Fans have definitely gone crazy over 4Minute's "Crazy" as they have won #1 several times at several music shows. I think the immense popularity of this song warrants a fashion-in-review. Also, Gayoon was the style director of this comeback.
Starting with the outfits below (the same ones they wore in their teaser photo), we can see a 90s revival. One of the first things that stood out are the bucket hats with members' names on them. When I first saw bucket hats appear in K-pop (namely EXO's "Overdose") I thought to myself, "This is just the beginning," and I was right. What was once trendy during the 90s has become trendy all over again now. At first I thought bucket hats looked silly but now that I see them more often I've become more neutral about it.
All of the members are wearing crop tops with varying sleeve lengths. It's great to see some uniformity and difference at the same time. I believe anyone can wear crop tops. The ones with more toned midriffs can expose their bellybuttons by wearing low-rise bottoms while others can wear high-waisted bottoms.
The picture below is a near-mirror image of the outfits 4Minute is wearing above, only in white instead of black.
HyunA maintains her sexy image by showing more skin on the upper half of her body than the other members. In performances, she's the one typically wearing skinny jeans and bucket hats or beanies.
Gayoon and Jiyoon (2YOON) have similar outfits with sleeveless crop tops, except that Jiyoon has a turtleneck. They're also both wearing loose-fitting pants with Gayoon's being looser on her body. Gayoon is the one typically wearing loose pants and a headband or bandanna in performances. Jiyoon is the one who usually wears asymmetrical long shirts (or dresses, whichever you deem them as) that have a slit on one side.
Sohyun and Jihyun (2HYUN?! just kidding) have similar outfits with long-sleeve crop tops and skinny jeans or leggings. Sohyun is bringing back the harness and rocking it. She wears it a lot in live performances. As for Jihyun during music shows, she usually wears jerseys with a layer of light material, probably mesh or chiffon, underneath.
The majority of the jewelry consists of chunky gold chains with pendants on them. It helps accent the otherwise plain-colored outfits that they have on, especially since the music video is in black and white. This was a popular trend during fall of 2013 and still seems to be continuing. Gayoon's wide-leg pants during this promotion reminds me of another 90s revival - JNCO pants. Whoever styled her has foresight because as a matter of fact, JNCO is manufacturing again this year after they closed down in 2000 when the wide-leg pants trend died down.
My own prediction is that girl groups promoting with the sexy image in the future will be wearing strappy crops tops and bras like the ones that Sohyun and HyunA are wearing pictured below.
In the photo below you can see that each member is wearing mesh on some part of their body. We've commonly seen mesh used for leggings, shirts, and to some extent beanies but for mouth masks it's uncommon. This type of fabric knit seems to play a huge role in this group's comeback fashion.
Last fashion commentary that I would like to add is what the female backup dancers are wearing. I absolutely love the dark eye and lip makeup in contrast to the mesh mouth masks. Similar to what 4Minute is wearing, they are wearing mesh covering areas that would otherwise be bare. It helps make their outfits appear more complicated and more modest. Their large hoop earrings and necklaces with big links bring back the late 90s/early 2000s feel.
The variety of brands used in this music video is what makes the fashion so intriguing. We see eclectic style due to different brands being worn such as Supreme, Stussy, DKNY, Chromat, Jarret, Hyein Seo, and more.
Can you believe I've been writing for K-world Style for a year already? Where did the time go? Thanks for all your love and support!
Today I'll do something kind of new. I like to teach things, so right now I will give a lesson on how to recognize Off-White clothing. Off-White is getting to be a popular brand in the K-pop industry as well as streetwear. I've seen people in New York City increasingly wear this brand.
I would like to thank the fashion gods for coveralls and Off-White popularizing them. They are helping solve the flannel-tied-around-the-waist fashion trend problem. If you look at all my posts, I'm pretty tolerant of almost everything in fashion considering how outrageous K-pop fashion can get.
