replaced. Aside from a couple of gems this music video was mediocre at best. These girls deserve better. Back when they debuted their stylists made a wardrobe consisting entirely of unmodified American Apparel look fashion forward and innovative, but now they look sloppy.
For the sake of remembering I'm making a list of things I need to post here:
Wardrobe staples
Simple makeup
Hair dye
FAQ
Event snap
Daily wear photos
Monthly haul photos
Workspace
Projects and DIY
Trends that need to die in a fire
Fashion vs Function
Designer Reviews:
Takuya Angel
Renee Masoomian
others as they pop into my head...
Because I am a horrible person, I managed to neglect this blog despite many interesting things going on in my corner of the fashion world. Over the last month I've had several people tell me that I should start posting again including my brother, much to my surprise.
Since my last update I've moved twice, gone to two weddings, had several family-related trips across the country among other things. I'm applying for a steadier local job to make sure I meet rent, as well as working hard on my portfolio in order to apply for the job of my dreams.
Look like a deer caught in headlights, don't I?
The photo above was taken by Maro Hagopian of the Village Voice at Le Bain's Fashion on Top party where I was assisting with Renee Masoomian and Gerold Vincent's fashion show. Sadly there wasn't as much to do as there normally is when I'm assisting Renee, but their stage manager and coordinator was absolutely amazing and I cannot fault her for having things under such control that I wasn't truly needed. The show was short, but the clothing was amazing. Fashion show aside, my most exciting moment of the night is when I realize I was standing next to Rick Genest. Too bad it was so loud that I couldn't say hello.
Clothing:
Spiked bra from LoveCulture
Black underbust corset from Passional
Matte vinyl leggings from Ktown NYC
Spiked boots from Eternity Fashion, Philadelphia
Ruffle harness by Renee Masoomian
Leather gloves, antlers, and skull codpiece are personal creations
My friend Johanna Constantine and I had an adventure back in September. The two of us went to 2NE1's concert in New Jersey followed by a night of partying afterword. Mind you we were both dressed a bit more...ehm...conservatively for the concert, she in a cream brocade ruffled blouse and BlackMilk muscle leggings while I, well, was wearing pants. Electric blue pants. We both had a great time and we are probably going to go to more Kpop concerts together in the future. Just not the Big Bang concert in November. Despite the fact that we both enjoy Big Bang, I have prior obligations and cannot make it to any of the three concert dates in Jersey.
Clothing:
Latex neck ruffle from Renee Masoomian (custom in Neon Orange)
Black and orange acrylic bra from Prohibition Clubwear
Black and blue crop top from Renee Masoomian (prototype
Boots from Swear Alternative (via ebay)
Everything else is from estate sales or off-brand.
Yes, my hair has changed color at least once a month since the start of this year. Since I returned to Philadelphia I have only gone out dancing a few times. This was in July when I was gogoing at I Love Industrial in Philadelphia. That night I wish I owned more red clothing so I could have dressed as Thing 2. Why Thing 2 and not Thing 1? Because that way people would be looking for Thing 1 all night and not find them.
Clothes:
Black and Blue crop top from Renee Masoomian
Black and orange acrylic bra from Prohibition Clubwear
Boots from Swear Alternative
Everything else is off-brand cobbled together from ebay and small stores.
Although its lazy writing, I'm making a top ten list. Aside from my review of Fantastic Baby it has been a very long time since I updated and I really need to fix that. Now without further rambling, here are my top ten favorite concepts in Kpop.
10) Miss A - Breathe
On an individual basis I love most of the outfits in this video, but as a whole they don't mesh well. There is no common thread to link them together so it seems rather sloppy. Some of the prints I'm not a fan of and the horrendous yarn wig they have Jia wearing in a few shots makes me cringe. I think my favorite look on its own is Jia's outfit with the purple swimsuit with striped pants and gold shrug. It just calls my name.
9) DBSK - Tri-Angle (featuring BoA and The TRAX)
Most of the people I know absolutely hate the styling for this video. But you know what? I don't care that I'm the odd one out on this. Their vinyl pants could be fitted a bit better, yes, and Jaejoong and Junsu's hair extensions are a bit ridiculous, but overall I enjoy it. My personal favorite stylistic choice is probably Rose, the blond drummer who is very much suited to the game of MAN OR WOMAN that many j-rock fans play. That hair is fabulous. Stylistically most of them would fit right in at most of the clubs I attend.
8) Super Junior - Don't Don
There is so much vinyl in this video. SO MUCH. But luckily it all fits better than the vinyl in Tri-Angle. Apparently I really like it when SM does vaguely post-apocalyptic concepts, or when anyone does post-apocalyptic concepts for that matter. I think the best part of this are the little details that you can only see in stills, like how the placket on Kyuhyun's shirt has three rows of buttons instead of just one. Also it is somewhat embarrassing to admit this, but this video is one of the major reasons why I ended up getting a mohawk. Sungmin's mohawk is glorious.
