The Most Darling of all Outfits

This week we're celebrating the start of summer by reviewing a sunny-shiney, feel good video! 

We're wishing for good weather with:

SunnyHill's Darling of all Hearts!!!

This glorious 4 minute ball of cheer and happy can be found HERE.

The mv was released June 19th 2013 and had 164,573 views as of June 22nd 2013. 

Overall impression:

Ruby: This is by far the closest to my own style of any video we’ve reviewed, so I’m pretty dang excited to gush over the retro-wonderful outfits. Sunny Hill is always a little alternative and this time they went full out old school referencing in parts the 30s, 40s and 50s of western fashion. However making outfits more fitted and shorter and by using bold colors modernized the looks. It’s very indie, very current and completely adorable. It’s cute without going aegyo and super wearable. There weren’t very many outfit changes, but every detail, down to the back up dancer’s shoes was well thought through.

Dancers in loafers! Practical, shiny and super retro!

Retro, quirky and super cute.

Em: This was super super adorable and sweet, and not in a fake frosting kind of sweet but in a homemade chocolate chip cookie kind of sweet. Yeah. I was a big fan too. In the all-band outfits, one main color tied the scene together, like blue, and then there were some bright pops of color to add interest, like in the shoes. I kind of hate myself for using the phrase ‘pop of color’ cause its so overused (Ruby: THAT PHRASE IS TOTALLY A THING.) though…hmmm…like a miniature explosion of aesthetic happiness. Better. In all seriousness though, the outfits were consistent and cute and had a fun variety of retro styles and shapes that were very flattering, especially in the solo outfits. Nice mix of swingy skirts and high waisted pants too.

Shoes that add A POP OF COLOR.

flouncy, bouncy, floofy skirts add some pizzaz to dance scenes.

Other promotional Materials:

Ruby: The teaser for the mv was cute and playful. It featured one of the coordinated dance outfits. (POKASPOTS) They did do a showcase where they wore new outfits, but they very much fit within the theme established in the mv. These were a bit more mismatched. I liked the outfits once I saw them in the interview portion but in the first stage they looked really oddly colored. I think it may have been the lighting… But they were cute anyway.

 

teaser outfits and sass

at the showcase with cute outfits and weird lighting

Em: The video teaser played a lot on the retro theme with the surroundings too, emphasizing the era the outfits stemmed from. The interview clothes stayed consistent with the retro theme too, right down to the bright red lipstick. Even their hair is cute. The interview looked a BIT more mismatched, and it was interestingly casual. Somehow it didn’t feel like high fashion mismatch but just fun and a little random, which is odd for kpop. It’s cool that they’re doing something different.

 

some coral lipstick adds a dewy, pink look when paired with blush

while some red lipstick with a heavier eye makes for a more dramatic look.

Continuity:

Ruby: I thought the mv as a whole was really nicely put together. I mean, the dancers in the rompers and the loafers were great. Often dancers get slighted but they really added to the whole concept. The dance scene outfits were really simple cuts and really consistent which helped since the pattern was soooo busy and could have easily overwhelmed everything. The girls just felt fresh and young and stylish throughout the whole thing. Bold patterns, pop colors, and details, like puff sleeves or a high waist, really make this feel new and bright, perfect for summer style.

 

puff sleeves make a normal button down 394832x cuter.

rompers! easy to move in and great for summer.

Em: I agree about the backup dancers. Their outfits were interesting without being distracting, and even their hair was consistent. Good fashion for the backup dancers helps them do their jobs of supporting the band without distracting from them. I also liked that POKASPOTS were everywhere, even in some of the little details that are barely noticeable. They even went on the guy’s jacket. Win.

 

Sure, the giant white polkadots aren't subtle, but the little black ones
are super classy and super wearable.

Mr. hypnosis and his mesmerizing jacket

Band’s Overall Image:

Ruby: Sunnyhill’s second incarnation had their big break with a super cheesy, ooey gooy goodness track called Pit-a-Pat, written as an ost for a drama. They were super cute and super girly. Then they moved toward something darker and a little weirder with midnight circus and the grasshopper song. Both of these concepts relied heavily on the metaphor in the song, one was a circus concept and the other was a businesswoman meets grasshopper concept. No, I’m not even kidding. So I think this strikes a nice balance moving in a quirky and unique but wearable and cute direction.

 

Oh for the outfits in the Pit-a-Pat video....

Even the coats had wings in The Grasshopper Song...