This paragraph is going to be a rant on my intense disdain for the trend of flannel shirts being tied around the waist and if you don't want to read it, you can move onto the next paragraph. It was okay when the trend first started. People dance, they get hot, they take their flannel shirts off with a tank top or T-shirt underneath, and tie it around their waist. Afterwards it became ridiculous. I see idols and people in real life wearing sweatshirts, hoodies, and even winter jackets with flannel shirts tied around their waist. Um... at what point did or do they actually wear the flannel? Over their chunky sweatshirt or hoodie? How is that possible? Do they wear it underneath? Then why don't they take their sweatshirt/hoodie off and tie that around their waist instead? It's not likely for them to go through the trouble of taking off the sweatshirt/hoodie layer, taking off the flannel layer, putting the sweatshirt/hoodie layer back on, and tying the flannel around their waist. The only excuses are if someone fell butt-first into a puddle of mud or an unprepared female's "time of the month" came and they need something to conceal the mess on the seat of their pants. Simply put, it became an awful fashion trend. I don't like the way it flaps around when idols perform, especially in dance practice videos.
In the picture above, Sonamoo is wearing Off-White coveralls. The sleeves are tied around their waist but they are attached to the pants so nothing is flapping all over place. As you can see in their "Deja Vu" MV when they do the booty popping or any sharp hip movement, nothing flaps anywhere. Coveralls - 1, Flannels - 0
Deep into this post, the lesson officially starts now :P
How to recognize Off-White clothing:
1) If it says "WHITE" and/or has parallel diagonal lines running over the number 13
Notice the "WHITE" text, parallel lines over the number 13, and patches I just mentioned
Eddy gets hot
Eddy ties sleeves around his waist. How logical! Coveralls - 2, Flannels - 0
San Cheong is wearing flannel correctly
When I saw this my blood was about to boil
But the flannel just happened to be really long ^^; JJCC earned my respect.
Wow my rant was longer than the lesson. The lesson seemed longer in my head >_> You can check the links below to see our previous posts of Off-White to get a better idea of the brand!
Earlier today, G-Dragon and CL's collaboration with Skrillex (titled "Dirty Vibe") was released. If you have yet to see it, here is the video:
I feel like in an effort to be the more western definition of "urban", hip hop artists like G-Dragon and CL take common clothing troops to the extreme. For example, "gangsta" chains and grillz and overall appropriated items. Perhaps I am just bored of seeing Korean artists whose hip-hop is less urban rap (like, let's say Dok2 or Tiger JK) and more like over-saturated pop/rap.
Here is a fashion summary of the completely ridiculous "Dirty Vibe" wardrobe:
GD appears first in what I'm going to call the "base scene", because it's the scene that the MV keeps coming back to in between more fun/wild shots. While I appreciate the use of more diverse models/dancers (racially and by body-type), I am a bit frustrated that their clothing so clearly screams "objectified". If they were dancing perhaps that would be a different matter, but they are in crop tops and bathing suit/ underwear bottoms and literally just standing behind GD. In the second image, you can more clearly see that the girl with her hair down is wearing what appears to be child-sized shin guards. I just don't get what's A. sexy or B. cool about shin guards? I think the girls have cool shoes, and while I don't really understand their masks/ necklaces, I think they add to a more modern/ futuristic vibe.
In this frame, GD is wearing white on white, which I think compliments the girls' clothing and the background well. However, I am not really understanding which cigarette packs are included with what appear to be awareness ribbons and skulls. I always find it interesting when, in a meta-esque manner, the name of the song is incorporated into the video, and so I think it was a cool choice to have "Dirty Vibe" repeated over and over on GD's top.
I honestly don't know how to approach these shots of CL. She is so pretty, and I think her makeup looks great, but I am just thrown off by the fur cuffs on both her crop top and boots. Especially the boots. This look remind me of Josie and The Pussycat Dolls mixed with Moschino. I don't get the platform sandals with the thigh-high, completely-not-flattering leg warmers? Boots? I don't even know how many parts her leg paraphernalia are composed of.
I have no idea if her hair says anything, but this still looks quite artistic in my opinion. Obviously, something like this is staged purely for the sake of the music video. I can't imagine CL going to an awards show with a bandana around her eyes.
First rule of trench-coat wearing: pair it with slimmer pants! For real though, CL mixes quite a lot in this look. The sunglasses and trench coats are nod to The Matrix. While he shoes are fancier. Her turtleneck jumpsuit needs to burn. In fact, all turtlenecks need to burn. I know CL is a huge fan of the leotard/ bathing suit look, and I fully support her in that, but turtlenecks look far too suffocating. The pants are alright, but I am not a huge fan of them combined with everything else in this look. The giant hoop earrings, thick gold chain, and fingerless gloves look trashy not classy together. Or maybe it's the sweatpants-heels combo, which sometimes works, but definitely not when said sweatpants look three sizes too big for their wearer.
