Roses are Red (and so are the shoes)

This week's choice to review was IU's ultra fashionable Red Shoes. We had a lot of fun reviewing it, especially since the MV was so fun to watch! If you haven't taken the time machine back and experienced it yet, check it out here:

Put on your dancing shoes and lets get started:

Em: Red Shoes was perfect to review because, I mean, how could we not review something where the title had to do with fashion? Beyond the shoe question, IU’s video had a lot of fun retro and interesting details. Her outfits were very dance-oriented, with flowy skirts and dance-friendly low-heeled shoes, and it fit with the theme of the video. They weren’t always attractive, but at least they were relevant. There was also a fascinating cast of characters that joined her in this; they had Paris-inspired, 1920s-esque outfits as well. She and the rest of the cast complimented each other to create a cohesive MV.

Flowy clothing and soft, bright makeup

Ah, Paris

Ruby: This was so much fun, and how could we pass up an mv centered on the shoes, too perfect for words. The whole mv had that Great Gatsby feel to it, which is of course, on the rise in the fashion world. There was a lot of clothing I didn’t love in the mv, but it all fit together so well, that I was willing to forgive silly looking striped shirts (Smee from Peter Pan anyone?) and a wholly unflattering dancing dress. It was seriously fun though, with the fashion show and the playful nature of the characters interactions. The whole cast looked current and fresh and goshdarnit like they were having a really good time.

 

Great Gatsby anyone?

Judgy Smee

NOW TRENDING:

#retrofitforfashion

#alittlelaceforthelady

#50shadesofgrayscale

#retrofitforfashion and we love it! Increasingly we’ve seen retro fashion filtering into the kpop mainstream. Sure, it’s usually a retro cut in bright, bubblegum colors rather than pastels or neutrals. But hey, isn’t magenta kind of neutral these days? This trend has been especially popular in girl groups. SunnyHill and Hello Venus come to mind.

 

Retro Romance

Oh so retro...it even has the stripes (from SunnyHill's
Darling of all Hearts)

#alittlelaceforthelady refers to the ever-popular addition of lace into an outfit, and one of IU’s main dance outfits involves an extra lacey black dress. Black lace can be sexy in the right amount (though it CAN get overdone), and this was no exception. Miss A used it in their MV Touch, and that looked pretty good too. Even the guys sometimes use it, like Junsu in Tarantellegra.

Now doesn't she look good?

Miss A in Touch doing the same thing

Junsu's somewhere in there.

#50shadesofgrayscale highlight a recurring tendency for kpop to either do things in black and white clothing/rooms or to just flat out make black and white videos. It’s a powerful color scheme, especially when done right, so we see it time and again (often with red thrown in for pizzazz). We saw it in our recently reviewed Coup d’Etat by G-Dragon and in the first half of MBLAQ’s Smoky Girl (before they went neon, that is). In IU’s video, the grayscale represented the past, referencing old silent films.

Mr. Shoes

MBLAQ's Smoky Girl

Gdragon's Coup d'Etat

*drum roll please* get ready for the fashion show of the century.......

Good afternoon IU, sweetie.

I saw you singing on the youtube today, yes. It was quite lovely, dear. I was simply in raptures over your outifts! They reminded me of the good old days, when men wore bowties and women’s skirts covered their patooties. Ah, those were good times…. Your cute little dancing dress was swishing all over, so adorbale. And what a handsome young man that got makeup all over your face… did you invite him home for dinner? He was so nicely dressed and clean cut, with his dapper half suit, the right kind of boy for young girls to be dating. Not to mention the shoes, how scandalous! Red dancing shoes! I remember when I could have danced all night in those cute little heels.And then that fashion show! So many memories of when I was young, the lace, the dropped waists, the feather boas! It was an era where women began to empower themselves to be feminine, sexy and independent! And I love seeing it come back in modern day! So move forward IU and let them know who is boss, KICK SOME BUTT BABE!

Ehem. And don't forget to invite your fella to dinner and clean up your apartment. I left you some kimchi in your fridge.

Hugs and Kisses,

Granny Kimchi

Yes, I do mean gentlemen like this one

The Last Dance

Em: One thing I really liked about this video was the detail work. Sometimes the marker of a really good video is the attention to detail…every time I see it I notice something different, and I like it even more. The directors didn’t seem to be concerned about us seeing everything they included, they wanted the whole effect of everything. Because of this attitude, even the backup dancers change outfits multiple times, despite them being in the background and just supporting IU. There was a lot of energy put into this and it shows. The outfits were bright and cohesive and just generally worked really well (despite some questionable individual pieces). You can tell there was a really clear vision for this MV.

 

Elaborate outfits on backup dancers (though still not too distracting)

VISION

Ruby: The video was spunky and fun and full of life. It was long, but I didn’t mind wathing it through, which was novel. There’s something about the retro concept that was endearing and enjoyable. I thought it lent IU, who has always been more cutsy than sexy, a fresh and daring edge. She blended her younger cuteness with a more adult sex appeal nicely within this genre. She to play with men’s clothing, lace and color, exploring this kind of fashion really fully. Sure I didn't love every piece but it was the variety and the usage of them that was so much fun. It really set a scene and an atmosphere, from the extra clothes, like floral buttondowns and drum major coats, to IU’s own wardrobe selections. Sweet and edgy and very very fashionable.

 

Mostly sweet in this picture

 

Fun florals for a fun guy

DAEBAK!!!

Sir. You have weed. On your socks.

Epic piano playing.

So what did you think? Are the weed socks a must-have for this fall's wardrobe? Do you want to party with the stripey couple? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you.

-Ruby & Em <3