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.