7) GD & TOP - Knockout
This video is a crazy mess and I love it. What really won me over is how they are obviously trolling everyone instead of taking this seriously in the slightest. I mean, segways and capes? How much more ridiculous can you get. GD's hair is horrendous, but I'm willing to overlook that because he's a trolololol.
6) Coed School - Too Late
I'm not sure what the thought process behind the mishmash of styles in this video is or why ANYONE ever thought it was a good idea to have them dancing in bathrooms, but I'm in love with most of the outfits. The jumpsuits are a bit boring, but the grunge look? Glorious. My major complaints involve poorly constructed or poorly fitted components.
5) Miss A - Bad Girl Good Girl
Despite the fact that this is a (comparatively) low budget music video and the fact that every single piece of the wardrobe was purchased from American Apparel I think the entire idea was executed beautifully. Fashionable dance students? Hell yeah. Pink hair? Definitely a win. Thigh socks? They're after my heart, they really are.
4) SE7EN - Better Together
Even if I didn't love virtually everything about this music video, the girls in the zentai suits trump all and would put this video in my top ten anyway. Seriously, those girls have AMAZING outfits. Sadly, as stylish as SE7EN looks, his female backup dancers steal the spotlight every time they make an appearance.
3) 2NE1 - I am the BEST
I've already covered this video, both my likes and dislikes, but I have to say again that Bom's latex outfit is FANTABULOUS.
2) G Dragon - Heartbreaker
Years after this video was released I can't get the wardrobe out of my head. The white jacket with the red armband, in particular. The stylists definitely made the right choice in bleaching his hair to death. Out of everything in the video the one thing that always gets under my skin is when he's wearing the vest covered in mirror fragments it cuts between being zipped and being open, which really isn't much of an issue. The white jacket with the red armband is definitely my favorite. And have I mentioned white jacket and armband?
1) 2NE1 - It Hurts
I don't have words to properly express how gorgeous I think this video is. The song isn't really my cup of tea, but the styling is immaculate. The first time I saw the video I spent most of it thinking that it looked like YG had raided the wardrobe of my boss. CL in particular looks like her clothes (and hair and makeup) were pulled straight out of my former boss's brain. And that isn't a bad thing in the slightest. And I want that cake, you have no idea.
I can't not write this. It was with awe and horror that I watched this video yesterday afternoon. Even now I haven't entirely come to terms with my feelings. There are good things to be said, there are bad things to be said and the less said about any part of the song that goes "BOOM SHAKA LAKA" the better.
For those of you who don't pay attention to Korean pop, you probably don't know and don't care that Big Bang released a new music video yesterday. While I wasn't one of the people who stalked youtube until the video was premiered at some ungodly hour that morning, I did take an interest in watching it because, well, the company's stylists tend to cater to my tastes. They like being "weird", "edgy" and "innovative", otherwise known to most of the population as "hot mess", but a lot of the time they'd be right at home at nightclubs I frequent.
So because I can't seem to keep my inner critic in it's cage, here is an outfit by outfit review of Big Bang's "Fantastic Baby". WORDS. I HAVE THEM. I HAVE SO MANY OF THEM.
I bet most of you didn't even get through the first 20 seconds of that video. And even fewer of you have soldiered on to continue reading this post. I'm not here to review the song, though. I won't even tell you guys what my opinion of the song is because, honestly, its completely irrelevant to this discussion.
The one thing I wish for right now is for someone from the company to explain to me exactly what their concept for this video is because it seems all over the place. Post apocalyptic-alien-cyberpunk-Napoleon-bondage-ninja? Uuum yeah. I can't see a clear vision here. Maybe if someone could explain it to me? Pretty please?
Overall I'm torn about the clothing. I either love it or I want to kill it with fire, there is very little middle ground.
First up, these masks are awesome. I want them. I want all of them. I can't help but notice that for whatever reason Seungri wasn't wearing one, but that doesn't make these four any less snazzy. In particular I like Taeyang's (bottom left), mostly because of the head straps. The tint on G Dragons (upper right) is interesting, too.
I like these jackets. I like them a lot, in fact. The bright colors are entertaining and I like how despite being the same cut they all have different placements for the design. No comment about Taeyang's bright silver pants. And GD, please consider dying your hair pink and black at some point, the colors really suit you.
And now due to lack of cohesion I'm going to go from oldest to youngest.
TOP (aka Papa Smurf):
Before I get started on anything else, although I love the hair color I just don't feel it suits him. The color is amazing, absolutely amazing, just not right for him. Moving on:... The elements of this outfit could be fine on their own, however together they are more than a bit overwhelming. It is a bit too much blue.
