The first real review of 2014! Well we thought it would be cute to welcome the new year with an old favorite. Early comebacks have been extremely... uh... interesting. And this video was no exception!
Let's take a look-see at
Rain- LA Song
This video was released on January 1st, 2014 and as of January 12th had 846,141 views. There was also another Rain video released for a song called 30Sexy but it wasn't nearly as politically incorrect, so we opted for LA song. On to the velvet covered racist and sexist goodness:
Let's join the party:
Ruby: So I guess the first thing to say is oh man, this video was like playing a game of how many bad ideas can we fit into approximately four minutes. The fashion, while not nearly as offensive as many parts of the video, was definitely not to my taste... It's not that what he was wearing was ugly or unflattering (for the most part) but that it was all so viciously out of place that it just left me confused and with bad taste in my mouth. (I mean there's was a bad headband and velvet suits....)
My game face and my headband
I am unamused by these events
Em: Since the song name is LA Song, maybe..... American clothing? But unlike Troublemaker's rather fashionable take on the slapdash, mismatched stereotype, this seems just kinda bad. I can't say I've ever seen someone where a red velvet suit before...maybe cause I don't live in LA, but still. Still. The fur coat wasn't exactly my favorite thing ever either.
Lookin' fine in my red velvet suit
Wait where is this video set again?
Forget your silly dance battle, it's time for a...
First up we've got the Sherlock Homeless look. Grab you warm woolen scarves and an oversized jacket. This outfit makes for a great go to look. It's super warm but also so easy to wear. And you get to explore the existential side of fashion: what is fashion? what is worn out? what is an elbow patch? what is life?
Another contender is certainly FURocious. White t-shirt, gold chains, fur coat. What else could you need to spend an evening jamming with friends, at an under ground dance rave or grocery shopping? Clearly this is a look appropriate for all occasions.
The last contender in this battle of fashions is Dual Dandy in his velvet suit, with two color options. Olive and Tomato. I mean these suits just scream class and subtlety. What more can I say? It's like a pimpin' christmas in this video. And I love it.
Which outfit do you think won this fashionista face-off?
#ohoh!Objectify_me_sir! The real trends of 2014 remain to be seen but the early votes certainly point to sexy sexy women dressed in virtually no clothing. Now being sexy can certainly be a good thing, but it can also be a bit offensive. Especially when it's a back up dancer that serves no purpose. TVXQ is also guilty of this in their first single of this year, Something.
From TVXQ's Somebody.
#highwaisthighopes High waisted looks were big last year with videos like I Got a Boy (SNSD) and Darling of All Hearts (SunnyHill) and it seems like they're going to keep it up this year. High waisted looks, pants, shorts skirts, can be super flattering and add some flare to a less exciting outfit.
Girl's Generation - I Got A Boy
SunnyHill - Darling of All Hearts
#layeredlikeanonion with jacket upon jacket upon shirt upon other shirt. This tends to happen in winter when clothing stores refuse to acknowledge the fact that its cold outside, and rather than wearing warmer clothes you just wear more clothes layered on top of each other. LA Song featured backup dancers that had more than enough layers to be considered sporting "the layered look." This also happened in other MVs, such as B1A4's Lonely where everyone looked.
B1A4 - Lonely
la conclusion (mais oui, c'est en français.)
Ruby: I just feel like these were impractical outfits for a dirt floor dancer face off. The video in general was full of stereotypes and just really mixed messages between clothing and concept. I can see so many of these outfits working on other settings, but so few of them felt even slightly relevant to this video itself. It's hard when each piece of fashion is sort of okay, but the styling and combination of it all is so off putting its hard to watch. Also if a trend this year is out of place, scantily clad women, I will be frustrated. At least there was no plaid.
Let's do the lindy hop!
I mean she looks hot...
Em: All in all, I wasn't particularly thrilled with this week. I mean, maybe we're being a bit harsh...we have liked mismatched things in the past, and its not all bad to mix things up a bit. Unfortunately, it went too far in the wrong direction I think. Fur coats are fur coats, and we see them all the freaking time...nothing really radical there.
Dance Battle Dress Code is Black tie, right?
We're as confused as you are kid.
Chickens. Everywhere.
The Barber Shop set was kinda cool.
What do you think will be all the rage in kpop fashion this year? Let us know!
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
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 wolfon 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!
