K-pop Videos Giving Me Sartorial Life/Inspiring My SS16 Looks

Music is one of the things that most inspires my wardrobe choices and fashion is one of the ways I best explain my love for K-pop and the Korean music industry. The visual part of K-pop releases is, in fact, so important that members of groups are often recruited for the specific role of being the "visual" member - the most officially attractive member of the group. And, while there may be inherent issues with some of these ideas, the point remains the same: K-pop is so successful and so appealing because it perfectly brings music, visuals, dance and fashion together.

Every time a group or artist returns with a song, they return with a new concept, new look and new style. For groups, this is particularly effective, as their outfits and looks complement each other to create a larger visual feast.

Fashion and K-pop are intimately intertwined. Music company directors begin as stylists (FNC Entertainment's Kim Yeong Seon began as the stylist for the company's founder and CEO, Han Seong Ho, when he was a singer). Designers launch careers by being featured in the videos of the right artists. Trends are born in those same videos, limits are pushed. Artists walk in fashion shows and sit front row. Fans feverishly note what is being worn and outfits for merely heading to the airport are carefully planned. Some people become as iconic for their sense of style as their music and the likes of G-Dragon and CL form close friendships with major labels and designers like Chanel and Jeremy Scott.

South Korea is, increasingly, a fashion leader and being well-dressed in day-to-day life is a part of the culture of the country. There is an expectation that one puts their best foot forward and looks their best when they step outside the door. This, paired with the might of Hallyu (the "Korean Wave" of culture abroad as popularised through music and dramas, in particular), has solidified the country's reputation as fashion forward.

Music and fashion have always been intertwined but the relationship between the two is particularly strong in K-pop. As a result, I watch the videos for the songs and the choreo and personal fondness for certain members or group dynamics but often find that the main thing I take away from the whole is the clothes involved.

Basically, my aim in life is to dress like a member of a K-pop boygroup.

Here are the videos that have inspired how I'm dressing this SS16.


GOT7 "Fly"




GOT7 are some trendy-ass bitches.

But, seriously though. Their "flying" concept meant that they were all over the key piece of the season: Bombers. Bombers in all kinds of hues, patterns and styles. Furthermore, their album came in two versions (a standard practice in K-pop): Rose Quartz and Serenity Blue.

Yep, they were even incorporating the Pantone colours of the year, those crafty, stylish, bastards.

Also: the wide variety of outfits based around the same casual, sporty, slightly hip-hop infused looks - but in pastel shades - that they wore throughout their promotion of the album gave me life. I'm basically walking around looking like a knock-off Jackson (one of the main rappers of the group).

Lee Hi "My Star"




This video is super adorable and I'm all about the colour scheme - those dusty pinks, man. I love the vintage vibes and silhouettes paired with more slick and contemporary prints and trims. Since seeing this video, I've been trying to hunt down a pastel pink suit because that is seriously cute, especially with the pussy-bow blouse.











B.A.P. "Feel So Good"




Once again, it's the colour schemes here that I'm mad about. I like the pastels and the bright pops and the overall cheerful and energetic vibe. Daehyun's pink suit, Jongup's bomber (I purchased a very similar one) and Himchan's pink zip-up jacket and grey tailored pants combo are all looks I would emulate, for sure. Sadly, it's now too warm for a lot of the layering going on but my precious turtlenecks will wait for me.







Park Kyung "Inferiority Complex"




Park Kyung (of Block B) is at it again with another super-catchy and cute solo release, this time with Gfriend's Eunha. I'm into the whole video - the whole cutesy spring/summer romance comic/saccharine sweetness vibe is where I'm at right now with wardrobe choices - but I especially like the hoodies at the beginning. There's nothing majorly new about the outfits but they're comfy and adorable looks that match how I like to dress.





BTS "Fire"




Finally, going into summer proper, I'm really feeling the Cali/80s vibes of BTS' "Fire". The sunglasses alone had me desperately googling what brand they were only to find that they were Acne and Saint Laurent and almost entirely sold out. Whether or not I take the plunge and commit to a pair or can even track them down is uncertain but I really want to rock these with as tasteful an "ugly Hawaiian shirt" as the guys have on in this video.

TBH, though, it makes sense that their looks are on another level, BTS' fame is no joke and they're really becoming an intense global phenomenon.

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Dog Eat Dog (D.EA.D.) S/S16 Presentation

Last Friday evening, as light sheets of rain blew across the most beautiful sunset of the year so far, two friends and I made our way to the Dog Eat Dog Presentation being held in the Green on Red Gallery in Spencer Dock. I always enjoy sharing what I do with my friends and giving them a peek into the fashion world and I've been interested in this Dublin brand for years now, so I was already excited for the presentation.

Thankfully, it didn't disappoint. While I was a little confused when I realised that only five looks were being presented, I loved the setting, set and overall vibe.

Inspired by Thin Lizzy's video for "Chinatown", Oisín Hunt showed his clothes in a pared back version of the video's derelict, messy aesthetic. Palettes, tires and abandoned trolleys were artfully arranged in the white box style gallery, all painted white as well, transforming the inspiration and presenting it anew, turning the "messiness" and "dirtiness" on its head.

