Fans have definitely gone crazy over 4Minute's "Crazy" as they have won #1 several times at several music shows. I think the immense popularity of this song warrants a fashion-in-review. Also, Gayoon was the style director of this comeback.
Can you believe I've been writing for K-world Style for a year already? Where did the time go? Thanks for all your love and support!
Here is a fashion summary of the completely ridiculous "Dirty Vibe" wardrobe:
Warning: Image Heavy
The Style Icon Awards 2013 by Mnet has happened. It's an awards show I actually care about since its relating to style. This is a hot or not/best dressed and worst dressed list from me. It is solely my opinion and do not reflect the opinions of everyone at K-world Style. I have one of these previously did for Mnet's 20's Choice. This also includes my commentary, because…hey why not use two tags with one post?
The Style Icon Awards 2013 by Mnet has happened. It's an awards show I actually care about since its relating to style. This is a hot or not/best dressed and worst dressed list from me. It is solely my opinion and do not reflect the opinions of everyone at K-world Style. I have one of these previously did for Mnet's 20's Choice. This also includes my commentary, because…hey why not use two tags with one post?
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| TOP randomly in bed?... |
I find the differences in magazine spreads interesting. Many of these differences depend on the targeted audiences of the magazines (women and men). Let's take a look at November's magazine spreads in order to examine if there are differences between femme and homme magazines, and how those differences matter.
This would be the last part. New York Fashion Week ended weeks ago, sadly, this post was delayed until now. So kpop fashion wishlist, a new segment where I "wish" for fashions that kpop stars would wear. View the previous Kpop Fashion Wishlist: NYFW here.
Last time, I finished on Day 3. This post would be from day 4 to the end.
London and Milan fashion week happened but there would be too much work for a wishlist. Tokyo Fashion Week may get a wishlist post.
Before anything. No, I'm not going to talk about Jeremy Scott. You know why. They always wear Jeremy Scott, I don't even need to wish. If anything, I need to wish they wear less of Jeremy Scott.
Let's go!
Day 4
Y-3 by Yohji Yamamoto "...sporty elegance"
Yohji Yamamoto's collaboration line with Adidas is in their 10th year. Yamamoto hates "groupie fashion" that looks the same. Luckily, he is doing sporty high fashion right. This combination is perfect for idols as the clothes are easy to dance in and chic to look at. For specific people, the TVXQ duo can get many outfit combinations from this collection.
New segment 'Kpop Fashion Wishlist' is my wishlist or picks for clothing I want to see Kpop stars wear. I had this idea for a while but was waiting for NYFW. The Fashion Court has something similar as they do wishlists for big red carpet events. I hope you enjoy this version.
I'm sure many of you have seen that Nancy Lang has posed nude for Arena Homme Plus, well, I'm going to give you my two cents about her nudity.
First of all, I know I should be focused on her sexy body, but is that a dead cat in the corner?!
In all seriousness, I don't really have an issue with the skin in this picture; I can't say I understand the styling, though. I mean, a fake tattoo saying, "JFK with Marilyn Monroe" seems a bit iffy. Lang said the purpose of the nudity in the shoot was to show that First Ladies "are also human beings, same as everyone else." Yet, her tattoo is of a rumored mistress of a president of the United States, not a First Lady, and it doesn't seem very relevant to S. Korean politics. Why wouldn't she pick a tattoo of a Korean First Lady or even a Korean president?
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I think her Performance '앙(Ang)' in a bikini to encourage voting in the S. Korean general election (4. 9. 2012) was a bit more legitimate(?).
P.S. There's the cat again.
Her possibly thought-inducing intentions come off as attention-whore-ish and a little juvenile. I think her birthday suit was better shown in her July 20th quasi-feminist selca:
That cat really freaks me out. It's like taxidermy + beanie babies gone wrong.
Is it her thing?
The Vagina Monologues, for all who are unaware, is an "episodic play written by Eve Ensler" (wikipedia). It features many monologues with topics like masturbation, genitalia mutilation, orgasm, menstration, and love. The main theme is the female experience, and specifically, using the vagina as a "tool of female empowerment" (wikipedia). So Lang's nudity is the above picture when coupled with The Vagina Monologues script can be taken as a statement of anti-patriarchal feminine strength.