Em: They are always different from the main direction kpop bands go, thankfully for us since they do it so well. They’ve experimented with a lot of styles, and they’ve always had interesting fashion to go with it. In Princess and Prince Charming, they had a totally different style, but they had the same sense of experimentation and humor. Even though this was stylistically different than some of their previous stuff, it fits right in with what Sunny Hill does.

 

And for something completely different..... Princess and Prince Charming!

Trends in K-POP:

Ruby: Well I mean. Retro is in, though the era’s vary, a lot. Being girly will always be in, but SunnyHill does it differently in this mv, and I think that says something. They really represent a more mature take on the tendency to push younger concepts for girl groups, no matter their age. Look at SNSD and Rainbow; both promoted as giggly high school girls, when both groups average age is 23. The eldest member (Woori of Rainbow) is 25 and the youngest (Seohyun of SNSD) is 19. Hardly giggly 15 year olds. The point is that with an average age of 26, SunnyHill is adorable and grown up. I think they’re cute but I also trust them to like, use the grown up scissors or dress themselves.

 

Taeyeon of SNSD looks confused while Seohyun looks petrified....
there's a man at the door.

we'd want to pull our hair out too if we were in Rainbow's Sunshine video,
and we're not in our mid-twenties yet.

Em: AGREED. It’s one thing to have fun and be cute with a video, its another to literally be pretending to be far younger than you are. I mean, some girl groups act like younger girls who are then acting like younger girls. Too much. On a more positive note, Lee Hi’s It’s Over was rather retro and had a childlike style, yet I never got the sense that she was literally pretending to be a 4 year old. Maybe it’s something in the way the artists present themselves in the clothes. Lee Hi is still pretty young, but her attitude changed the clothes from silly to something much more interesting.

 

Lee Hi, who is 16, adds class and sophistication to her innocent look
in It's Over.

Ruby: Other songs that use similar fashion eras include: Shy Boy (Secret), Nobody (The Wondergirls) and Going Crazy (Lee Hyori)

DOOWAPDOOWAPDOOWAP.... Shy Boy.

Nobody concept photos

Conclusion:

Ruby: I think its pretty clear that I am in raptures over this video. I just adore it. I love their fashion, I love the hair and makeup and the details. It my style in both fashion and in precision. There are no details left un-tended to and it felt like someone had actually really taken the time to think it through. Poofy skirts and retro sunglasses, high waisted pants and rompers all these things are flattering and right on trend. It just worked. 

 

Can I have this dress? Like, pretty pretty please. (it's pretty, after all.)

Her pants and glasses match. Retro and coordinated! 

Em: Yeah this was wonderful. I really hope the retro trend continues in an equally spectacular way, and also that Sunny Hill keeps doing stuff like this. It was clean and well done and wearable and just so many yeses. On the checklist of good things that happen in kpop videos this one wins.

 

Relaxing (........) on the web in a tied up shirt and high waisted shorts.

Daily Dose of Daebak:

What do I do when I’m home alone? I ROLL MYSELF UP IN FABRIC AND THEN UNROLL MYSELF. OH BOY FUN TIMES.

They all match their furniture. That, ladies and gentlemen, is coordinated.

POLKASPOTS.

How do you rock the retro look? Let us know or leave us a comment about anything you want! 

We'd love to hear from you!

Hope your summer starts off with lots of sunshine and great style.

Ruby and Em <3

Batman's First Love (Nanananananananana AFTER SCHOOL)

Nana and the rest of After School sang nanana (etc.) even better than the batman theme song in First Love. As of June 17th, 2013, the video had 577,166 views (which I don't think does it justice). If you haven't yet watched After School seducing everyone and everything, you can watch the video HERE 

Overall impression:

Em: The main concept for this was essentially stripper outfits (I mean, they had poles and everything) but there was quite a bit more to it than that. There was a series of outfits that were British inspired (which were awesome), some bondage-y punk ones (lots of leather), some basic dance ones (fairly simple white with black leather heels), and finally some variations on the white (but barefoot) for the dramatic solo dances. The outfits were clearly intended to be sexy, with slim-fitting, revealing pieces that had the added bonus of allowing them to dance successfully with a pole (this wouldn’t really work in skirts…). The band looked very unified, yet each member had completely unique details that really added interest to the video.

