This week we reviewed enough coats to make us swoon, with BAP's 1004(Angel). It had 1,916,917 views on February 15th, 2014, plus our love!
Em: Yes, yes, 1004 times yes. This video was full of spectacular coats and dark, sexy clothing, topped off with some classy masculine jewelry. It was a mix between "I'm walking angstily around in February thinking about love" and "I'm going to a business meeting in the fashion industry" and "I'm on an adorable Carnival date." Somehow, those all worked together to create a unified band concept characterized by a mainly black and white palette with well-crafted additions of personality.
ANGST
cute carnival date, right? ignore the ominous wings
Ruby: I think that BAP's team chose a very difficult type of music video for a band this large to pull off. When you make a video with a bunch of different symbolic scenes and a plot line, it's easy for the sheer amount of outfits to become cluttered and distracting. While BAP uses a wide variety of clothing, the tonality and color choices were really what pulled this mv together. By keeping the tonality darker with small pops of color, like the purple shirt, the music video felt really cohesive. Not to mention it felt like pretty much every outfit was spot on. They all fit well and made sense but had a fashion edge.
The edge
that FANTASTIC purple shirt
Just a hint of purple in the pants
WHAT TO WEAR
Picture this: your day starts out as a chilly Febraury (yes, it is snowing where I am) and you need a jacket to get you around. But wait, tonight you've got a Valentine's Day date. What do you wear? Well, lets take some hints from BAP!
A classic furry coat will be warm and stylish, especially with a military-inspired line of buttons bringing it all together. It's also useful for digging holes in the ground!
You'll look like this guy, I swear.
Once you get to work though, you're going to need a smooth, versatile outfit that will be adaptable to whatever your boss needs you to do. Keep it sexy yet conservative. And roll those sleeves up...you can't go wrong with forearms.
Also be sure to look like you know what you're doing.
Got a date after work? Try an eye-catching pinstriped suit, especially if your date plans to dress cute and vintage too. You'll look adorable riding around on a carnival horse or giggling through a house of mirrors.
cuties.
Just be careful though...don't get lost in the house of mirrors, and DEFINITELY don't resort to this to find your way out:
Not recommended
You think a boy bands shoes are all the same? Men's shoes are more interesting than that! BAP explores a bunch of different snazzy options ranging from the classic to the modern!
The classic oxford is always a good choice. It will never fail to look classy, put together and chic. Excellent for creeping around pseudo victorian mansion sets.
Simple black loafers can also be a great way to go. If you're wearing busy clothes and just want something simple, these are a totally great option. You can easily chase women around fun houses and walk over broken glass without a care in the world.
Want something younger and trendier? Try some lace up doc martin boots. Simple, but they'll stay on during aggressive dancing!
Still lookin'? What about some snake skin converse? They're an awesome detail piece for a simple outfit; simple and sleek. They are also great for setting the mood while running around giant corpses digging holes.
Some heavy brown work boots can totally the best choice to pull a look together. They can add a nice balance if you're wearing a bulky top or coat. They're also great for exploring abandoned carnivals.
There's even a pair of women's shoes. Sure you might break your ankle getting on or off of a carnival ride, but it sure makes hugging less awkward.
#leatherinanyweather
#houndstooth
#sheerpleasure
#leatherinanyweather because is there's anything kpop is good at its putting leather into almost any outfit set. We've seen it in everything from Rumble Fish's Virulent Song to Eunhyuk and Donghae's Still You.
Leather and and the ever-present kpop wings of justice
leather in the Virulent Song
leather shoe close-up from Still You
#houndstooth for the classic pattern we keep seeing in kpop. It wasn't too bad in this MV, but it can get a little overwhelming. We saw a lot in Spica's You Don't Love Me.
At least the rest of the outfit is simple
Spica's You Don't Love Me with all-houndstooth outfits
#sheerpleasure is gaining popularity with girl groups. Sheer tops are a great way to introduce a bit of sex appeal while remaining modest. They leave just enough to the imagination to make you wonder... BAP's lady had a dress with a sheer polka dot top, Ladies' Code's So Wonderful featured a lace pattern see through dress and Rainbow Blaxx used simple see through fabric in their mv Cha Cha!
lovely
a wonderful sheer piece from So Wonderful
Rainbow Blaxx with one of many sheer pieces in Cha Cha
Em: All in all, this was pretty great! Granted, it didn't exactly break every rule in the fashion handbook, but that's okay. The details were lovely (I do love lovely details). From the guyliner to the jewelry, it was all well-thought-out. There was a pair of classic leather shoes in one of the shots that I want to see everywhere from now on. I know the coat and jacket-centric concepts can get overdone in kpop, but this is also men's fashion...if they have more than one interesting outfits I'm impressed. Sexy, clean, and masculine, this one wins my vote.
close-up of a decent amount of eyeliner. luckily for him its waterproof.
cool rings
Ruby: I mean there were small little things I might have changed, too much eyeliner here, not enough hair gel there, but overall this video was really a standout. Men's fashion this year has really taken classy up another notch, and this video was no exception! It kept it interesting while still maintaining a really clean-cut, masculine concept. As Em points out, its all in the detail at the end of the day. The leather pieces really brought consistency throughout the video. Even a something as small as a leather collar on a button down can really make a big difference.
leather collar
isolated accessories make more of an impact and seem more masculine
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!
