Sweater by Sweater with ZE:A

So at least where I live, it is now very much winter. Like. 

NOT AMUSED.

As I said, winter has begun. At any rate, I'm sitting here feeling all warm and fuzzy because of one very fluffy music video:

Step by Step ZE:A (WARNINGS: EXTREME HAPPY AND FLUFFY CLOTHES) 

click here or watch below

The fashion forecast:

Ruby: So as we mentioned it’s winter. I live in the hinterlands, so in the past week it has snowed, hailed and frosted. Seriously though. I feel a deep affinity for this music video as it is all warm and fluffy and currently I spend much of my time cold. As I’ve said before, I love seasonal videos. As I don't think I have said before, I love men in sweaters. They just look warm and dapper and oh-so-cuddleable. The music video was simple, but friendly and inviting. And although we’re very confused about who is dating who in this instance, it’s nice to know that everyone is staying warm and making friends. Happy start of winter fashion everybody!

CUDDLES FOR EVERYONE. 

Men in fluffy clothes are happy men.

Em: I simply must agree about the men in sweaters. They’re so cute and cuddly! And while it has not yet snowed where I am, it is ridiculously windy and definitely time to wear fashionable winter things. I have seen more infinity scarves than I ever thought existed here, and they showed up in the video too. It’s nice to occasionally see a video that’s very wearable while still being fashionable. I especially liked the combination of regular jeans with more dapper suit coats over cuddly sweaters…it struck a nice balance between formal and casual. Date clothes? I think so. 

A giant heather gray scarf with a red sweater? How could you make this better?
That coat. That's how.

Different style of date clothes, but still winter-ready and fashion-forward.

And now for...

Today's Question from our secret Bachelorette is: 

Hello ZE:A! It's almost christmas, which means it's almost time for presents! What would you get me for Christmas?

Bachelor 1: Well, at first I thought that these awesome retro shades would look awesome on you, 

But then, I realized, it's winter! My tweed trench would look totally cute next to you in this houndstooth blazer. Couple coats are always in fashion...

And while I'm out, this teal sweater would match your eyes so nicely. So I'd buy that too!

Bachelorette: Ooooh big spender! Well then! Bachelor 2, how will you compete?

Bachelor 2: What is more in fashion right now than a pretty pink purse? It's vintage and feminine and all your friends will want one.

And then I'd throw in a dash of personality and invest in some silly hats. Gifts should be fun right?

Bachelorette: So cute! Oh dear me! Bachelor 3, can you top these two?

Bachelor 3: What else? If I like it, I'm gonna put a ring on it. 

Bachelorette: Wow Bachelor 3, you move fast.... and I'm not sure how I feel about men who wear ascots, with purple cable knit sweaters, to be honest. Bachelor 4, are you dressed to impress?

Bachelor 4: Of course. My super trendy wool military style jacket can go anywhere. And I bought you flowers. Classy and classic, thats totally my style. 

Bachelorette: You do look snazzy in that coat, and flowers are sweet I guess.... Bachelor 5? What would you do?

Bachelor 5: Well, clothing doesn't win a girl's heart, though my pristine white sweater makes me look sweet, my baking skills are even sweeter. Handmade cake? Check. 

Bachelorette: Oh goodness! How do I make such a tough choice! I choose.... ALL OF YOU!

AND NOW...

Brrrrr it’s getting chilly out! Don’t forget to bundle up when you go outside, hon! I’ll put the tea kettle on too. It’s nice to know that some things haven’t changed, and one of those things is the snazziness of winter fashion. I just LOVE to see a well-dressed, dapper man on a cold winter’s day, strolling along to a coffee shop or a clothing store. There’s nothing like a man who takes the time to dress himself sensibly in the morning, and if he’s cute on top of that…WELL you should just jump on that sweetie. I was a TAD bit confused about who was dating who in this video…are they all in date clothes for just one girl? Is this the bachelorette? Whatever is going on, they all look ready for anything and so adorable I could just pinch their cheeks and call them cupcakes.

Don't be nervous sweetie, just ask her out already!

Hugs and kisses,

Granny Kimchi

BRRRR EDITION!

