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

The Most Darling of all Outfits

This week we're celebrating the start of summer by reviewing a sunny-shiney, feel good video! 

We're wishing for good weather with:

SunnyHill's Darling of all Hearts!!!

This glorious 4 minute ball of cheer and happy can be found HERE.

The mv was released June 19th 2013 and had 164,573 views as of June 22nd 2013. 

Overall impression:

Ruby: This is by far the closest to my own style of any video we’ve reviewed, so I’m pretty dang excited to gush over the retro-wonderful outfits. Sunny Hill is always a little alternative and this time they went full out old school referencing in parts the 30s, 40s and 50s of western fashion. However making outfits more fitted and shorter and by using bold colors modernized the looks. It’s very indie, very current and completely adorable. It’s cute without going aegyo and super wearable. There weren’t very many outfit changes, but every detail, down to the back up dancer’s shoes was well thought through.

Dancers in loafers! Practical, shiny and super retro!

Retro, quirky and super cute.

Em: This was super super adorable and sweet, and not in a fake frosting kind of sweet but in a homemade chocolate chip cookie kind of sweet. Yeah. I was a big fan too. In the all-band outfits, one main color tied the scene together, like blue, and then there were some bright pops of color to add interest, like in the shoes. I kind of hate myself for using the phrase ‘pop of color’ cause its so overused (Ruby: THAT PHRASE IS TOTALLY A THING.) though…hmmm…like a miniature explosion of aesthetic happiness. Better. In all seriousness though, the outfits were consistent and cute and had a fun variety of retro styles and shapes that were very flattering, especially in the solo outfits. Nice mix of swingy skirts and high waisted pants too.

Shoes that add A POP OF COLOR.

flouncy, bouncy, floofy skirts add some pizzaz to dance scenes.

Other promotional Materials:

Ruby: The teaser for the mv was cute and playful. It featured one of the coordinated dance outfits. (POKASPOTS) They did do a showcase where they wore new outfits, but they very much fit within the theme established in the mv. These were a bit more mismatched. I liked the outfits once I saw them in the interview portion but in the first stage they looked really oddly colored. I think it may have been the lighting… But they were cute anyway.

 

teaser outfits and sass

at the showcase with cute outfits and weird lighting

Em: The video teaser played a lot on the retro theme with the surroundings too, emphasizing the era the outfits stemmed from. The interview clothes stayed consistent with the retro theme too, right down to the bright red lipstick. Even their hair is cute. The interview looked a BIT more mismatched, and it was interestingly casual. Somehow it didn’t feel like high fashion mismatch but just fun and a little random, which is odd for kpop. It’s cool that they’re doing something different.

 

some coral lipstick adds a dewy, pink look when paired with blush

while some red lipstick with a heavier eye makes for a more dramatic look.

Continuity:

Ruby: I thought the mv as a whole was really nicely put together. I mean, the dancers in the rompers and the loafers were great. Often dancers get slighted but they really added to the whole concept. The dance scene outfits were really simple cuts and really consistent which helped since the pattern was soooo busy and could have easily overwhelmed everything. The girls just felt fresh and young and stylish throughout the whole thing. Bold patterns, pop colors, and details, like puff sleeves or a high waist, really make this feel new and bright, perfect for summer style.

 

puff sleeves make a normal button down 394832x cuter.

rompers! easy to move in and great for summer.

Em: I agree about the backup dancers. Their outfits were interesting without being distracting, and even their hair was consistent. Good fashion for the backup dancers helps them do their jobs of supporting the band without distracting from them. I also liked that POKASPOTS were everywhere, even in some of the little details that are barely noticeable. They even went on the guy’s jacket. Win.

 

Sure, the giant white polkadots aren't subtle, but the little black ones
are super classy and super wearable.

