Rainbow goes Blaxx

This year is really starting off with a bang for girl groups. It's clear that the era of ultra-conservative kpop videos is coming to an end. Straight from the world of super sexualized MVs, this week we're talking about

Rainbow Blaxx - Cha Cha

This subunit's video was released on both Rainbow's official channel and on Loen's channel. Between the two of them there are over 1,600,000 views.


Let's dance...

Ruby: There are so many things about this video that i really love the color saturation is gorgeous. I was hooked from that first teal macaroon against pink lipstick, and that continued through the video. The video had a luxury feel to it, but rather than going for the typical chrome and leather cliche they opted for an almost Marie Antoinette, colorful opulence style. My biggest question is why that wasn't translated into the clothing! The whole video felt like they bought out a stripper store! The set is detailed, luxurious and feminine but the clothing looks cheap in comparison. They had an opportunity to really go outside of the box and do something sexy and fabulous but instead ended up choosing clothing that down-graded the whole concept.

The color combinations are rich and lovely

Her clothing disappears among the other details

Em: Yeah, it did feel a bit like the budget went into everything else BESIDES the clothing, so it was a bit disappointing that way, but at least they stuck to their concept. If the goal was to be sexy they certainly accomplished that! Everything was very...erm...flattering, which can sometimes be hard to do. We sometimes see videos where they try to be sexy but end up with questionable outfit combinations that do the opposite, so at least they did that much right. I liked the sheer elements throughout, from the shirts to the nearly invisible tights. I'm also a fan of the garters.

One example of a garter in the video... 

And another. But neither have tights.... interesting.

Teasers really set the tone for the whole comeback, not just the mv itself. For the debut of the Blaxx subunit Rainbow put out a ton of teasers, and boy... did they set a tone.
There were some more traditional teasers which featured clips from the MV itself.

This macaroon scene is in both the mv and the teasers.

They were pretty typical and features some of the more memorable scenes. This type of teaser is always hard to talk about once the video is out, because you've seen the whole thing....

Moving on, they also released whole body scans of each member.

Creepy full body shots

Delicious looking cakes

Talk about establishing their concept for this mv. They were super sexy full body video clips that included pretty sensual movements as well. It was my first taste of the wasteful opulence concept and I immediately loved the saturated colors and messiness of it, but it was also the first taste of the less then inspiring fashion.

The last real teaser that they used was something called a "Style Film".

This was every bit as sexy conceptually as the main mv, in fact even more risque at parts. The biggest difference was the quality of the clothing they wore (in some cases) and the staging. In this video (which is 19+) there are gorgeous details like patterned tights seamed high waisted panties and embroidered bustiers. Some pieces still lacked the workmanship, but generally it felt much more refined and classy. I enjoyed it. It also helped that it was staged as a photoshoot. With the limited movement it allowed for more conscious body placement, which made it feel more mature as well. Although still a little sexy for my tastes, it was really well done.

Pretty lighting makes everything classier 

Details like lace tights add a feminine touch

Oh MY! Young ladies these days seem to be dressing in little to no clothing...aren't you chilly dears? It would be fine, I guess, if just Rainbow Blaxx was doing it, but I keep seeing groups of girls dressed so skimpily their heating bills must be through the roof! AOA was a bit better in terms of converage in Miniskirt but I mean...just like at the title! Girls would never dress like this in my day. I'm not saying its a bad thing to experiment and all...just don't get frostbite dearies!

oh my....

Brrrrrr!

#dew-yourownmakeup
#maidmyday
#onthefringe

dew-yourownmakeup... or get your stylist to do it. This year we've seen quite a few scantily clad ladies, but we've noticed that their makeup has been pretty light and dewy. This dewy look is achieved with some gold/skin tone shimmery eyeshadow, a kick of eyeliner and some pink, shiny lips. TVXQ's Something and AOA's Miniskirt just this year.

Female actor from TVXQ!'s Something

maidmyday isn't really a trend but I just think it's funny that we've seen maid costumes within the last few months more than once. I mean they were very different main costumes, but still. See Bestie's Love Option for another example. How much demand can there be in korean music video for french maid outfits. I guess more than expected.

Bestie's Love Options.... 

onthefringe because we can never really escape giant hairy-looking monstrosities, can we? okay they're not that bad, but I still am not really a big fan of fringe-inspired pieces or anything that has particularly long strings or hairs all over the place. Just a personal preference. Dal Shabet had their fair share of this phenomenon in BBB.

Hairy blue sleeves...doesn't that sound attractive?

... at the end of the Rainbow

Ruby: If nothing else this video is certainly within rainbow's sexier concepts. I am quite happy to see them out of the tutus and into something more age appropriate. I guess my biggest complaint is not that the video is super sexy, I love a good sexy concept, but that rather than going for classier styles of sexy, like a pinup concept or even a rococo concept with a sexy twist, they opted for clothing that looked inexpensive and didn't have a lot of character. The shiny satin and cheap lace left a bad taste in my mouth.

Rich colors create a gorgeous background

She certainly gives off a certain look...

Em: While it could've been more interesting, the clothing definitely did its job to make Rainbow Blaxx look good. I liked the hints of red (and pink) on the shoes and the lace everywhere. We saw lace used very differently in the last video we reviewed, but this had some different pieces including the large flowery prints on the lace shirt. Very pretty and feminine. If you're looking for lingerie inspiration, this might just be your video.

Soft lines make for a more feminine concept 

Hot pink shoes with a hot pink carpet.

i mean yeah the video was basically people porn but....
some of those cakes are basically food porn too...

The jewelry was the closest parts of the outfits to the set--the crosses were particularly elaborate and cool.