#sweaterweather

#allwrappedup(inyourscarf)

#lovenotecoat

#sweaterweather, no not the hit song, but rather in this case, the fashion trend of warm fuzzy winter wear that has been populating the kpop world. Just in the last few weeks we’ve seen two videos that make use of sweaters! Troublemaker, in last week’s review and even Miss A’s Hush used similar cropped white sweaters. Even K. Will likes to get in on that action. They’re such a lovely option for cold days. 

 

Chanyeol and K Will on the set of You Don't Know Love.
I do know that I love those cardigans though.

I appreciate that you are wearing a sweater, but pants might be smarter.

#allwrappedup(inyourscarf) Another great option for beating the cold weather is fluffy scarves to keep your neck and face warm. The thicker knit the better for cuddling runny noses and chapped lips. Scarves feature in many videos, but I got totally stuck on a very seasonal video indeed. SMTown's Santa U Are the One from last christmas. Oh boy. It's fascinating. 

 

Onew of SHINee in the SM Town Christmas video

Oh for the love of god Sungmin (of Super Junior).

#lovenotecoat is your third option for lovely winter wear. A warm coat can protect you no matter how cold it is where you are, and kpop has given us lots of option for snuggly ones. There was a cute coat on the girl in Jin’s Gone as another example. G-Dragon also wore a coat, but rather than being cute and cuddly it had a more threatening vibe to it…maybe not what I want for cute winter wear. 

 

Jin in Gone

GD in Crooked

A step away from the end...

Ruby: Normally we’re swept up into massive amounts of aegyo or sex appeal, leaving us pretty tired of the sort of normally overwhelming, over-worked kpop videos. But this video was refreshing and simply kind of cute. It featured all the lovely warm things we get to pull out of the closet this time of year and it left me with an equally warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart. I mean, yeah the concept was slightly creepy but hey, it’s not the first time kpop has pulled an eight guys one girl scenario on us. All in all, it was seasonally appropriate and as fluffy as a cable knit sweater your grandma made for you.

 

We're all waiting for different girls... right... right.... AGAIN GUYS.

Your corduroy jacket looks both warm and soft. I genuinely want this jacket.

Em: The video was subtly well-crafted and communicated the feeling of cuddly, cute romance without being too over-the-top with the aegyo. Even their hairstyles were cute and fluffy and not too extreme with the hair dye. It’s not that we don’t love a good neon pink, it just wouldn’t have fit here, and the stylists stayed consistent with their vision. It also helps that THEY’RE ALL SO FREAKING ADORABLE IN THEIR SWEATERS. Okay you probably get the point.

 

Between your beanie, scarf and those glasses, you're just a fluffy human being.

You have a bowtie sir. I like it.

We hand picked out posters for their romantic qualities:

- "Some people will believe anything if you whisper it to them."

 - "Looking into the sky is looking into the past."

- Our quite informative "Why I love you" sign along with a sign for the band Crooked Fingers. 

*You can even check em out on youtube: *

THE MARVELS OF ELECTRICITY! AREN’T THEY INCREDIBLE? 

Thanks so much for reading!

What are you guys looking forward to in your winter wardrobe????

Let us know and leave us some love pretty please. 

Talk soon, 

Ruby and Em <3

Roses are Red (and so are the shoes)

This week's choice to review was IU's ultra fashionable Red Shoes. We had a lot of fun reviewing it, especially since the MV was so fun to watch! If you haven't taken the time machine back and experienced it yet, check it out here:

Put on your dancing shoes and lets get started:

Em: Red Shoes was perfect to review because, I mean, how could we not review something where the title had to do with fashion? Beyond the shoe question, IU’s video had a lot of fun retro and interesting details. Her outfits were very dance-oriented, with flowy skirts and dance-friendly low-heeled shoes, and it fit with the theme of the video. They weren’t always attractive, but at least they were relevant. There was also a fascinating cast of characters that joined her in this; they had Paris-inspired, 1920s-esque outfits as well. She and the rest of the cast complimented each other to create a cohesive MV.

Flowy clothing and soft, bright makeup

Ah, Paris

Ruby: This was so much fun, and how could we pass up an mv centered on the shoes, too perfect for words. The whole mv had that Great Gatsby feel to it, which is of course, on the rise in the fashion world. There was a lot of clothing I didn’t love in the mv, but it all fit together so well, that I was willing to forgive silly looking striped shirts (Smee from Peter Pan anyone?) and a wholly unflattering dancing dress. It was seriously fun though, with the fashion show and the playful nature of the characters interactions. The whole cast looked current and fresh and goshdarnit like they were having a really good time.