Mr. hypnosis and his mesmerizing jacket

Band’s Overall Image:

Ruby: Sunnyhill’s second incarnation had their big break with a super cheesy, ooey gooy goodness track called Pit-a-Pat, written as an ost for a drama. They were super cute and super girly. Then they moved toward something darker and a little weirder with midnight circus and the grasshopper song. Both of these concepts relied heavily on the metaphor in the song, one was a circus concept and the other was a businesswoman meets grasshopper concept. No, I’m not even kidding. So I think this strikes a nice balance moving in a quirky and unique but wearable and cute direction.

 

Oh for the outfits in the Pit-a-Pat video....

Even the coats had wings in The Grasshopper Song...

Em: They are always different from the main direction kpop bands go, thankfully for us since they do it so well. They’ve experimented with a lot of styles, and they’ve always had interesting fashion to go with it. In Princess and Prince Charming, they had a totally different style, but they had the same sense of experimentation and humor. Even though this was stylistically different than some of their previous stuff, it fits right in with what Sunny Hill does.

 

And for something completely different..... Princess and Prince Charming!

Trends in K-POP:

Ruby: Well I mean. Retro is in, though the era’s vary, a lot. Being girly will always be in, but SunnyHill does it differently in this mv, and I think that says something. They really represent a more mature take on the tendency to push younger concepts for girl groups, no matter their age. Look at SNSD and Rainbow; both promoted as giggly high school girls, when both groups average age is 23. The eldest member (Woori of Rainbow) is 25 and the youngest (Seohyun of SNSD) is 19. Hardly giggly 15 year olds. The point is that with an average age of 26, SunnyHill is adorable and grown up. I think they’re cute but I also trust them to like, use the grown up scissors or dress themselves.

 

Taeyeon of SNSD looks confused while Seohyun looks petrified....
there's a man at the door.

we'd want to pull our hair out too if we were in Rainbow's Sunshine video,
and we're not in our mid-twenties yet.

Em: AGREED. It’s one thing to have fun and be cute with a video, its another to literally be pretending to be far younger than you are. I mean, some girl groups act like younger girls who are then acting like younger girls. Too much. On a more positive note, Lee Hi’s It’s Over was rather retro and had a childlike style, yet I never got the sense that she was literally pretending to be a 4 year old. Maybe it’s something in the way the artists present themselves in the clothes. Lee Hi is still pretty young, but her attitude changed the clothes from silly to something much more interesting.

 

Lee Hi, who is 16, adds class and sophistication to her innocent look
in It's Over.

Ruby: Other songs that use similar fashion eras include: Shy Boy (Secret), Nobody (The Wondergirls) and Going Crazy (Lee Hyori)

DOOWAPDOOWAPDOOWAP.... Shy Boy.

Nobody concept photos

Conclusion:

Ruby: I think its pretty clear that I am in raptures over this video. I just adore it. I love their fashion, I love the hair and makeup and the details. It my style in both fashion and in precision. There are no details left un-tended to and it felt like someone had actually really taken the time to think it through. Poofy skirts and retro sunglasses, high waisted pants and rompers all these things are flattering and right on trend. It just worked. 

 

Can I have this dress? Like, pretty pretty please. (it's pretty, after all.)

Her pants and glasses match. Retro and coordinated! 

Em: Yeah this was wonderful. I really hope the retro trend continues in an equally spectacular way, and also that Sunny Hill keeps doing stuff like this. It was clean and well done and wearable and just so many yeses. On the checklist of good things that happen in kpop videos this one wins.

 

Relaxing (........) on the web in a tied up shirt and high waisted shorts.

Daily Dose of Daebak:

What do I do when I’m home alone? I ROLL MYSELF UP IN FABRIC AND THEN UNROLL MYSELF. OH BOY FUN TIMES.

They all match their furniture. That, ladies and gentlemen, is coordinated.

POLKASPOTS.

How do you rock the retro look? Let us know or leave us a comment about anything you want! 

We'd love to hear from you!

Hope your summer starts off with lots of sunshine and great style.

Ruby and Em <3