Six Month Round Up

Mother of Shisus, has it really been six months since we started the blog? wow. It feels like a very short period of time.... 

So since its kind of an off week anyway, we decided, yeah, lets go for it and try and summarize the last six months of kpop in one very very very long blogpost. Let us know what you think!

As a side note, I am not going to caption these photos, if you want to know where something is from, leave us a comment and we'll be happy to tell you! 

On trend

Ruby: So we really were in the heat of summer and spring these past few months, so that factored into it a lot. I see a lot of strong concepts. Rather than a ton of super overly cute, suffocating with bright colors and pouty faces videos, I’ve really found a lot of power concepts, like sexy women and tough men. Even the cute concepts really pushed themselves to be outside of the box and as interesting as possible. From hello venus to nu’est the cute concept has taken really some really inventive twists. I like pointed concepts, yes sometimes they go horridly wrong, but they can also go so so right.

Em: There was a lot of craziness and quirkiness that I think we both really love to see, from Ladies’ Code’s Hate You to G-Dragon’s Michigo. Everyone seems to be trying to outdo eachother in scandal and newness, which luckily means lots of fun things to review. Some of them throw in the creepiness factor too, which adds another dimension to concepts.

That was…. unexpected

Ruby: Uh, there has been a lot of individuality recently that I like. I think for me, some videos that really stood out include ones like The Cute (MFBTY) for their natural clothing and on the flip side ones like Rockstar (No Minwoo) for their completely out of this world take on style. And I mean, of course there is the master of weird-ass concepts himself, GDragon. He’s been wayyyy out there too. Not always in a good way though…  And once in awhile a beautiful artsy concept appeared, like Lee Hi’s Rose.

Em: I’m surprised by the amount of retro I keep seeing. We had Sunny Hill’s Darling of All Hearts with a fantastic amount of polka dots, then Spica’s Tonight with vintage outfits that look like they were found in thrift stores. With everyone trying to be new and different, its surprising that so many bands are being inspired by older looks rather than trying to do something COMPLETELY different (which can turn into just another nonsensical outfit, unfortunately).

Glorious Girls

Ruby: The ladies are divided this season. Really. Like there were super sexy concepts that pushed corsets and lace, like Wild (9Muses) or fishnets and sequins (4Minute)… Alternatively there are the cutsey concepts to contend with.   Like Lee Hi It’s Over and the sassy Rum Pum Pum Pum. Girls are harder to pin down for me I think. Being feminine, in whatever way you want, has always been popular and you really saw a variety of approaches, from CL to stripper poles to retro glam. Women were sexy, beautiful and powerful, in whatever from they chose.

 

Em: They definitely did everything. Some was good, some was bad, some revealing, some super classy—our recent The Cure by MFBTY comes to mind. One thing about girl’s clothing is that its always so highly detailed…sometimes this is a good thing, and you can appreciate the style, and sometimes it’s a bad thing when the outfit gets far too busy. We saw both ends of the spectrum in the past few months. Even the fact that its summer (and people should probably wear fewer pieces of clothing) didn’t deter anyone.

Boyish Badassery

Ruby: The boys have been very intense recently. MBLAQ wore bondage-y suits and SHINee bought out the hipster fabric department while GDragon traveled from Harajuku to London to crazy land and back again.  I mean we even saw some traditional clothing. But I think the biggest trends from this season were sports wear or non-traditional suits. I mean suits are always big but there were some really different versions recently. Its good, I like it. There is also something charming about workout/athletic clothes. Not gonna lie, I miss street clothes a bit. Like really cool wearable style. Everything was really extreme.

Em: One thing kpop does well is capitalize on men’s fashion. Its tough to be creative with men’s clothing in comparison to women’s, but they managed to come up with everything from man-skirts to riot gear. A few artists were highlighted multiple times for their tendency to be awesome, like G-Dragon and Junsu. Some bands/people consistently try new things with their images (even if it results in offensive hair), so we have a lot of fun comparing them across the board.