I personally think this anti-slut-shaming-message selca is a much more effective use of nudity than her attempts to conquer class differences in her naked First lady cosplay. I applaud her artistic mind, but I think the Arena Homme Plus (note the Homme) shoot was more a gimmick to sell copies of the magazine to horny men rather than social commentary on the unfairness of socio-economic class interactions and the restraints of power. In the future, I do hope to see the female body used as more than a selling point, but even in the US there is much change to be had.
What are your thoughts on Nancy Lang and her nude shoots? I think that cat needs to go!
--Lauren
Im cr. as linked
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This post is rated 15+. Proceed at your own risk.
All comments are the author's own view and do not reflect KWS as a whole.
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| Brown Eyed Girls' 'Abracadabra' |
There's been a recent Kpop gimmick going around: girl on girl action. In a country that is far from sexually open, it's a bit surprising how often there are lesbian scenes in music videos or girl vs. girl almost-kisses in photoshoots. Of course, it's not just in Korea; even in Western countries, girl on girl action is stereotypically considered hot and steamy. I mean, how many spring break movies have girls getting drunk and making out with each other? This, in a way, causes fetishization of lesbians, and, indeed, homosexuality as a whole.
More often than not, girls in these situations act sexually obscure in order to portray a femme fatale or independent women image. I find this a bit offensive; these women only gain the upper-hand in a power dynamic with other women. It's particularly ironic in "Female President" by Girls' Day. The lyrics in the song promote a take-charge attitude for girls:
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| Girls' Day's 'Female President' |
We have a female president
Why so serious? What’s the problem?
If a girl kisses first, she gets arrested or what?
Come up to him and kiss him first
Now is the time, you can start first
(via kpoplyrics.net)With such a message, it would seem obvious to have one of the girls taking charge with their boyfriend, right? Instead, the video shows the girls taking charge with each other. I understand enticing a certain viewership with kinky or otherwise sexual images, but in a song about strong women, shouldn't it focus on that strength? Or at least the kind of womanly strength promoted in the song lyrics?
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| RaNia in Maxim |
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| Nine Muses' 'Wild' |
I can't really fight these images without knowing if the girls themselves wanted to be portrayed in such a way. And I'm not sure they are 100% bad. Sex sells. We all know what the oldest profession is, and these images of girl on girl action don't seem deeming on the surface. Perhaps I have it wrong, and they do not harm female independence at all. I mean, wasn't the kiss scene in 'Abracadabra' Ga-In's idea? She was trying to serve Korea a shocking reality check; testing the social norms as it were. And that is what being an artist is about. So I guess pushing sexual boundaries is inevitable in any artistic media.
What are your thoughts on girl on girl action in Kpop? Is it attractive? Out of place in Korea? Good for social commentary? Want me to talk about guy on guy action? Please leave a comment below.
--Lauren
P.S. I'm quaking in anticipation for the day when someone actually kisses instead of just looking like they are on the brink of it. What a riot that will be.
im cr. tumblr, youtube, newsen, as linked
Click all pictures for larger image
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| 2pm figurines are fit |
This expectation of is ridiculous, and far from gender equal. Now, I am not saying that boy groups don't face the same standard; they do. Action figures of 2PM were released in February, and they feature semi-clad versions of the boys (Soompi). Now, I don't really understand why figurines need six-packs, but it goes along with the skin = sexy notion.
More often than not, guys constantly ripping off their shirts does not get as much negative feedback as girls in short shorts or mini-skirts. This is a double-standard and straight-up slut-shaming. I, personally, have no issues with any way someone dresses. The issue I have is that many idols would not choose these costumes for themselves.
I tried to find pictures from the same season: Spring/Summer 2013.
Click all images for an HQ version.
Street style is something every fashionista pays attention to. It's a more realistic expectation of the fashion status-quo, unlike celebrity's outrageous event clothing or the crazy no-one-would-actually-wear-that-in-public looks produced for the runway. How does street style change depending on the country? Beauty standards in Korea certainly vary from than those in America. But how?
