Why we are serious about SHINee's fashion

Why so serious? Finals got ya down? (OH OH OH ME ME ME! hence why we're late.... ) Summer not coming fast enough? Well then let's cheer you up!
With Why so Serious? - SHINee
The video was released on April 25th 2013 and has 2,705,361 views as of Tuesday May 7th.

You can find the video (and i recommend you do) here! ITS NOT BATMAN I SWEAR.

Overall impression:

Ruby: I’m actually super excited to talk about this video. We’ve been really focused on crazy and really out there fashion. BUT THIS VIDEO IS SO WONDERFUL. There are four main outfit sets: black and white suits, gray tone suits with overcoats, funky leather jackets and the black and red punk-inspired set. The four sets draw heavily from British fashion and present a very modern aesthetic over all.  SHINee looks fantastic in all of the outfits and each outfit really is composed of usable, real pieces. The styling in this video really brought out a very mature and subtly sexy side of the band, which I for one VERY MUCH enjoyed.  

subtle and sexy, our flaming charisma

Em: The four main outfits sets were different enough from each other to be interesting, yet the sets themselves were very cohesive in terms of general aesthetic. Being a big fan of British punk fashion, I was especially a fan of those. Lots of glorious details that were clearly well-considered and made everything that much better.  Some crazy patterns, but they were well-integrated so the viewer wasn’t completely overwhelmed, and the neutrals were well-balanced so they weren’t boring.  It was all just generally REALLY well done.

Minho in checkered pants, but still fitting in with the theme

Other promotional Materials:

Ruby: The teasers for why so serious were very similar to the teasers from dream girl, honestly. They used more of the crazy patterns and odd accessories that dream girl featured. But they were cute and informal and worked well enough. Since this album followed so close on the heels of the previous, the teasers were kind of irrelevant, though there were some fun shots.

Teaser for Why so Serious. Still a little nutty.

Em: Comeback stages had similar sexy British aesthetic (YAY) that kept the usual cohesion of SHINee outfits. They dispersed the four main styles between their comeback songs, using the music video outfits for Why So Serious. And they continued their awesome hats, especially in the Medusa stages.

Medusa stage with hats. OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN.

Continuity:

Ruby: As I mentioned, the video has four main outfit sets. They stylistic tone in the video matches well across the board. Interestingly, the four reference British fashion heavily, taking on a very European feel in this video. The black and white suits were the most graphic representation, following in early development in the punk scene. Minho’s shirt is a direct reference to Malcom McLaren and his shop ‘Sex’. The overcoats were brilliant, taking a very normal set of suits and changing the shape with layering. The Burberry aesthetic definitely came through for me. It looked modern and clean and innovative. I think the weird leather jackets were kind of inspired. I mean, they were super cute and a nice playful distraction from an overall very serious video in terms of the clothing.  Then there were the punk inspired outfits with tartan and the anarchy lable on Taemin’s legs. These outfits were closer to previous styles worn by SHINee. The whole video really carried themes well and appeared a continuous whole.

Minho's shirt that reads: Be Reasonable Demand the Impossible

A photograph from Malcom Mclaren's shop, Sex. 

Burberry-esque coats. 

Em: They did indeed go very European-inspired for this, with a different flavor for every set of outfits. Within this overarching theme, they played a lot with the color and intensity of the aesthetics. There was one very light one—black and white, though mostly white—that referenced dream girl but with less hypnotism. There was a neutral set with a lot of gray-green and just gray that was super cool, then a super colorful one in contrast to it. My favorite was the darkest one: red, black, and white, harkening back to Ring Ding Dong era (but sexier).

Punk inspired clothing items 

SHINee Ring Ding Dong era. (THEY'RE SO LITTLE AND ADORABLE.)

Band’s Overall Image:

Ruby: Each outfit was very simple for SHINee. Coming from Dream Girl with its extreme patterns and bright, acid-trip colors, this video was refreshingly simple and clean. SHINee are fit and beautiful and I think this image really accentuates how much they have all grown and the handsome young men they have become.

Oh don't act so surprised. 

Em: There were references to past albums while still having something a little bit different. Each new album develops their image further, just like this one, and refines the style a bit further. Props to the stylists for staying with the band’s image while still giving us something to talk about.

Key, will always be Key. That is true.

FLAMING CHARISMA FLAME ON.

Trends in K-POP:

Ruby: Recently as videos have been getting crazier and crazier, I have started to assume that the fashion in a video will be overstated, overdone and overblown. I thought this video was really tasteful and stunning even without the craziness I’ve become accustomed to.

But still some craziness

Em: It definitely wasn’t the visual overload that some recent videos have been (see I Got a Boy (Ruby: MY EYES)), which can be a nice change. It had some of the softness of a much slower song, but it was more like the energy was contained rather than gone. Somehow it worked!

I Got a Boy (Girl's Generation) Promotion. There's just so much going on.

Conclusion:

Ruby: Great. Fantastic. Brilliant. I see clothing in here that I want to catch on. Its not just cool because its weird, its cool because its doable. I love applicable fashion. This whole video was just wonderful. The styling was perfect. Lots of eyeliner and clean faces. Key’s blonde hair. The whole video felt clean, put together and well conceived. Seriously. It just felt mature and forward thinking in its simplicity. I am in love.

And I quote "mature and forward thinking"

Em: Agreed. Grabby hands for all of it. I could imagine seeing someone walking down the street wearing this and loving it, which doesn’t always happen, even in good music videos. I love that they explore European fashion, and I hope they continue to bring in outside influences to keep things interesting.

walking down the street, with the dogs, looking fab

Daily Dose of Daebak:

Taemin. That's a bunny. Not a microphone. Taeminnnnnnnn.

Key’s hats. I mean, just look at them. Thos are some sexy hats. And his earrings. Damn. Key in general IS the daily dose of daebak.

thanks for visiting with us!!!! we are quite fond of this music video clothing wise.
but what to review next?
hmmmmm?
let us know please!

Ruby and Em