Its time to stop….

Ruby: Oh I don't know. Let’s see. I’m really bored of the flirty silly little girl style for bands that are not silly nor little.  The Tutus and sports jerseys, I mean really? There are so many girl groups that are really exploring their new ages, I mean maybe stripper poles isn’t the way to do that, but there has to be a way to be flirty and fun and age appropriate. When you have to go to like, SPICA, who is not quite mainstram, to find that, its kind of sad. That being said, SPICA hit it right on the head. So wonderful. And to some extent CL played with an interesting alternative, using makeup and accessories to look older while wearing childish clothes.

 

Em: I feel like half the time we’re saying there’s too much going on and the other half we’re saying there’s too little going on. Some bands are really good at striking a balance between too much and too little, but a lot of the time there are too many accessories or not enough outfits or too many sequins or what have you.  Example: the flannel in F(x)’s Rum Pum Pum Pum.

Reserving a spot in my closet for….

Ruby: Oh an easy one. The pop retro style. Please. Like Sunny Hill Most Darling of Hearts all the way. Its sexy and current and appropriate. Personal style wise, its pretty close to my own style and god I couldn’t love it more. Bring on the hipster glasses and high waisted pants! This also works from the men’s side. I could totally go for a tweed coat or oversized sweaters to amp up the awesome. Its not the most common way of dressing in kpop, but god do I love it. Oh and then also sneaker heels. From left field, but true.

Em: Can I just agree on the pop retro style? Also, Spica’s Tonight was a big one for WANTS.  God we’re so hipster. Um. As far as men’s fashion, I kind of guiltily want No Min Woo’s clothes. They’re fun and different and kinda punk and I like that. And I want to steal the classiness and individuality of MFBTY. Maybe not their specific pieces for me, but the idea of it.

Not for me no thanks….

Ruby: I mean, I’m willing to try most things but I don't like shiny things. I really don't. No sequins, no satin. There have been quite a bit of tight and shiny outfits and while they look nice in context, its just not something that would be in my closet, honestly. But I know people who could pull it off…

Em: I’m not really drawn to wearing Hello Venus. I mean, I don’t mind cute, but it has to be done right, you know? They’re too….pastel. Too cotton candy. Not really for me. I like to set cuteness off with something else. Also wouldn’t really do preppy like in JYJ’s Only One. Just nope.

So what have we learned here today, kids?

Ruby: Individuality is powerful and impactful. You can be powerful within a known context and still carry your own presence. Either way the intensity is what makes a concept sing, from strippers to revolutionaries to first-date go-ers, it works the same.  Defined concepts work and we have seen so many successful ones. Six months isn’t that long, at the end of the day, and I’m excited to compare these videos with what happens next.

Em: Agreeeed, I hope they continue being markedly individual and impressing us with new awesome things. I also hope they continue with the powerful concepts, the ones that move away from aegyo. Lesson #842394723: Dress your age. It can work FANTASTICALLY if you emphasize it rather than try to hide it by pretending to be younger than you are.

6 Month Daebak.

So many of these groups I hadn’t really taken the time to notice before, it’s been really cool to see a wider variety of kpop and really begin to appreciate the breadth and depth of the fandom. It’s amazing to meet people who love kpop and fashion… And to stay in touch with my long-distance-platonic-soul-mate. Keep on fangirling/boying kpop fandoms, you rock.

Can’t wait to see what comes next in the land of kpop fashion! I’m hoping we get even more new bands that are making a name for themselves, hopefully by being marvelously stylish. It’s cool to get people who will actually read the massive amounts of words we spew about shoes and skirts and everything…yay kpop <3 We long-distance-platonic-soul mates will keep reviewing! (with occasional help from a certain Matt) so we hope you keep being awesome and reading out stuff!

Leave us some lovin' and tell us what you're looking forward to in the next 6 months! 

Thanks so much, 

Ruby and Em <3