Fashionable Sleeping Habits with Nu'est

It's always great to see last year's rookie bands making come backs and establishing identities. We've had EXO and BAP and most recently Nu'est!
This week we're reviewing
Sleeping Talking - Nu'est

The video was posted on both Loen and Pledis's channels, for english subs, watch on loen! It was released on August 21st 2013, and on August 27th, had a combined view count of 544,749.


Overall impression:

Ruby: I think this is an absolutely brilliant video. HOWEVER, I definitely did not feel that way when I first watched it. No, my first reaction was more along the lines of mother of god above what in the world are these boys wearing and where did they even find it? And then it occurred to me. THE PAJAMA SECTION! The whole video is about sleeping and sleep habits, so of course they wear pajama inspired clothing which just makes it rather awesome. I need me a pair of sunflower harem pants and kissy print leggings. Yeah, it was stylized pjs, with sneakers and hats and sport coats, but I think it was really cool and different.

Sunflower pants, I WANT THEM. 

Kissy leggings are really cute.

Em: AGREED. As soon as Ruby pointed out the whole pajama thing everything made sense. I mean, mismatched clothing SHOULD be pjs…I mean, when else could you get away with wearing baggy mismatched neon everything? While it was stylized, they allowed themselves some freedom because of the unusual scenario and it enabled them to really have fun with it. I wouldn’t say it was all cute or sexy or whatever, but that wasn’t the point…and it worked because that wasn’t the point. Cool.

A jersey and some pokaspotted pants? Sounds like perfect bed wear to me.

Some of that sexy tattooed belly showing.

Other promotional Materials:

Ruby: Nu’est put out a music video teaser with your typical scenes from the mv. It was well put together and I really really like the parts they chose. It demonstrated the dance highlight, vocals, handsome men (and ren) and concept well. They also put out teaser photos for their mini album that this is off of which included color tinted photos in clothes a lot like the music video. They also did longer individual sets.

Nu'est concept shots, this time in teal 

Ren's teaser. Because we wanted to make you want him
and then remind you he's still a teenager.

Em: Their album photos were cool, I think they worked well with the concept. They had one that essentially looked like a sleepover, highlighting the stylistic concept with well-chosen pieces. The stages matched very closely with the MV as well, making the concept seem even more cohesive as a whole. While the outfits looked crazy in themselves, at least it was consistent craziness.

The bedhead look... sure boys.

Stage performance, with mv outfits.

Continuity:

Ruby: I will admit that this video is really overwhelming at parts. There is a lot of bright colors and flashing lights and changing scenes and shiny things. (NOT THAT KIND OF SHINEE) I mean there are clothing pieces that are really very out of place in a pajama concept, like fitted jackets, heavy jewelry, sneakers and hats. I guess I’m willing to accept these sort of off topic pieces because its such an interesting concept. Its like stylized pjs. I think I really appreciate that its not sexy cute aegyo or manly man man concept.

But he looks so dapper in his bowtie and jacket.... 

Now I kind of wish I could wear shoes to bed...

Em: The first time I watched it, I didn’t even know where to look first, this is true. But that doesn’t take away from the continuity. I think that the level of busyness in the outfits stayed the same and the style was clear throughout the mess of outfit changes. I’ll agree that the hats and necklaces were frustrating, but they had multiple hats and multiple pieces of jewelry…nothing stood out as weird amid the weird, so it almost made sense. If I looked at any one outfit from this, I could see why they chose it within the larger set.

I mean, I wouldn't recommend sleeping in a spikey shirt with a spikey necklace....
but maybe that's just me.

Ren rocking some heavy jewelry too!

Band’s Overall Image:

Ruby: Is this where I acknowledge that I really like Nu’est. Guess it is now. They’ve always been a bit different and mostly it’s related to their image. The band has a wider age range and all look very different. Their concepts have changed a lot in their short career but they always do something rather unexpected. They’ve done futuristic, sleek and dark winter look, school uniforms and now crazy pajamas. They’re still young and I think they’ll settle into a concept as they go but the bizarre works for them… I mean Ren is in their band. So, its bound to be interesting. 