Seventies and eighties rock classics blared across the echoing, bare space, further setting the scene of this controlled imagining of rock and roll exuberance and vice. The clothes, themselves, continued the balance of order and chaos. Tracksuits - informal garments with a long connection to lower socio-economic groups and delinquency - are re-imagined as monochromatic, velvety co-ordinating pieces that, paired with the minimal styling, are suddenly more than themselves. They still tell the tale of a Dublin but there is something elegant about them. Likewise, the light wash, paint spattered double-denim looks - which should, in all rights, be montrosities - fit and flatter in a way that elevates them while nodding to a time past. Finally, if anything were to ever evoke the 80s in my mind, it's coloured leather and Hunt's white raw leather coat reminds of something plucked from my father's wardrobe but given a rather more chic spin by skimming the body and dusting over an all black look.

Hunt really has managed to recreate 80s Dublin but make it modern, wearable and cool but just nostalgic enough. I also think it rather commendable that the label presents womenswear for the very first time with garments that are very much unisex - something that is very topical and a direction clothing seems to logically be heading towards.

"Seldom Seen" is a collection that excites me. It may have slightly baffled my friends but I dig it.

The collection goes on sale online on the 8th of April.

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NATALIEBCOLEMAN SS16

It'll be no news to anyone who reads this blog regularly, or who has been here since the beginning, that I love the work of Irish designer, Natalie Coleman. Her work is consistently dreamy, girly and pretty yet cool, innovative and with a serious sense of humour. She is one of the few designers that never lets me down and is also one of the few designers that produces collections that I feel don't have a single dud piece among them.

Her SS16 collection is no different. There are lots of things that one would expect from a NATALIEBCOLEMAN collection - colour, floatiness, playful prints, sequins - but this time the silhouettes are a little looser and, while "Support Your Local Girl Gang" is emblazoned across one of the tops and almost all of the pieces are dresses, there is something a little tomboyish in spirit about SS16. Perhaps it is Aisling Farinella's styling for the lookbook with little to no make-up, simple, middle-parted locks, lack of accessories and sneakered feet. Either which way, Coleman's girl is still pretty and a little whimsical but she seems just a little tougher and, for lack of a better word, maybe a little more "urban"?

Expect boxy silhouettes, variations on shirts, sequins, sheer overlays, frills, pastel, navy and grey tones, and an array of textures - except all of these things are given new life and made cooler than you could ever imagine.

Cool girls with a love for Irish design, get on it.

Aisling Farinella — Stylist

Sean Jackson — Photographer

Model—Jane from Distinct Agency

Shot on location, Dublin, Ireland

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Primark SS16 Press Preview

It seems like Penneys, or Primark outside of Ireland, is constantly producing better collections each year. The quality and attention to detail is also permanently improving and their lookbooks and shoots could be plucked right from any fashion magazine in the world.

Basically, your go-to budget brand is steadily becoming more and more desirable rather than merely reliable. The stereotypical Irish tendency to respond to a compliment of an outfit with an embarrassed "Oh, it's just from Penneys" has become a more proud, "Oh, it's from Penneys!"

The removal of the "just" and addition of an exclamation is rather meaningful in the context.

And it's easy to see why people are proud of their purchases. At the SS16 press day I could have gladly run away with 90% of the collection (including the menswear and kids' clothes). It was all just so damn impressive and cute and a happy fashion crowd is easy to spot, there's lots of gasping, squeeing and instagramming - there was plenty of all of the above.

Four main trends or themes run through the SS16 collection; Camp California, a nod to 70s Americana; Road to Morocco, a whole host of embroidered, rich clothes inspired by Morocco; Laundered and Humble, a selection of pared back, casual clothes that are minimalist and super-easy to wear; and Sheer Romance, whimsical, bohemian pieces that will call out to your inner hippy.

The lookbook presents very retro clothes in a very current way. Different periods and reference blur together seamlessly in a stylised manner. In person, this reads as well. There's a melting pot of influences but they all come together to fit into any contemporary wardrobe. The Moroccan-inspired pieces do stand out with their rich fabrics, colours and ornamentation but are served up to us as delicious separates that are seriously wearable. The array of embroidered jackets, in particular, drew me right to them as I mentally added them to a shopping list. They're a great way to get a touch of a current trend while maintaining your own sense of style. I imagined throwing them on over a swimsuit or pairing them with an otherwise minimalist outfit for a touch of depth and interest.

Highlights for me have to be the selection of super-cute and wearable flats that make girls like me, who can't really do heels, rejoice. Laces, patterns, textures and cut-outs all serve to give you a serious amount of options so awesome that they'll upstage even the most killer heels. And, speaking of accessories, the sunglasses are unspeakably cool; think reflective lenses, updated aviators, cut-outs and fierce shapes. The bags, meanwhile, aren't half bad either. Lots of saddle bags and little cross-bodies in patterned or textures faux leathers, cool trims, tassels and one particular bag with a handle as cool as the body.

The kids' clothes are cute, easy and wearable in pretty pastels and light fabrics, as one might expect. The menswear, however, is super-cool with rad prints for tees and sweaters, updating them a little, and some slick outerwear. Think streamline, minimalist bombers and structured parkas that'll immediately take an outfit from just grand to chic.

I could go on and on but suffice it to say that I'm already over winter now (my favourite season to dress for) and am ready for SS16. Pieces beginning dropping in January so I don't even have to wait that long. Yes.

P.S. The catering and headquarters blew my mind. Penneys is so ridiculously cool.

(Thanks to Penneys for having me!)

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