I just want to finish by pointing out GD's pleather fedora* and seriously massive amount of chains. Between the metal on his pants, around his neck, and in his mouth, I bet he's quite weighed down.
*KWS writer, Shelley, has pointed out that this is in fact a "bucket hat", and it's very popular in Kpop MVs as of late.
tl;dr: "Dirty Vibe" is all about faux fur, masks, and chains
First of all, congratulations to VIXX on their second win. I am definitely not the first person to notice this but I thought it was clever.
The white button-ups with the black print that VIXX wore are customized. What I found pretty cool is that it says "VIXX" on them in the form of Roman numerals because of the time/eternity/clock concept in their music video. At first, I read their shirts as XXVI, which is 26 in Roman numerals. For 15 minutes I was thinking, "What is the meaning of 26?! What brand has 'XXVI' in their designs?" That put me into a frustrating frenzy in trying to find what brand their shirts were. In the end, while I was staring at the shirts trying to think of brands they could be from I realized it was read as VIXX -_-
(๑◕ฺ‿◕ฺ๑) Shelley
Do not take without proper credit! Image Credits: Jellyfish Entertainment
Warning: Image Heavy The Style Icon Awards2013 by Mnet has happened. It's an awards show I actually care about since its relating to style. This is a hot or not/best dressed and worst dressed list from me. It is solely my opinion and do not reflect the opinions of everyone at K-world Style. I have one of these previously did for Mnet's 20's Choice. This also includes my commentary, because…hey why not use two tags with one post?
On the big night, the big stars didn't wear much colour, which is sad. It is already depressing enough how cold and short the days are getting. Generally those who wear black plays it safe. Most likely they all did since no one wants to look bad at a fashion awards show. Either way they have achieved their goals, nobody looks horrible which is always a nice thing on the red carpet. I am not blown away but there are definite stand outs.
Hot
Gong Hyo Jin
I love Gong Hyo Jin's style and all her collaborations. She looks good with her layers and mixture of textures. Her dress isn't simply black, it has depth to it. The polka dot patterned mesh gives her an illusion of warmth and pushes her look out of the boring zone. I don't have much more to say, she just looks good. I like how her hairs and booties match.
Lee Jong Suk
The year's fastest rising star. It is obvious he's to have been selected with his strong fanbase, popularity and proportions. His outfit is well put together, his stylists must of put a lot of thought into it. A+ for Lee Jong Suk, his stylist, fans, parents and luck.
SNSD's Sooyoung: Hot but something's off...
No one can deny Sooyoung looks hot. However, something seems off. When I look at this, her legs are screaming for warmth. Her dress is very short as it just covers her tosh. I know they want to showcase her long legs but I can't help but think the dress is supposed to be longer or was for those who are shorter. The model's legs in this dress from the retailer looks shorter than Sooyoung's. I think maybe Sooyoung's so skinny, they put her in a dress a smaller size which was also shorter in length.
G-Dragon
G-Dragon wins the highest award so his position on this list is obligated. His whole 2013 year is great from his appearances to his Crooked MV. The only thing I have is that G-Dragon is wearing Saint Laurent. That's very predictable and because his overall look this year is the same as the appeal what Saint Laurent is trying to protrude. Also, he has been wearing so much Saint Laurent…but good for him for being loyal. He will make a great representative for any brand.
So So
4minute's Gayoon and Shin Ji Hoon
I like how Gayoon is wearing a suit instead of a dress and the colour is great. However, her partner is so plain. They have been photographed as a pair so I am taking them as a pair.
Not
Dal Shabet's Subin: Poor girl...
Poor girl, she is the one that fell on the red carpet. Sure it gains her some attention but it usually means something is wrong with her outfit. Unwritten rule for the red carpet is if you show legs, you don't show bust and vice versa. Sometimes it is not followed but I think its a great thing to follow. Now, if you split Subin in half, both halves are pretty good. However, together, its tragic. I feel sorry for her but she is still dressed badly.