Last year they had a snappy futuristic concept for Action...

and then they had a serious manly concept for Hello.

Em: Mmmm and this is where I get repetitive and repeat what Ruby said. Nu’est seems to have so far escaped the trap of producing as much as possible in as short a time as possible, and as a result the songs they’ve focused on have been really freaking good, especially for a rookie group. They’re not trying too hard to match what kpop already has in an effort to be famous, they’re trying to make a name for themselves as a band, and the results have been impressive.

Their debut concept for Face.  

See Ren and his pretty hair? And this was just some random photo shoot.

Trends in K-POP:

Ruby: Harem pants are nifty and have been around forever in kpop. I mean this video is hard to define easily and pick out like oh look at this trend. A lot of the ones I can think of are really really general, like Ren is a flower boy or they wear colorful sneakers. There is a fun feature I guess, where they wear leggings or tights under shorts. We saw SHINee do this earlier in the year so that's something that is continuing… Sorry guys this video is just a little too weird.

Some awesome tights to keep your legs warm under awesome shorts

SHINee stage performance of Beautiful.

Em: I see your harem pants and raise you…FUN SOCKS. Seriously. A lot of less serious but still fashion-y bands experiment with, you guessed it, fun socks and shorts. I don’t…really…understand…but it’s a thing! If there’s one thing I can say about kpop fashion it’s that they leave no item of clothing left unfashioned.

I sense... COOL SOCKS.

Taemin of SHINee wears lovely stripey socks at a press event

Conclusion:

Ruby: I always give a lot of credit to originality but I also think that wear-ability and desirability are really important. This video really excels at originality, I mean they’re pajamas! But I also think that they’re really desirable. Pajamas are so often boring but I mean these are fun and expressive and young. They make a statement and honestly I would buy some of that for sleepwear. Some of it misses in wear-ability tight fight button downs and flap front shirts without backs… maybe aren’t quite right but there is so much good here I just can’t bring myself to care.

I want so many things. Like your pants.

I mean, i don't sleep in backless jackets, but maybe its a new thing....

Em: At first glance some of the outfits seem like they could be part of the ‘I’m at a club and partying look I’m so different’ but a closer glance reveals that they’re much cooler and more original than usual. Usually neon craziness is relatively unjustified (see: I Got A Boy) but they managed to give it a context that allowed the creativity to make sense. SLEEPOVER TIME.

I mean at first I was like, jeeze i wish i looked this good asleep 

And then there was a creepy mask.... 

Daily Dose of Daebak:

THE ROOM WITH THE WORDS FOR FURNITURE…. So cooooool

Ren’s bead curtain hair!

Thanks so much for reading! Please leave us a comment, we'd really really love to hear from you!
What is your favorite pajamas? Ours are super comfy and brightly colored!
See ya soon,
Ruby and Em <3

Hate You Love Fashion

SO this week's review was on Hate You by Ladies' Code, a delightfully twisted MV that had 1,133,137 views as of August 19th, 2013. You can watch it HERE

Overall impression:

Em: This MV had a horror movie-esque feeling to it, with plenty of creepy dolls and haunting video editing paired with some quirky avant garde fashion. The girls were in a palette of black and white with blue to make it much more interesting than the usual B&W combination. There was a little Victorian influence in details such as lacy gloves, but it was seamlessly incorporated with a modern flair involving leather and bondage-y pants and shoes. There was also a kickass suit jacket outfit that made me immediately want to review the MV.

Note the doll strapped to the antlers. Creepy? Yes. Awesome? Also yes.

Leather and lace

Ruby: I agree completely, but I would take it a step further. I think they’ve done something really interesting here. And, yes, this is going to seem really really obvious but just bear with me. They are dressed as dolls. Like they’ve literally dressed them up the way that you would traditional dress a doll: the Victorian details, the frills and strange details. They’ve added to it though where this concept became one of sort of dark power, dolls but with that edgy twist to make them not soft and easily manipulated as they first appear. I like this. Muchly.