 

Great Gatsby anyone?

Judgy Smee

NOW TRENDING:

#retrofitforfashion

#alittlelaceforthelady

#50shadesofgrayscale

#retrofitforfashion and we love it! Increasingly we’ve seen retro fashion filtering into the kpop mainstream. Sure, it’s usually a retro cut in bright, bubblegum colors rather than pastels or neutrals. But hey, isn’t magenta kind of neutral these days? This trend has been especially popular in girl groups. SunnyHill and Hello Venus come to mind.

 

Retro Romance

Oh so retro...it even has the stripes (from SunnyHill's
Darling of all Hearts)

#alittlelaceforthelady refers to the ever-popular addition of lace into an outfit, and one of IU’s main dance outfits involves an extra lacey black dress. Black lace can be sexy in the right amount (though it CAN get overdone), and this was no exception. Miss A used it in their MV Touch, and that looked pretty good too. Even the guys sometimes use it, like Junsu in Tarantellegra.

Now doesn't she look good?

Miss A in Touch doing the same thing

Junsu's somewhere in there.

#50shadesofgrayscale highlight a recurring tendency for kpop to either do things in black and white clothing/rooms or to just flat out make black and white videos. It’s a powerful color scheme, especially when done right, so we see it time and again (often with red thrown in for pizzazz). We saw it in our recently reviewed Coup d’Etat by G-Dragon and in the first half of MBLAQ’s Smoky Girl (before they went neon, that is). In IU’s video, the grayscale represented the past, referencing old silent films.

Mr. Shoes

MBLAQ's Smoky Girl

Gdragon's Coup d'Etat

*drum roll please* get ready for the fashion show of the century.......

Good afternoon IU, sweetie.

I saw you singing on the youtube today, yes. It was quite lovely, dear. I was simply in raptures over your outifts! They reminded me of the good old days, when men wore bowties and women’s skirts covered their patooties. Ah, those were good times…. Your cute little dancing dress was swishing all over, so adorbale. And what a handsome young man that got makeup all over your face… did you invite him home for dinner? He was so nicely dressed and clean cut, with his dapper half suit, the right kind of boy for young girls to be dating. Not to mention the shoes, how scandalous! Red dancing shoes! I remember when I could have danced all night in those cute little heels.And then that fashion show! So many memories of when I was young, the lace, the dropped waists, the feather boas! It was an era where women began to empower themselves to be feminine, sexy and independent! And I love seeing it come back in modern day! So move forward IU and let them know who is boss, KICK SOME BUTT BABE!

Ehem. And don't forget to invite your fella to dinner and clean up your apartment. I left you some kimchi in your fridge.

Hugs and Kisses,

Granny Kimchi

Yes, I do mean gentlemen like this one

The Last Dance

Em: One thing I really liked about this video was the detail work. Sometimes the marker of a really good video is the attention to detail…every time I see it I notice something different, and I like it even more. The directors didn’t seem to be concerned about us seeing everything they included, they wanted the whole effect of everything. Because of this attitude, even the backup dancers change outfits multiple times, despite them being in the background and just supporting IU. There was a lot of energy put into this and it shows. The outfits were bright and cohesive and just generally worked really well (despite some questionable individual pieces). You can tell there was a really clear vision for this MV.

 

Elaborate outfits on backup dancers (though still not too distracting)

VISION

Ruby: The video was spunky and fun and full of life. It was long, but I didn’t mind wathing it through, which was novel. There’s something about the retro concept that was endearing and enjoyable. I thought it lent IU, who has always been more cutsy than sexy, a fresh and daring edge. She blended her younger cuteness with a more adult sex appeal nicely within this genre. She to play with men’s clothing, lace and color, exploring this kind of fashion really fully. Sure I didn't love every piece but it was the variety and the usage of them that was so much fun. It really set a scene and an atmosphere, from the extra clothes, like floral buttondowns and drum major coats, to IU’s own wardrobe selections. Sweet and edgy and very very fashionable.

 

Mostly sweet in this picture

 

Fun florals for a fun guy

DAEBAK!!!

Sir. You have weed. On your socks.

Epic piano playing.

So what did you think? Are the weed socks a must-have for this fall's wardrobe? Do you want to party with the stripey couple? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you.

-Ruby & Em <3