What did you think about this super sexy concept? Do you think 2014 is going to continue to bring out sexy concepts for girl groups?
Stick around and find out with us!
Leave us some love!

Ruby and Em <3

Virulent Song, Not Virulent Fashion

So this week we looked at a lesser-known artist, Rumble Fish, with The Virulent Song. It was posted on January 13th, 2014 (is it really 2014?) and had 82,054 views by January 20th, 2014. A lot of what we've seen so far this year has been...er...questionable, so we were really pleased with this!

Em: I really liked this. Not only were the outfits beautiful and well put-together, but they also spoke to each other in a way that kept them part of the same set while still remaining distinctive and interesting. Some of the major aspects were lots of lace, a consistent black-and-white color scheme, and highly detailed, luxurious pieces with a retro flair. If you've read our reviews before, you know how we feel about retro flair. It was sexy, yet also classy--a difficult combination to pull off sometimes. Lovely!

Black and white with a delicate lacy leotard

Contrasted with rocker chick in leather thigh-high boots

Ruby: I thought this was a really interestingly put together video. If you've read some of our other reviews you know that we talk a lot about the different kinds of sexy and how they really differ from each other but achieve the same thing. This video was like a tour of some of these and I thought it was really awesome. There were four outfits, each pretty different but super simple. The black and white approach, including her really chic hair, really kept it classy even in some of the more risque outfits.

Chic hair makes everything better

The sleeves add a sexy element, but with the rest of her
mostly covered she still seems modest

Three weapons. Three tools. Three nearly unstoppable forces of nature.....but only one will prevail. Perhaps you think fashion is for women. If that's true, then so is BATTLE.

The first weapon: Oval, intricate, hypnotizing. It sits on the ear like a shield, protecting the wearer from harm. Beyond its defensive properties, its edges are sharper than a jawbone, and it can be used for attack if necessary.

The second weapon: The wing shape proves to be an effective means of organizing the impressive collection of sharp blades. Not only is its shape reminiscent of the wearer's wicked winged eyeliner, it also evokes the freedom you may be fighting for.

The third weapon: This multi-faceted weapon is more flexible than either of its competitors. Designed with the hand in mind, it will reinforce a punch and leave an enemy knocked out or worse.

It's a tough call which would be the most useful. What would you go into battle with?

Now Rumble Fish may be new to us but she is not new to the industry. I'm sure this song is going to win her many new fans, so let's all take a peek at her past looks together, shall we?
Since Rumble Fish became a solo artist, she has taken on many different concepts, but none quite as avant-garde or sexy as this one.
In 2011, she came back with Men Are All the Same which had a super casual street style to it. There were plain t-shirts and warm knitted sweaters and even one very fluffy wedding dress. The MV tells a story so the clothes are what every day people wear. It's simple but pleasant.

Just regular people

Also in 2011 she came back with a manga video for Introduce me a good man. It was certainly... creative? It featured traditional anime drawing, clothing included! It was a really interesting take on how to make an MV.

Still fashion I guess!

More recently in 2013, she took on an island bohemian look in her video for Don't Be Like That. The video is full of bright colors and funky accessories. She looks gorgeous in it. Although it is incredibly different conceptually from The Virulent Song, the fashion in this video was also really exceptional.
We can't wait to see what comes next!!!!

Pretty pretty

#shorthairdontcare

#iheartnecklines

#flirtatiousfeathers

#shorthairdontcare for a trend in short hair on women. Looks fantastic in The Virulent Song, looked fantastic in Girl's Day's Something, just generally looks fantastic. My favorite instance of short hair on a girl in kpop is definitely Ga In...what's not to love?

Makes her neck look pretty and graceful

Girl's Day with blonde as well

She's perfect okay? okay.

#iheartnecklines sweetheart necklines, to be exact. Always classic, yet still on trend, heart-shaped necklines made an appearance in plenty of recent MVs, including Rainbow Blaxx's Cha Cha. Maybe they're getting ready for Valentine's Day in a month.

Pretty pretty once again

Rainbow Blaxx looking scandalous

Dal Shabet in BBB

#flirtatiousfeathers seem to be everywhere right now. It's still early in the year, but feathers have appeared a few times as accessories. This isn't the first time kpop has ventured into feather fashion but in recent trends feathers have been pretty absent. Once again Girl's Day's Something featured feather rings. We'll see how this trend plays out through the year.

Sometimes all you need is a feather. Sometimes its giant.

Girl's Day, but less spectacular

Em: I definitely would like more fashion like this. As much as lace is used often or whatever, this really did strike me as something different and I loved it. She managed to be utterly sexy without being trashy at all, which is wonderful, and she kept a powerful image that held the stage. Sometimes its hard to be a solo artist, since all the attention is on you and only you, but she carried the video with her character AND her outfits.

Yet another earring...GORGEOUS jewelry

Studded shorts

Ruby: Indie bands can often be a bit boring. For them its so much about their music and artistry that the fashion takes a back seat. As a fan of indie music I totally understand and appreciate that. On the other hand, sometimes the absolute best fashion comes out of lesser known artist because they're willing to take some risks, especially artsy ones. This video was just a work of art. It was gorgeous. Each outfit was beautiful and detailed without overwhelming the power of her voice with too much crazy fashion. Really well done, it highlighted her and her talent very well. 

The work of art herself

Personally I'm not sure if there were QUITE enough lens flares. I mean. Can you really have too many lens flares. I mean. Really.....

But the face projected on top of her while she was dancing was prettyyyy cool.

So what did you think? Had you even heard of Rumble Fish? We hadn't before this video. Indie band videos can be really good or really bad.....so the question is, could you ignore the lens flares and enjoy this one? Or are you so done with black and white concepts? Let us know in the comments!

-Ruby & Em <3