Tradition Victorian Doll, only alive this time

Sometimes a girl just needs a pretty coat of nail polish.

Other promotional Materials:

Em: They had shots from the mv for teaser photos, and the videos also appeared to be compilations of clips from the mv, including a cake made of dismembered dolls. Yum yum. I would certainly be intrigued by the  video if I saw these teasers, even if they weren’t particularly creative after the video itself.

Probably an exact shot from the MV...but hey it's cool!

Ruby: They really haven’t done very much outside promotion for this song. It’s the first single released off an album that will be coming out soon. Unfortunately for us that means: no stage performances yet and no interesting album teasers or anything. So that's really all for now. Uh funfact I guess, one of their members, Rise, just had her birthday. So lets wish Rise a happy birthday not filled with creepy dolls!

*SING LOUDLY*

Continuity:

Em: One of the things I really liked about this MV was the continuity. While the style was surprising and different from other things I’ve seen, it also kept the same sort of flavor throughout the whole video. While Victorian-style puffy sleeves and white lace aren’t always paired with leather and bondage, and those things aren’t always paired with suit jackets, the combination worked because the aesthetic was clearly defined from the start and the designers stuck to their vision for the MV. I was impressed. Also, since it wasn’t a dance video, it didn’t have the repetitiveness that some videos fall into with dance costumes.

 

Every outfit incorporates similar elements in a unique way

Ruby: I thought the continuity was really impressive as well. I really stand by the fact the outfits incorporated a doll like quality and dominatrix like quality. That can be hard to do and I’m pleased that they really limited themselves in number of outfits. It was really nice to see the same things a few times and not feel overwhelmed by the details. I think it's a common idea that a little girl wants to look like a fairy-princess-dolly and I like that they mixed that in with those harsher, leather and bondage elements.

It takes a fantastic designer to make this look right
(and in our opinion they managed it)

Band’s Overall Image:

Em: Ladies Code has done the 'sexy' concepts, with black and white even, and this was continued a bit in the leather and short skirts. However, they didn’t seem limited by it, and they explored the creepiness factor as well. Their album Bad Girl seemed limited in comparison, and I think they’re growing as a group.

 

This was supposed to be the 'bad girls'....

but I personally think burning your doll's eyes out is a little more intimidating

Ruby: Ladies Code is still really settling into a concept I think. And I’m not sure that this was a firm statement. I like that they’re not styling them in the traditional rookie girl group LETS MAKE THEM ALL 16! trend, but I guess in way the overly sexy is all kind of a debut trend these days. They’ve taken a few detours for photoshoots and other items, I guess I would like to see them explore some more alternative concepts before settling.

Military-inspired photoshoot

Trends in K-POP:

Em: The bondage leather thing is something we end up mentioning a lot, for a good reason—it shows up all the time. I feel like every other video has corset-y laces or skintight leather pants, for boys and girls. Another thing I’ve noticed more of lately is creative suit jackets, on both genders. Maybe I’ve noticed them more because I like them a lot, but since suits are such a staple in kpop eventually stylists start to make them interesting. I personally really like when it’s a snazzy jacket over something more unexpected, rather than just the rest of a suit.

THAT SUIT GODDAMN

suits that are not as awesome but getting there 

Ruby: I mentioned this a bit but I’d like to harp some more. I really appreciate that they didn’t go for a cutie girl concept. Don’t get me wrong. I adore SNSD and Girl’s Day and all of that but its nice to see women being portrayed as adults. And not the like ‘adult entertainment’ kind of adult (cough cough Rania Dr. Feelgood cough). I think alternative concepts that fit the music well or are just different make really interesting fashion. So I’m glad to see that come through here.

 

Adult entertainment. Oh no wait just kpop. Thanks Rania.

