Much Fashion, So Wonderful, Wow

This year we've featured everything from modern sexy looks to frumpy retro styling. This week we found a video that sits right in between the two and damn, do the ladies look good! That's right, this week we're reviewing

So Wonderful- Ladies' Code

This video came out on February 12th, 2014 and as of February 25th had 255,529 views.


What was wonderful...

Ruby: I have to say that seeing the trends in girl groups this year, I was convinced that we were in for another super sexy video. I mean the mannequin concept just kind of screams objectification. However, I was actually really impressed with this. I really think that Ladies' Code is fast becoming one of my favorite girl groups to watch for kickass videos with unique but flattering fashion. This video is not only super on trend fashion-wise but it manages to keep it classy too. It's sexy and elegant and really sleek. I mean cute little retro dresses? Count me in.

I think that mannequin is looking at me...

LENS FLARE 

Em: Indeeeed, Ladies Code is quite noteworthy...and in a good way! The dresses were cute, and there were a lot of different things they experimented with in this. Some of it felt a little Christmas-party-ish, particularly the maroon dresses, (come on guys, its February) but it wasn't too bad, and the details they added like in the Ladies Code belt made it eye-catching. I really liked the detached collars too. And I mean, who doesn't love suspenders over pinstripes?

Nothing like shameless self promotion

Don't bag your babies... or your bandmates

To my dear young ladies...

Now when I first saw this dears I was quite concerned. This year has been so difficult for me. I can't even count how many times I've nearly witnessed wardrobe malfunctions! The young ladies have been so scantily clad! I do love a good corset... but sometimes I want a break from all these pheromones!
Now my dears, the men of this year have been completely scrumptious (don't you agree)? Dressed in dapper clothing that reflects fashion and personality! Some of them have been sexy and others more reserved but it was nice to see a range. It does my heart good to see a girls group embracing the same! You and a few other groups have taken their fashion back to the good old days and I am just so pleased...
Now you run along in your circle skirts and go tease the boys a bit, mkay?

- I'm sending you cookies next week, Love, Granny Kimchi

Let's say you've only got like 5 members, but you've seen one too many SNSD videos and now you want enough fashion for 9. What do you do? Now there's an answer, with:
How to Include More Fashion in an MV than You Have Bandmembers!

Step 1: Find a love interest. It could be any old love interest, male, female, or otherwise. Now, you may be thinking, "a love interest isn't fashion!" well, young grasshopper, a love interest isn't fashion, but unless you want to get BANNED, they're probably going to be wearing clothes (unless you're CL...). And yes, these clothes can be fashionable.

Step 2: Have a shoe display! Unless you're in a Super Junior MV where the only set is a weirdly futuristic room, you might have an opportunity for a subtle display of other fashion-y items. You could even go shopping in the video, like in Step by Step by ZE:A.

Step 3: Put in a mannequin or 3! The nice thing about mannequins is that they can wear whatever you want them to, and they're not even dancing so you don't have to worry about practicality! They ARE harder to put makeup on though.

#lacemeup
#motownmoproblems
#feelingformal

#lacemeup is sexy and sweet. Lace has always been a great way to add some sex appeal to an MV and really give an outfit a pop. One of our favorite lace pieces from this year came from Rumble Fish's Virulent Song. There's something sassy and classy about lace that we enjoy.

From Rumble Fish's Virulent Song (we reviewed this one)

#motownmoproblems... This year the mo-town feel has been big. Stand microphones and s curls have been all the rage. It's a really cute era to pull style from and gives off a hispter/indie vibe. It can really set mv's apart. TVXQ's Something comes to mind, as does SPICA's You Don't Love Me.

From TVXQ's Something 

From SPICA's You Don't Love Me

#feelingformal because lately we've seen a few MVs that emphasized special occasion dresses and gowns  rather than casual streetwear. While its less wearable, it can be an interesting exploration of materials, and is often classier. We saw this in Park Ji Yoon's Inner Space and in Royal Pirate's Drawing the Line.

From Park Ji Yoon's Inner Space

From Royal Pirates, Drawing the Line

Wonderful way to end...