Leather and heels and poles oh my

Simple, intense color scheme

Swoopy solo outfits

Ruby: Yeah, I think it’s important to note that by using the poles so prominently, they really sold the idea of strippers, which made revealing clothing expected. So I will be a lot less harsh on this than on other sexy concepts that didn’t reference strippers as blatantly. They kept it really simple in content with big wavy hair, dark eye makeup and lace up leather boots. A few locations and no plot force the fashion and styling to do most of the talking for this video, which makes it less overwhelming I think. Plus they really do a great job with the pole dancing, so more power to them.

Wavy hair and eyeliner

Lace up boots that kept showing up
(though not always with the nifty socks)

Other promotional Materials:

Em: Their video teasers were just clips from the MV itself. One of the teaser photos was actually pretty cool, with Nana wearing heavy accessories and a hat but shirtless. It tied into the scenes with the members of the group clearly not wearing shirts at all, but at the same time it was interesting fashion-wise again because of the details. I liked the accessories themselves a lot, specifically whatever was on her hands. Certainly an image that would make people curious about the MV. The comeback stage used the black and white punk outfits pretty much exactly as they were in the MV. 

Comeback stage with same outfits as MV

Chains and metal jewelry are more obvious
when you aren't wearing clothes

Ruby: Comeback stages were super consistent, I love the inclusion of the harness, which I guess could be controversial (though I could have done without the head sock. Why. It's a head sock. I mean, I don't even know anymore.) They released a few group teaser photos. These featured a lot of leather and heavy metals. I thought it felt cohesive with the album concept without giving away too much of the mv, though the video teasers certainly did enough of that.

This is the cool part, and then.... 

Socks don't go on heads

Leather and heavy metals and legs everywhere too

Continuity:

Em: The continuity was surprisingly good, considering the variety in outfits they chose. Each set of outfits was extremely distinctive and the group stayed together without being all the same. The white dance outfits had the most continuity with each other, but others did well too, like the one where everyone had a British flag or colors incorporated into their clothing and were all wearing the same shoes. In fact, the shoes stayed pretty much the same throughout the video, which I thought worked REALLY well to bring it all together. The punky ones were a LITTLE far off from the white ones, but the British ones were a decent crossover and the shoes helped.

All different, yet still cohesive...yay!

Ruby: Honestly I thought that they were so consistent it almost got boring. I like sets of outfits to be cohesive, if you’re going to do sets, make them identifiably similar. That was great, but I could have used one more set of outfits, something metallic maybe? Or like really girly. One more element to spice it up. The white outfits were by far the most conservative of the bunch, but it did add some variety. I also appreciate the effort to keep them all equally as sexy, despite needing some of them in pants versus something sexier like shorts or skirts.

Borrrrinngggg (at least in comparison)...too uniform

Band’s Overall Image:

Em: After School has had a number of ‘sexy’ concepts (see Flashback), but this seems like its on a new level for them. Maybe it’s because they’ve done a lot of songs promoting their sexiness that they were able to pull off this one. The outfits were a little more varied than in some other of their videos, which was nice.

 

promoting with sexy in Flashback

Ruby: Flashback was really sexy, and even shampoo was a sexier concept, but within them I think they have always included some cute. Not to mention they put lots of girly, cut and quirky into their subgroups. Take orange caramel for instance. Their Magic Girl promotions featured pink, poofy and poka dots. Rather than an evolution of styles, After School really seems to just vary between projects. It’s cool and keeps it fresh.

promoting with sexy in Shampoo

SO MUCH HAPPY

Trends in K-POP:

Em: After School jumped on the tattoo train that we’ve already talked about in some of our other reviews, with prominent fake tattoos throughout the MV. Kpop also seems to be getting more and more daring in terms of what they put their artists in, from revealing clothing to obscenities on baseball caps. I like that they’re taking some risks in how far they can push things, though the more stripper concepts made the trashier they’re going to get. Another major trend is the British-inspired, punk outfits, which I adore.  

You can't ban me, I'm too cute (Sunny from SNSD)

Minho also wearing a Union Jack in a teaser for Sherlock

Ruby: There was a bit of bondage around, in this video, though I think that was more related to the stripper concept than anything else. Recently, I’ve been enjoying the pairing of innocent and suggestive. In Ga In’s Bloom (the video I credit with the stripper pole origin) its brief, but she also wears like, white and fairly conservative clothes while pole dancing. That whole video actually really pairs suggestive and sweet. I like it. I also love that the tattoos in the video are in the old pin up style. A great nod to a female sex archetype.