Girl's Generation...but how old ARE they? Hint: way older than ALL OF RANIA

Conclusion:

Em: I really liked this. It didn’t have the same street fashion appeal as I’ve seen in others (a lot of things wouldn’t be too wearable elsewhere) but as an artsy conceptual series it worked. Some things were great, some were questionable (like the weird fringey blue shoulder things) but all in all I appreciated the creativity. Even wearing a marshmallow.

 

Poofy yet still fantastic

Even the blue fringey bird feathers weren't too bad in context.

Because this had to be included somewhere

Ruby: I was really creeped out by the dolls, not gonna lie. But the concept itself was really brilliant. The way they mirrored their dolls and how their clothing was deceptive in itself. The pairing of hard and soft is really beautiful and I think gave the video a real edge. And that's hard to accomplish these days. Yeah not every dress was super attractive but I didn’t notice as much because I was enjoying the ambiance.

Juxtaposition is THE COOLEST THING EVER when its done right

Aaaaahhhhhhmbiance

Look I'm a fairy princess

Daily Dose of Daebak:

Eyepatch LIKE A PIRATE

You’re coming your dolls hair with a fork…. I just… Guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

So what did you think? Was it too creepy for you or did you adore it as much as we did? Leave a comment and join us in our appreciation of their awesomeness!

-Ruby & Em <3

Badman, Good Fashion

First off, hi from Em! I’m finally back. Matt did an awesome job of filling in while I was gone, he gets points.

Now,we've spent the last few weeks celebrating summer with beachy, bright and funny videos. So this week we decided it was time to mix it up a bit and go for something entirely different! What's the best thing to interrupt a breezy summer beach-fest? Violent rebellion of course.
This week we're reviewing
Badman by BAP 

The music video came out on August 5th 2013 and as of August 12th had 1,213,313 views.

Overall impression:

Ruby: Let's begin the descent into morbidity shall we? In the face of all that is bright and cheerful this summer, this video is a resounding salute to the end of the world and mass destruction. There is nothing light and airy here, just smokey, heavy and dark. Happily for us, the clothing matches that well. It centers on rebel fashion mostly, playing with leather and fishnet for texture and often using face covers. The face paint was absolutely brilliant as a ‘dirtying’ of the members without actually smearing them with dirt. Then there was the brief bananas in pajamas cameo, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

I am artfully dirty. Look at my angsty eyeliner paired with my
 devil may care black paint application...

All in all a very simple stylistic choice 

Em: Hey, it wasn’t ALL gloom and doom…there was a random girl smiling and even a kiss for a second. You just have to look past the other 3 minutes 56 seconds of explosions and death.  Aside from the irrelevant girl, there were two(ish) sets of clothing; one for the riot scenes, and one for the dance scenes. The riot clothes fit in nicely, with chains and tigers (and bears, oh my). The dance scenes were a little less serious and a little more fashion-y…think checkerboard explosion.

THIS WASN'T CREEPY AT ALL GUYS.
why not film random people kissing? sure....

This kiddies, is called a Molotov cocktail, not to drink...

Other promotional Materials:

Ruby: The video teaser was scenes from the mv, smashed together. The photo teasers were done in the style of wanted posters, fancy that. They’re actually really cool using posterization and a limited color palette. Really different from most  teasers which aim to highlight how attractive the members are, this hid a lot of their faces and played up that mysterious, criminal vibe.

rebel prisoners... what a tease....

Em: I really liked the addition of the red in the teasers…it made me wonder what the MV would’ve looked like if red had played a more prominent role in the palette (which was really mostly black and white). It still fit with the concept of the MV, with blood and all, so I wonder why they DIDN’T have red featured anywhere. It could’ve easily looked cheesy though, so maybe it’s better that they didn’t. Either way, the teasers were cool.

I FOUND RED IN THE MV

Continuity:

Ruby: (they’re bananas in pajamas)…. I’m being harsh and I know it. The video was overall fantastically well coordinated, they used real riot gear for the extras and the band played with the shapes of armor and street wear in their outfits. However then we have these weird and out of place stripes. I guess one theory is that they’re trying to portray the rich and opulent side of revolution, like the disgraced aristocracy? (STRETCH FOR ITTTTT) but lets be real, if that's what they were going for then they missed the mark and if its not what they were going for then I’m lost. Anyone got other ideas?