Crayon Pop: Not Ready for Normalcy
Oh Crayon Pop, I get that the whole jumping and jumping song with the helmet is their trademark. I highly doubt anyone will recognize them without it. Really sucks for them style-wise. Their combination of helmets with polos, tennis skirts and athletic pants is unsightly. Even with the upgraded gold-ness and sparkle, their outfits are just tacky. People rarely see Crayon Pop in "normal" clothing so this would have been a great time to demonstrate if they are fashionable. Say, if they are so stunning on the red carpet, the buzz they will have created. With that momentum = public recognition without helmets. What a great opportunity lost.
Clara C Her outfit is like she tried to look like a Hersey's kiss but failed miserably. That fabric is not appearing well in photographs or well for the drapes. Very rarely can a technique of fashion designing look cheap but that draping looks so cheap. Clara's other garment looks a lot better but this one is the mostly heavily photographed one.
There are more people that appears but too many to categorize.
So who do you think looks "Hot" and who looks "Not"? Leave a comment below on anything! If you agree or disagree with me, I want to hear your opinion.
Img Cr: as tagged, mydaily, newsdaily, osen, enews, chosun
I find the differences in magazine spreads interesting. Many of these differences depend on the targeted audiences of the magazines (women and men). Let's take a look at November's magazine spreads in order to examine if there are differences between femme and homme magazines, and how those differences matter.
Part I: Cosmopolitan Pictures
Clockwise, starting at top left: Lee Hyori, Lee Hyori, SNSD's Tiffany, SNSD's Yuri
Cosmopolitan's marketing strategy is obvious: "Sex Sells". But that does not mean that they are completely unreasonable. In fact, to me it seems Korean Cosmo is a lot more wholesome than American Cosmo. The girls are even dressed for the season; all of them sport long sleeves and tights,with the exception of Yuri, because we can't see what she's wearing. Tiffany barely looks sexualized at all; she's even, gasp, actually sitting on the chair. Obviously, Lee Hyori's undergarment-special is not an everyday look, but it fits her image as a thirty-something in the Korean entertainment industry, and I have a feeling she did not oppose to the image. I could be wrong, but Lee Hyori seems like the type of woman who sticks up for herself. Having said all that, I don't understand the bed in Image Two, but I guess magazines in general have weird props.
Overall, I think it is clear that Cosmo likes to sexualize women, but it is not to the extreme that I feel uncomfortable looking at the images. I think all the girls look hot, and maybe it's a little post-feminist, but the girls look in control of their sexual prowess. I will say Yuri's image is a little too voyueristic for my taste, but the magazine does not seem as degrading as I expected it to be.
Part II: L’Officiel Hommes Pictures & How They Relate to Cosmo
All pictures feature Big Bang's TOP.
TOP is a sex object in a different way than the girls are in Cosmo. Instead of the reader scophophiliatically viewing him (like they do to the girls within the Cosmo images), TOP represents a fetishization of the classy, upper-class, man. Instead of looking at his body as the source of pleasure, we look at his clothes and demeanor. The neutral tones and masculine props (e.g. the leather chair, and faux-cigar flower) add to his image as a capable, idealized man. I'm not complaining. Call me a misandrist, but I like looking at TOP looking hot. His jawbones and suits entice me. I only wish he didn't look quite so condescending or supercilious in his poses; the arched eyebrows in Image One, the 'smoking' Image Two, the casual pose in Image Three, and the too-cool-for-school glasses in Image Four all add to a Mr. Darcy-esque mien.
I think for both magazines, the images represent a goal for the readers. The more women-focused Cosmopolitan, and the more men-focused, L'Offifiel Hommes, both have their targeted gender as the models. I think then that the poses and styles of the spreads are dictated by the gender's view of its worth: for women, it's in their body and sex appeal, for men it's in how they carry themselves. Both magazines show attractiveness, just through different ways. So it's not expected for a femme magazine and a homme magazine to have the same spreads.
What are your thoughts (on the pictures or my comments)? Want more articles like this? Share in the comments below. --Lauren
This would be the last part. New York Fashion Week ended weeks ago, sadly, this post was delayed until now. So kpop fashion wishlist, a new segment where I "wish" for fashions that kpop stars would wear. View the previous Kpop Fashion Wishlist: NYFW here.
Last time, I finished on Day 3. This post would be from day 4 to the end.