Ga In, starting it all in Bloom

Cool tattoos

Conclusion:

Em: As you can probably tell, I liked these outfits. I think the styling was really well done and creative, with lots of cool pieces. Some were even wearable, like that one red jacket that I would totally get for myself. The clothing really grew on me—the more details I noticed the more I liked it. Overall, I think it was a great comeback for After School and I hope their future MVs show them same level of quality and attention to detail.

Jacket jealousy

Ruby: Much like hipster-kawaii, I think classy stripper can be really tempting for companies, even if its almost impossible to do right. But wow! After School, I applaud your stylists because this is just done so right. I’m not saying I want to see endless stripper poles in the future of kpop, but this worked really really well. Plus it gives them a chance to explore some of the fashion that is harder to integrate into other videos. I mean if some guy fell in love with a girl while she was working in a café wearing union jack mini shorts and a one-shouldered top, I would have a lot more questions…..

Idk what kind of cafe that would be...

Daily Dose of Daebak:

The solo dances were kind of a how the $#*@ did you do that. Like that is not as easy as you just made it look.

That casually-thrown-in-there eyebrow ring. You rock.

So what did you think? Did you love it? Hate it? Did it remind you more of Ga In's Bloom or of Hyuna's Ice Cream? Leave us some comments!
Love,
-Ruby & Em <3

Werewolves wear what?

Exo can help us answer that with their (LONG AWAITED) comeback, Wolf! There are two versions of this dance video (and a promised drama version) one in chinese, one in korean. However, both video feature all 14 members combined. We took images from both, though the outfits are the same between the videos.
As of June 10th 2013, the korean version had 4,443,432 views and the chinese version had 1,778,365 for a combined total of over 6 million views!
If you haven't gotten into the canine spirit yet, simply chose your language and hide your cat and then enjoy the new, wolfish side of exo.....
click for Korean OOOOOOLF
click for Chinese OOOOOOOLF

Overall impression:

Ruby: So there are 3 sets of outfits featured in both the Chinese and Korean versions of this music video. One white, one black and one more colorful but in shadow. Overall they went for a very simple aesthetic which I super appreciate. As much as I loved concepts like Siwon (Super Junior) in neon boxer-briefs and red leather, Exo went a little bit classier. Earth tones complemented the neutrals, a manly-manly-military-man color palette (ignoring the zebra shorts). I think the big thing here was that each outfit had one cool or different accent piece, which provided focal points for each cut scene in the video.

Siwon of Super Junior in NEON BRIEFS WHY promotions for Mr. Simple

My manly manly zebra shorts

Barbed wire detail brings flair without distraction

Em: They did some interesting combinations of different aspects of men’s fashion. There were elements of sports clothes (stripy athletic socks!) and military-esque pieces. They also had manly-gangster heavy gold jewelry. There was a LOT of black and white, which always makes things look dramatic in my opinion, and also served the purpose of tying these elements together extremely well. Most of the clothes were baggy as well, barring a few tighter things in the mostly-white outfits.

Gym socks as never seen before

oh kris and his gangsta chains and hat and cute lil' gloves

Other promotional Materials:

Ruby: Video teasers were primarily scenes from the mv and pictures were promoting the full album, XOXO, and featured mostly school-boy uniforms. They were cute. But I preferred some of the fanmade ones. ;) Their comeback stage was one of the most consistent ones I’ve ever seen. They wore t-shirts and sweatshirt variations with the same print on the front, a jersey style number and the word wolf on the back. Many wore a graphic of the word wolf elsewhere as well, on the crotch (eyebrow waggle) or on a bandana tied somewhere. I liked the consistency and the references to both the mv for wolf and the album. And then there was Kai and Lay. Alright guys who forgot to order 2 shirts…. -.-

FAKE TEASER, but oh so wonderous

one of these things is not like the others....

one of these things just doesn't belong....

Em: Comeback stage was nice, it was an even more simplified version of the mv outfits. I noticed the wolf  on the crotch pretty quickly too…I wonder if someone’s going to get a new nickname along the lines of Dubulge.  The schoolboy teasers were odd and didn’t really seem related to their concept. I felt like they made the teasers before they actually knew what the song was going to look like. Odd. I mean I get the XOXO thing…schoolboys…whatever. Still kind of a stretch to wolves.

exo yearbook teaser

what are your pants implying sir? how... wolfish.