His makeup is wonderful though. Tinting his eyebrows green and the touch of green eyeliner are a stroke of brilliance.
I love the cut and color of this coat, but I hate the fabric.
The hat is a very nice touch. Plus it hides the hair. Ridiculous hats are a passion of mine and this one is wondrous. More hats, please!
I'm not entirely sure what to say about this. Overall i like this look, but it feels out of place for the video. Knee-length pants are spiffy, I wish someone would bring them back into fashion.
Again, not entirely sure what to say about this. It looks like it could almost be regal, that is until you see the shoes. And I'm sorry, but I still don't like his hair, which is coming from an advocate of people with ridiculously unnatural hair color.
Taeyang (aka Gratuitous Pectoral Exposure):
Personally
I think the frosted effect is very cool. Too bad it only lasted about 3
seconds before they defrosted him so he could flaunt his abs to make
fangirls squeal.
I
like the juxtaposition of the gasmasks and the robes, however Taeyang's
outfit leaves something to be desired. I'm neither here nor there about
his pants and shoes, but the fake tattoos are a bit much. Even though
some of them are real, many of the ones that aren't do look as if they
were just drawn lazily with a sharpie.
SEE?
SHARPIE. Also this is the return of the dreaded bubblegum pink
lipstick. This is one of my pet peeves in kpop recently. For some reason
male artists keep on having their lips glossed in bubblegum pink even
though most of the time it clashes horribly with their skin tone and is
obviously lipstick. Sorry, but that completely takes away from whatever masculinity he is supposed to be exuding in this scene.
Here
it looks less like sharpie than it does like hair dye running down the
back of his neck. Or like a half-hearted attempt to recreate the liquid
latex oil-slick look which shows up on occasion in the goth-industrial
club scene. The armor is awesome.
SEE? LOOK AT THAT AWESOME ARMOR. Its so shiny!
OH PRAISE THE LLOYD, HE IS FINALLY COVERING HIS TORSO. Those pants are epic. And although I want to dislike his hair I can't. It'd be hypocritical considering I draw on the shaved sides of my mohawk with glitter glue.
G-Dragon (aka Mr. Forelock):
"TETSUO!" "KANAEDA!" I cannot unsee Akira in this shot. But there is a problem if your weave has grown a mind of its own like his apparently has. The suit is amazing, but I'm so distracted by the kudzu-like hair that I hardly noticed it at first.
I like the idea behind this makeup, though I don't like the execution. I can't put my finger on exactly why, but if I ever can I will make sure to explain.
GD, we can see your facial contouring. I hope the makeup artists blend his makeup a bit better the next time he has a closeup like this.
Please tie your shoes. I rather like the rest of the outfit, but the untied shoes distract me horribly and take away from the whole look. The hat is intriguing, its not exactly to my taste, but its fun to look at. My only real issue with the hat is that it doesn't look like it actually fits his head.
I love this look, even down to his weave. Or I should say I loved it until...
DEAR GOD WHAT IS THAT? Seriously, guys, the highly detailed lip paintings only work in photoshoots. Videos, particularly when a person is lip-synching for their life, just make it look like an awkward smear on their mouth. You don't get to see any of the detail unless you pause the video. The detail put into the dragons is fantastic, but please save it for a photoshoot next time.
Daesung (aka Blondie):
Its amazing how something as simple as covering the navel makes a person seem more modest. Despite being chained to a all this doesn't scream "look at me, I'm shirtless" half as loudly as Taeyang's gratuitous pectoral exposure. Instead it seems to scream "look at my fabulous belt". which I did and its awesome. Not sure how I feel about the blond hair, but its growing on me.
My words, I've lost them. Even though the blue velvet suit is vaguely Austin Powers, I think this look may be my favorite thing about this entire video. Its fitted beautifully and it makes for a very nice contrast with his new hair color.
More blue velvet suit for your viewing pleasure.
Seungri (Cat Woman):
Girls dressed as sexy cats isn't innovative or original. I like the scratch makeup, but the cat concept just seems boring. And the new haircut is awful. Greasy and flat is not a good look.
The vinyl catsuits look ill-fitting and cheap. Next time try latex, it will create a nicer effect because it will hug the body like a second skin while still giving a nice shine. I do rather like the design for the leggings, though.
Overall in this video there are things I love and things I have, but this is the first time in years where my disappointment in a video from YG has outweighed my fascination. Please step up your game. Consider using a more story-based concept rather than simply throwing the cool new clothing you've found into a set and vaguely attempting to build a plot around it.
tl;dr I agree with TOP:
gif from chibisuz on tumblr.
Feel free to use my screencaps, no need to credit.