London and Milan fashion week happened but there would be too much work for a wishlist. Tokyo Fashion Week may get a wishlist post.
Before anything. No, I'm not going to talk about Jeremy Scott. You know why. They always wear Jeremy Scott, I don't even need to wish. If anything, I need to wish they wear less of Jeremy Scott.
Yohji Yamamoto's collaboration line with Adidas is in their 10th year. Yamamoto hates "groupie fashion" that looks the same. Luckily, he is doing sporty high fashion right. This combination is perfect for idols as the clothes are easy to dance in and chic to look at. For specific people, the TVXQ duo can get many outfit combinations from this collection.
Zac Posen Not his best collection, but anything Posen makes me happy. I'm surprised I haven't seen Posen on the K-world red carpet, they are a must definite for amazing red carpet moments. Maybe I just haven't been looking close enough. Either way, more Posen = win. Downside, the two gowns below needs height so maybe Nana, Uee, Kaeun, or a member of the Nine Muses can try it.
This season, there is a lot of sports influence and Alice + Olivia do it well with girlyness. Their collection is very pretty and feminine. It is s a great choice to standout at variety shows and for maintaining that innocent and sweet image for young actresses and high profile idol girls. The likes of Park Bo Young, Park Shin Hye, Suzy, any of the SNSD girls and Ha Yeon Soo.
These dresses can wear you. They need a girl with tremendous stage presence and charisma. I can just imagine it, on a beautifully lit stage wearing this gown, being vocally amazing belting out a ballad. Currently, I'm having troubles imagining the face, it can be Ailee, Seo in Young, Ivy and/or Baek Ji Young.
Usually, the crazier clothes in kpop is by Jeremy Scott. How about we switch it up and try The Blonds? You probably recognize one of their piece Britney Spears wears.
This brand should be on more red carpets and airport fashion. It is finely crafted, classy and refined Ideally for me, I want to see Lee Na Young, Victoria or Han Hyo Joo wearing anything from their current or past collections.
New segment 'Kpop Fashion Wishlist' is my wishlist or picks for clothing I want to see Kpop stars wear. I had this idea for a while but was waiting for NYFW. The Fashion Court has something similar as they do wishlists for big red carpet events. I hope you enjoy this version.
School's back but...
It's New York Fashion Week!
Yay, the awesomeness the designers will bring us are so magnificent.
This year, in 2013 New York Fashion Week happened from September 5 - 12 to showcase the new designs for S/S 2014. If you want to see the schedule, click here. They also have a liveestream, go check it out. Originally, this post is to come out last week but school's a lot of time.
This post will be sectioned by days, like Day 1, 2, etc. Some will have particular artists I personally want to see wear certain pieces, others I just want to see on anybody. If any of these wish list wishes come true, I will have a new bias. But that is very unlikely.
Let's just get started,
Day 1
Tadashi Shoji "Spring Liberation" For any girl group or young actress red carpet appearance in spring that doesn't want tacky lace or organza. Perfectly feminine, perfectly spring.
Richard Chai "soft geometry" Anything and everything, someone just wear it. It's perfect for comebacks, airport fashion, red carpet fashion and everything in between. Just get on it. Instead of Givenchy or Balmain, BEAST can switch up their brand to Richard Chai.
The Richard Chai x Andrew Marc jackets are to die for. Yunho should wear all of this.
I advise you, view the bigger images, see the details.
That flower and blue stripe pattern is divine, Lee Hyori please wear it. Rest of the collection see here. The pictures I have chosen does no justice to them.
Day 2
Rebecca Minkoff Girly and flirty, an ideal combination for airport fashion. Those intricate boots looks unpractical, props to those who wears them. If Miss A makes a comeback, I wish for them to wear this collection.
Son Jung Wan "...AWAY" Very obligatory since the designer is Korean. If KARA's career isn't trashed by next year, this collection is part of my wishlist for them. SNSD and SISTAR are other options but I think KARA fits the dresses the best.
Monique Lhuilier "sheer elegance" The brand for for a spectacular red carpet moment. I know 2NE1 usually doesn't wear this type but any member of 2NE1 will stun in Monique Lhuilier. I especially want to see bandeau and skirt combination on Bom or Dara. The white and beige two piece outfits can provide IU with a grown up elegance aura.