Continuity:

Ruby: Honestly I thought it was rather brilliant in this category. It seems obvious from watching super junior videos that the answer is simplicity, even uniformity, if you’re going to have that many people in one group. But recently sm has really been innovative about clothing these massive groups. I thought small details, like the fringe jacket, the red numbers or that rope jacket kept it unique while it maintained the balance. 

the numbers seem to be completely random, but look cool anyway

rope jacket, like a straight jacket, only more fashion forward

Em: They did do a really good job with making the group look like, well, a group, while not just taking the easy way out and putting them in all suits (see: Spy). Not that I’m complaining about suits , but it’s nice to see some variety without it being overwhelming. It was interesting without making my eyes bleed, which is always nice.

Super Junior in Spy promotions, and suits. lots of suits.

us after some kpop videos. 

Band’s Overall Image:

Ruby: Exo tends to be sportier than other bands. With the teasers and the mvs they released last year, they clearly know how to dress up and look manly. However more often than not, their stylists opt towards stretchy harem pants and hoodies. For me the hair got weird this time. Rainbow dye and cornrows just don't belong together.

WAIT WAIT WAIT, could this be???? a veritable harem of harem-pants?

its okay to be confused kai, we don't know why they put the cornrows in either...

Sehun during the mv, its okay just kind of out of place...

and then they dunked his head in acid.

Em: Agreed on the cornrows. Ew. I liked the pink hair though just because I have a thing for pink hair. The band has also ended up with a lot of fantasy-ish themes, from the magical powers in Mama to the wolves here, and I think it affects their clothing in interesting ways. They draw from the quintessential mysterious cloak as well as fantasy futuristic metals. Wolf had fur everywhere, for obvious reasons, which is also a little bit manly-wilderness-adventurer. Not to mention the recent outbreak in fantasy novels with wolves in them.

see this pink hair is okay....

magical movie wolf magic

Trends in K-POP:

Ruby: There are some older trends, like high or thick collars, but summer is beginning so I think there are some new trends that are forming as well. Fringe seems to be something sm is latching onto, part of the recent boom of 60s/70s era clothing in kpop. Also large scale details, like the rope have featured in a few videos. We’ll see if earth tones are more popular this summer, but they haven’t been dominant recently, and I am not personally convinced the they’re destined to come back in the kpop world.

giant turtle neck (and we're going to ignore how many times the make up artist missed your eye...)

fringe jackets are fancy

but not as fancy as this corset jacket worn by Joon from MBLAQ in their recent
single, Smoky Girl 

Em: Fringe does seem to be becoming a thing, along with fur like we saw in CL’s The Baddest Female. Fake tattoos have been EVERYWHERE—we talked about them in our review of 4Minute, but they’ve been showing up since Big Bang’s Fantastic Baby. I’ve also seen more harem pants than I really want to see. I guess they look dramatic and swoopy? Idk. Do not want.

Fringe, fringe everywhere for Girl's Generation in their recent japanese single,
Love and Girls 

Fur hat. For the summer.

CL from The Baddest Female, rocking that fur

Fake tats from 4Minute's What's your name?

Conclusion:

Ruby: Honestly, I was really impressed by the concept and styling for this comeback. It still feels like the exo from their debut but this is much more refined and cohesive. I think it really stands out in the midst of other male groups right now; they just seem to be getting weirder and weirder. Even so there were a lot of unique details, some I liked and some I didn't. But I think the biggest complement I can pay exo is this: I watch a video probably 10-15 times throughout the process. Normally I am frustrated or bored by the fashion by the end of that, but even now, at the end of the review, I keep finding cool pieces I’d missed and small, impressive details. You make watching the same 4 minutes 20 times fun exo, and that's hard.

with all this chaos, too many details would have been even more distracting.

Em: I thought it was cool. I think Exo has been fighting the cheesy a little bit, and they walk a fine line between dramatic and silly. Here, the clothing walked on the right side of the line, and I thought they really pulled it together. (The wolf ‘claws’ were another story) I like that Exo hasn’t gone for a cutesy image yet, even though some of the bandmembers could easily pull of aegyo, and they’re slowly finding their niche. I hope they keep up the consistency and interest.

WOLF HANDS, rawr.....

Daily Dose of Daebak:

Kai was raised by wolves. Sure sweetie.

The giant claw thing on the ceiling was awesome. I want one.

Please leave us some love in the comments and let us know what you want to happen in the drama version! 

Or anything that comes to mind!!!!! 

Thanks for reading.... 

Love, 

Ruby and Em <3