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

Still Stylish

We've been neck deep in the holiday season recently but I'm feeling all tinseled out. So this week we went for a video that we really liked but that doesn't scream christmas and holidays

We're talking about.... 

Still You- Eunhyuk and Donghae

The super junior subunit released their new single on December 16th 2013, and as of Dec 24th (!) had 1,259,433 views. 

Styling You-

Rachael: A little christmas surprise from SM, we got a new Eunhae song! It’s super super different that what we usually see from them, but really cool actually. So the video is comprised, fashionwise, of three outfits and the extras clothing. Most of it was really well done, especially keeping in mind that this is set in London, which has a very different aesthetic to Super Junior’s normal kpoppin’ appearance. Aside from one of the outfit sets, the whole things is super refined, very classy and really on trend. The sequin leopard print shirt was… interesting but the video on the whole was really appealing.

You get three guesses as to where we are...

I'm pretty. Get over it.

Em: There was a deliberate simplicity throughout most of the video. Jewelry consisted of masculine rings or a watch, and there weren’t any outfits where two elements were competing to be the loudest...either there was one standout piece, or everything was fairly neutral. I liked the closeups on things like Donghae’s shoes, it really helped showcase the elements they did include and helped characterize the singers.

Badass shoes right here folks

Simple and clean, but super elegant

So this subgroup of ginormous boy band Super Junior is fashionwise at least, definitely one to watch out for. This video is super different for them. Looking back, they’ve released one korean single and one japanese single. The Japanese song, I Wanna Dance was largely street clothes, but they were still super kpopped out, with neon animal prints, ripped up pants and fake glasses. However, the lasting impression of their first single will never leave me. Oppa Oppa, the perennial super show opener is completely stunning. I mean, single color satin suits HOW CAN YOU COMPETE WITH THAT. At any rate, their image really took a turn in this video towards something more sophisticated. Maybe it was out of respect for Donghae’s music and lyrics or maybe it was to fit in with the London setting, but it really worked for them. It’s a new and sophisticated version of this duo. But don’t worry, if the plaid jacket doesn’t remind you of their kpop roots, then just go watch Oppa Oppa and bask in the glory.

Oppa Oppa, don't act like you don't know. 

Donghae in I Wanna Dance

Eunhyuk wants to dance too.

Ugh. What ARE these two doing. They go all the way to London and wear what, leather jackets? Pea coats? Please. I constructed this FANTASTIC coat made from dead pigeons! I found fabric printed with double decker busses for pants! I have a collar in the shape of the London Eye! WHY HAVE YOU IGNORED MY WISHES. God you people are boring. I told the makeup artists to paint their whole faces like British flags and they IGNORED ME. Boring. So boring. The company flew everyone to London and then didn’t even take advantage of it.

YOU'RE NEXT PIGEON

Gaddam Peacoats.

#Twopeacoatsinapod

#eskim-oh-no

#MeAndEu

#twopeacoatsinapod will definitely help keep you warm. In winter months video, peacoats and boiled wool in general is always in fashion. I’m definitely not complaining, I love a man in a dapper coat. This year we’ve seen a lot of leather and a lot of sweaters but I’m hoping that the lovely peacoats make a strong return. We saw some hints of it in Exo’s Miracles in December, but this trend should definitely resurface.

#eskim-oh-no… That hat. We’ve seen that hat before in various colors. I mean, clearly that hat is extremely popular. Honestly, it’s a bit impractical in my opinion but that didn’t stop Eunhyuk and Donghae, or apparently GD and Top. Hmmm. All I’m sayin’ is that after it falls on the wet ground, putting it back on cannot feel good, right? Right.

#MeAndEu since everyone seems to be filming their MVs in Europe lately and then having fashion inspired by location. This was in London, we had History in Berlin with What am I to you? last week, and earlier we had GDragon in London with Crooked. The styling in these had plenty of leather jackets, worn jeans, and big coats. Donghae’s pea coat was especially appropriate to the location.

Still Talking-

Rachael: So if we ignore the christmas party gone wrong outfit set, the boys look put together, professional and super handsome. What isn’t to love? It fits the setting and the season to a T. I love that they used the bright houndstooth scarves to accessorize without going overboard and that little bit of makeup and styling makes it look like a fashion forward video. I also loved that the one girl (cough) in the video was still dressed to impress. The black tights make her legs look super long and that colored leather bomber is right on trend. Now, SM can always put out a video with crazy, bizarro outfits, but it is nice to see them go for something chic and ready to wear.

Lookin' dapper in my scarf 

WORK

WHERE DID THAT COME FROM.

Em: Honestly I didn’t pay much attention to what they were wearing for most of the video the first time I saw it, just because it wasn’t designed to be the focus. It blended well and helped set the stage for the rest of the video. It was very casual, and fairly masculine (especially on Donghae’s end). If someone I knew copied most of these outfits I would think they were fairly stylish, but not even that flashy. Very different from some other Super Junior extravaganzas (I seem to recall some very distinctive vegetable costumes).

Masculine and stuff

I am European see, I'm in a cafe

This what you were talkin' about Em?

The man in the window approves. Thank you man in the window.

They have matching scarves in opposite colors!

Oh my goodness! Well happy break/holidays everyone!

Appropriate greetings to you and yours!

Leave us some (Christmas/Hanukkah) love below and we'll return the favor!

See You Soooooon

Ruby and Em <3