ALL THE STRIPES AT ONCE

WE'RE BANANAS IN PAJAMAS.... or bap.

Em: My initial guess as to why they did stripy fun time is that they were playing off the black face paint on white faces. The contrast is always striking, so I guess they wanted to continue it but with something more dance-costumey than the other outfits, which were better suited to the plot itself. OOH or maybe they were thinking like convicts. Yeah actually. That makes sense. It just came across as bananas in pajamas. You can’t make convicts fashion forward.

ANGST AND FACEPAINT.... 

prison line up... or mv.

Band’s Overall Image:

Ruby: Em and I love to talk about BAP’s image over time. We really like consistency and progression. Thus, things like Stop It and to some extent Rain Sound, really confuse us. At least for me, I loved the style they took on for Warrior, Power and even No Mercy and I was so happy to see that come back in One Shot. This is more in that vein, so it pleases me, but I know that some Baby’s really love the variety. So I guess I'm happy but I could see that it might be frustratingly consistent.

One Shot outfits from BAP

They're so.... cute?

Em: I will admit, the second time I watched the video I had the sound muted and No Mercy was literally playing in my head. This works for BAP. It even references their debut. I am glad. There’s variety and then there’s chaos…one is good, the other is just confusing. Maybe this should’ve been weirder for them, but meh. I’m okay with it.

No Mercy style... very similar

Trends in K-POP:

Ruby: IT'S THE END OF THE WORRRLLLDDDDDD. This is a theme from forever. Angsty apocalypse videos have been around for years. The facemasks are also ever popular, although I loved the fishnet one in this video. Totally on point. They really are one of the fixtures in the sports wear world as well. Men’s videos tend to take on one of (I think) four big themes. They go sportswear, suits and more formal, off the wall or AEGYO-MONSTERS. Each of those styles has staple groups and I think BAP is really becoming one in the sportswear category.

T-ARA's butt kicking style in Day by Day

mesh facemask.... cooooool dude.

Em: I’ve noticed the odd half-skirt things in men’s fashion before in EXO videos and suchlike. There will be either a piece of swooshy fabric on one side (a half skirt) or pants that are baggy in such a way that it looks like a skirt from a distance. I guess its supposed to be swoopy and dramatic? Anyway. Black in white also come back again and again just because it’s so effective for creating drama, also like in Exo’s Wolf.

skirty thing on men!

More of them! In Exo's Wolf

Conclusion:

Ruby: I think in the realm of war, fighting videos this one really stood out to me. The face paint and the restraint (everywhere but the stripe-y suits) really gives this video a dark and dangerous feeling without just dressing the band up as soliders and covering them in dirt. They melded fashion and statement well, which is something I really respect stylists for. From the skull flags to the leather briefcase there was something really classy about this apocalypse.

The simplicity of this is really the best part of this mv

Points to this revolution's graphic designer!

Em: Yeah this was pretty cool, all things considered. Especially with the badass face paint. It was almost movie-esque at times, and the fashion was interesting yet almost entirely believable in the scene they constructed…a tough balance to strike. My only wish is that we could’ve seen some of the outfits more clearly cause they were worth seeing. Good job BAP.

Many interesting fashion choices indeed.

I want to see moreeeeeeee

Daily Dose of Daebak:

We shall leave this carebear here as a warning to those who follow!!!!!

Apparently even dad’s gone. The flag said said so.The only written words in the whole MV. Deeply symbolic? Probably.

What do you think BAP stripey suits were meant to symbolize? The more of a stretch, the better ;)

Want something for next week? Leave us a comment!

Also, we're about to redo a bunch of the sections on the blog, PLEASE tell us what you want to stay and any suggestions you have!!!!

See ya later

Ruby and Em <3