Check out this video from EYK, which does a good job explaining some of the differences.
So let's look at some pictures of street style:
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| Seoul street style according to 'La Mode Outre |
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| Seoul street style according to 'Sol Sol' |
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| California street style according to 'Streetgeist' |
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| New York street style according to 'Harper's Bazaar' |
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| South Koreans tend to wear looser clothing. |
Now of course, even within a country there are differences between the city and rural areas, or even between different cities. For example, California is a bit more boho than New York-- that means less structure and earthier tones. This is a bit similar to South Korea. But, one major difference in Korean and American street style is the presence of neutrals. Many times, Americans incorporate an abundance of patterns, while Koreans tend to stick to solids. If they have a pattern, it is normally on one item. Of course there are some exceptions, but generally, American fashion is "louder"; than Korean fashion.
South Korean street style tends to be a bit more relaxed. Korean body types are a bit different than American. Girls tend to be shorter and Korea is more homogeneous. Since America is a "melting pot" there is more diversity in skin tones, facial features, body types, and even perceptions of beauty. This in turn creates a wider variety of clothing styles. In the New York picture, you can see the beachy blonde on the bottom left, who completely contrasts the neo-gothic girl on the bottom right. Now, I am not saying that Koreans don't differ, but there are less branches of Korean fashion, at least to which I've been exposed. As you can see, in Sol Sol's Seoul picture, the girl at the bottom left dresses very differently from the guy at the top right.
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| South Koreans often wear tennis shoes with fashion outfits. |
Something the jumped out at me about the girl on the bottom left was her shoes. The purple tennis shoes in America are not seen as high fashion, or super hip. Tennis shoes (except for converses, vans, or designer trainers etc) are work-out shoes; so, while they may get a pair of cute running-shoes for the gym, they would not wear those shoes with more up-scale clothing. Maybe it's because Korea is very urban, so many people walk from place to place, though I'm sure some people wear sneakers in congested NYC as well. It's just not considered as fashionable in America; it's more a practical choice. Generally, one wears work-out trainers with other workout clothes.
Similarly, in America, dresses are generally more formal than pants, so you may notice that the amount of dresses in the New York picture vs. the Seoul pictures is very different. Now, we do have to keep in mind that the New York pictures were from fashion week, while the Seoul pictures were from every-day life, so that could definitely create a gap in the formality of clothing.
I think it is just interesting to look at the differences between Korean street style and American street style, even if it's hard to put your finger on just what exactly is different. Is is the hair? The color palette? The types of clothing? Maybe it's the brands? Or the shoes? I can't always tell the difference, but I can definitely notice that something is different. So, I'd love to hear your opinions.
What do you think are the difference between American street style and Korean street style? Or maybe just the East Coast/West Coast individually vs. Korea? What street style do you like the best?
Tell us in the comments below.
--Lauren
Im cr. as linked
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| Super Junior's Henry wears a plethora of fake tattoos for his solo debut |
Note: This is an opinion piece. That means, it does not reflect everyone's thoughts nor the point of view of all of Korea. (please don't kill me)
Kpop is all about the idol image. And what image has been increasingly popular? The bad boy/ bad girl 'gangsta' look. Many idols want to exude the persona of toughness associated with hip hop music that comes with years of growing up in the streets. However, the majority of these idols have never experienced the same situations. Instead, they are imitating the perceived image from (mainly Western) rap or hip-hop. Many idols have quoted Jay-Z, Micheal Jackson, Omarion, Usher, B2K, and more as their favorite singers.
Continuing on historical fashion, co-stars, Hung Joon, Suzy, and Lee Sung-gi recently wore female hanboks on the set of their drama, Gu Family Book.
Korean traditional clothing is actually pretty cute. Out of the two guys, I definitely think Lee Seung-gi is more feminine, especially in his baby blue hanbok. While cross-dressing is a bit taboo in the United States, many Korean actors and idols have no qualms about embracing their femininity. I mean, how many times has Super Junior dressed in drag for concerts?
Do you like when male celebrities cross-dress? I think it shows a more comedic side to them, and it's always fun to see them joking around. What do you think?
Check out the preview for Episode 17 (ENG):
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