Ruby: The mv kept the ladies in character, even the man with his funky little golden glasses fit right in with the concept. But not only did they manage to stay cohesive, but they also threw in super trendy outfits. Some parts of the styling felt off to me, the hair wasn't my favorite, some of the accessories were a bit chunky... But overall I think this video is really an all-kill for women's mv's so far this year. It's just really unexpected, sexy and all around charming.

Strike a pose

There's just a bit too much going on in this shot

Em: Yeah, I hope we see more of this and less of, say, Stellar's Marionette. It felt more like the fashion came before the sexy rather than the other way around. They also looked good as a group, which is always a nice touch...its hard to notice the good parts of each outfit when the group idea is done wrong. I actually didn't mind the hair. Some of the pieces were surprisingly simple for being so striking, like the red dress, yet it didn't seem underdone. Its great to see a group that's only been out for a year (as of Feb 24th) having such a distinctive style. All in all, yay Ladies Code!

The famous red dress 

They look so uniform

THIS PAINTERS PALETTE IS THE PERFECT DISGUISE I BLEND IN SO WELLLLL

INTENSE PICTURES OF AWESOME SHOES

Thanks so much for reading the review! What do you think about the creepy mannequin concept mixed with super cool styling? 

Let us know or leave us some love below...

See ya next week, 

Ruby and Em

Makin' it Rain

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!
#highwaistslhighhopes
#layeredlikeanonion

#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!

See ya round! 

Ruby and Em

Fashion for Everybody

This week was a whirlwind of kpop comebacks. I kept scrolling down my youtube feed and feeling completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of new videos. There's a lot to work through, but don't worry, we'll keep reviewing and hopefully get to all the AH-mazing fashion that came through this week. So to kick off our last comeback season of 2013, we're going to start with the first group we ever reviewed on this blog. 

SHINee! And their new song: Everybody. 

The video came out on October 10th 2013 and as of October 15th had 2,284,196 views.

The Big (SHINee) Picture:

Ruby: This music video had A LOT going on. Really though, there was the weird introduction, endless strobe lights, huge props and an entire factory of eyeliner. There were parts of it that worked exceptionally well, although it was a bit overwhelming as a unit. They really played up the contrast in this video; there were a lot of opposing groups, black and white, patterned and solid, etc. There was an element of controlled chaos, which I liked. I mean, I think they could have taken something out and the video might have been more cohesive, but there was an intensity and a freshness about the styling that I really enjoyed. This idea of thick eyeliner and messy hair meeting clean-cut military uniforms really appeals to me.

 

And then there was this small child in a mask... whyyyy?

Minho looking pensively out from his giant chess set

Em: Everybody was a wonderfully fashionable take on the military-esque styling, mixed in with a few standout pieces that were separate from the main group’s outfits. Blindingly white captain’s uniforms played off uniforms that patchworked solids and patterns, all of which invoked a military feeling. Let’s hope they’re not trying to tell us something about how soon their military service is. As for the standout pieces, Taemin’s was probably the most distinctive with a giant furry black jacket and dangling necklaces (oh and no shirt, which I guess is still fashion despite the lack of clothing). They also had leopard print and pimp canes and professor glasses and I don’t even know. They just seemed to be throwing in every kink they could think of.

 

Oh captain my captain era. 

Onew chilling on the floor sporting a leopard print scarf, and furry hat. 

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS KPOP?

IT’S TIME TO PLAY THAT FAMOUS GAME AGAIN FOLKS, THAT'S RIGHT YOU KNOW WHICH ONE!!!

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS KPOP? Featuring SHINEE!

Now we’ve seen videos set in New York and we’ve seen videos set in Vietnam, we've even seen videos set in magical pastel wonderlands, but today’s video is a little bit different!

Here are a few hints!

Get your fancy hats ready folks, we’re gonna need them!

Shirts not required! Wooooo!

You might need to go for a while without a haircut, let’s hope we all look as good as Key does with long hair!

Don’t forget to accessorize,  lookin’ snappy is very important here!

I’m sure everyone has figured out where we are today!

Of course, our filming location is ON THAT PEARL-AQUA SHINING SEA. With our sea captains, SHINee.

