It's off to work we go...

With Super Junior M and their really unexpectedly practical fashion. This is actually the first Chinese video we've reviewed (but more importantly we get Mimi and Henry, which is even more exciting.)
Check out the not so boring cubicle life of SJM in their mv for Swing:

The video came out on March 18th 2013 and as of March 30th had 855, 523 views on youtube.

Getting into the swing of it...

Ruby: When I think of Super Junior the first words that come to mind are definitely not practical, useful or wearable. I mean, usually they head toward the weirdest stuff you could even imagine. However this video was definitely some of my favorite street fashion that I've seen in kpop recently. At first glance, the clothing in this mv is super simple, but the coolness of this mv lies in the details. This mv is proof that it is the little things that make the biggest differences. Cool shoes, suspenders and glasses really bring the simple office wear to life.

So many accessories so little time

Old fashioned horn rimmed glasses

Em: This was an interesting take on the standard black and white suit and tie. Its a good example of taking something ubiquitous and making it new. It was all very wearable and professional for once, which we don't usually see...often men's fashion is unwearable as soon as they try something new. If you're looking to add a little bit of pizzazz to your work outfit, this is the MV to look at.

I AM WORKING REALLY HARD.

This shirt speaks for itself.

by raiding Super Junior's shoe collection:
For a simple and clean work shoe, try a few silver buckles!

Or maybe, you're more intense than that. Don't worry, this shoe has a full metal piece around the top of it. I guess they wouldn't come untied.

Still not working? Feel like the tops of your feet don't need protecting? What about heel spikes. We got those!

But maybe none of these shoes are for you. Maybe you need something of a different class. Maybe you're the boss.
Don't worry we got ya covered.

Ah. Suits. Tailored suits. Unbuttoned suits. Suit jackets. Suits. As soon as I heard the "office concept" description for this MV, I swooned. I grabbed my sexy glasses stash. I grabbed my suspenders stash. I went through Eunhyuk's hat collection to find the perfect one. I got the hair gel. I went out and bought more eyeliner, cause you can never have too much. I was PREPARED. One thing I wasn't prepared for though...Siwon's mustache. WHY DIDN'T WE HAVE A RAZOR IN THE STUDIO?!

#meninsuits
#suspendeddisbelief
#fakeglasses_realguyliner

#meninsuits is really common in kpop and even though its not really a definite trend, it just always looks classy and amazing and that is so so okay with me. If you want some other fun suits you can check out Too Heart's mv for Delicious, and still my favorite suits belong to MBLAQ in their mv Smoky Girl. (It's old, but oh so good.)

From ToHeart's Delicious 

From MBLAQ's Smoky Girl

#suspendeddisbelief makes for a fun mv. Suspenders are pretty awesome and really actually versatile. This music video uses them to look classy and business-y but other mvs in the past like Expectation by Girls Day used them as super sexy accessories.

From Girl's Day's Expectation

#fakeglasses_realguyliner because just like Royal Pirate's Drawing the Line, there were several examples of glasses on people who don't normally wear them. Stylish and sexy, glasses can really add something to a look and make it stand out from others. They aren't always stylish though...sometimes they're just a fun accessory, like in Crayon Pop's Lonely Christmas!

From Royal Pirate's Drawing the Line

From Crayon Pop's Lonely Christmas

Closing time...

Ruby: There is just so much to love in this simple video. From necklines to hemlines everything has character and charm. As much as I love reviewing music videos because they feature such unusual fashion its refreshing to get to talk about some real usable pieces. Maybe all of this isn't appropriate for your office, but some of the ideas will definitely translate, and even if it doesn't it will still look cute for other times. In general, it was refreshing, classy and full of awesome details.

Wide glasses and a skinny tie

The main outfits were super simple

Em: They definitely did well at making a believable yet stylish office scene. Sometimes bands don't look like they fit in their setting, but Suju M fit right in and looked goooood. I want to work in THAT office. Everything was easy to move in too, which is a plus for dancers. I liked the subtle additions of younger-looking clothes too, like the hat and sneakers, since it made the styles more accessible by younger people.

HATS! 

AND SNEAKERS TOO!

much window, very city, so backdrop.

Cool graphics in the background..."Work hard play harder"

What do you think an office of kpop stars would be like?
We think it could be disastrous but it would definitely be entertaining.
Let us know below and leave us some love!

See ya soon,
Ruby and Em

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