They have matching uniforms, snazzy accessories and cargo loads of precious objects, making them ready to heave anchor and set a course for the isle of GREAT FASHION SENSE.

Pierre the Posh Producer: Now look here my good sirs and madams *adjusts trendy monocle* I understand the appeal of ships. I really do. Captains and ships and the high seas, all very nice. But we needed something more…grand. Something with…pizazz. So you know what I said to myself? We need DRAMA.  We need a half naked taemin spinning around! We need Jonghyun smashing statues with the virulent rage of youth! We need hats and metals and necklaces and boots and most importantly, WE NEED MORE EYELINER. If only these idiots who work for me understood TRUE ARTISTIC VISION. My genius is so misunderstood. *sobs*

Now Trending

#willstripforeyeliner

#youkilledkermit

#maknaetostarboard

#willstripforeyeliner…. Its pretty clear. There are really two ways that kpop boy bands go after a ‘sexy’ image. One way is to opt for the manly man man man approach and take of shirts, show off muscles and generally exude testosterone. The other way is through sexy styling, like mussed hair and endless eyeliner. Which way is sexier? I guess that's up to the viewer…. ;)

 

2pm's Grown shirtless photo of washboard abs more please teaser

MBLAQ's cry photoshoot.... there is something ironic about
wearing that much eyeliner in a video called cry.

#youkilledkermit is similar to a hashtag from last week. Its fall and its getting colder and so there seems to be a trend picking up of big coats. Fur coats have made a few appearances, like in last week’s review, but also wool coats and other winter accessories. Get ready for this tag to stick around for a while, since the winter season is just beginning!

 

From last week's review, Very Good-Block B

#maknaetostarboard just so happens to reference the excessive amount of nautical in this mv.  In fact, turns out it has shown up before…uniformed men are a recurring theme in kpop. Block B set sail as pirates in the mv for Nilili Mambo. G-Dragon was channeling it in his 2013 World Tour, and TOP did the same thing in Fantastic Baby. And perhaps most famously, Girl’s Generation sailed into the mix with the original naughty nautical themed mv, Genie. 

 

Admiral Top, reporting for duty in Big Bang's Fantastic Baby

The iconic sailor uniforms of the lovely ladies from SNSD in Genie.

Final Call:

Ruby: I enjoyed the video a lot. I think I would have liked it more split into two. Personally I am completely enthralled by the contract of the white uniforms and dark eyeliner and hair. Such clean styling is not kpop’s usual MO, but sometimes it just works so well. Especially in mvs with a lot of movement. But I can’t say that I wish the whole mv was uniforms either. I loved the solo outfits too *coughjonghyuncough*…There are so many things I like that, when lumped together, it was a bit overwhelming, truth be told. We talk a lot about balance and I think it is as relevant as ever in this video. Even when everything individually is amazing, when put together it can look overwrought.

 

We didn't mention his eye jewels. He has eye jewels.

And a pimp cane. Wow. He's really blinged out... (badumpche)

Em: Definitely an interesting video. There was a lot going on, and it was certainly eye-catching. Some of things were great and I wish there was more of them, like Key’s solo outfit. The all-white uniforms were a bit much for me, but the whole uniform concept was cool and they varied it in interesting ways. It was very SHINee. The doll/electrically powered people concept comes up a lot actually, from groups like F(x) with Electric Shock and Ladies Code with Hate You (which we actually reviewed earlier). They didn’t actually channel the idea much in the clothing though, it was more in the dance and the set. The piercings were an excellent decision on someone’s part (maybe Suzy the Stylist).

The image video teaser was incredibly cool.
Like one of the coolest things ever in kpop.

Key's messy hair and headband look really is set off by the
MASSIVE AMOUTN OF EYELINER.

Onew and his nose bridge studs..... 

DAEBAK!!!!!

ONEW PROPELLOR.

The teasers redefined the term tease.

seriously though the video image teaser is awesome, watch it:

Thanks so much for reading! 

We're still working out all the changes, phew!

Leave us some comments please! We'd love to hear from you guys!

See ya next week, 

Ruby and Em <3