You may or may not have noticed, but K-pop’s been rather fond of hipster-styled photo shoots this year. By “hipster,” I mean photo shoots that mimic the likes of American Apparel and Urban Outfitters, with simple posing, whitewashed walls, nonchalant expressions, and loose clothing for girls or skinny jeans and plaid shirts for guys. Ohboy! particularly loves these contemporary-style shoots, using them frequently to showcase brands and fashion and idols. Recently, f(x)’s Krystal has appeared in Ohboy!, wearing cat ears and cat masks and even a tail.
I’m actually rather fond of Krystal’s look in this shoot. Her long brown hair, thin frame, narrow face, and heavy-lidded eyes fits this sort of modern theme. She looks like a possibly troubled young woman, like an Effy Stonem of sorts, and the simpleness of the shoots and outfits permits her natural beauty to shine through. Throughout the shoot, she wears various cat-like things, like masks and ears and even a tail, giving her a more coquettish look. In the first photo, she wears a destroyed orange Wildfox sweater and golden cat max. Small pink shorts can also be seen through the holes in the sweater. Not too fond of the sweater, which I know probably cost over $100.
The next photo features Krystal with another cat mask — hot pink this time — and a baseball bat. The plainness of the makeup and the bright lighting of the shoot only serves to make Krystal look tired and pale. Some poor man in mouse ears lies on the floor behind Krystal, and from how she’s holding the bat and her foot’s position on him, it can be assumed that she knocked him out. But overlooking the weirdness of this photo, Krystal’s outfit is rather sweet. Low-cut pale pink top, hot pink collar, and aqua shorts give her a feminine appearance, but her mask clashes. The next photo features her in a long shirtdress, a swear word written on the front. Krystal holds a Hello Kitty balloon and wears a silver crown, which would be festive if it weren’t for her reproachful look.
This next photo has Krystal properly wearing the golden cat mask and a golden crown. With her no-nonsense face and hands on her hips, she looks dead serious, but I find her posing lifeless. Maybe if she had smirked a little — a coy look to go with the cat mask — the picture would have more attitude, but it feels flat as it is. Also, Krystal’s legs look strange in this picture, maybe as a result of the shadows or from Photoshop. They look very small and curved compared to her body. The center picture has one of my peeves about this photo shoot: over-brightness. It’s hard for the eyes to make out Krystal’s outfit against the white background, and worse yet, her outfit seems to be reflecting the light. Her outfit itself is rather boring, a basic T-shirt paired with a girly skirt to contrast femininity with tomboyishness. Krystal looks cuter in the third picture, but her shoes bother me. Not only are they orange and worn with a yellowish coat and skirt, but they’re clunky. Small, slim sneakers can look fine with dresses, but large sneakers like those Nikes only dumb down the outfit.
This next photo is once again too bright — Krystal’s legs look cut off, her thigh-high socks blending in with her seat. This picture’s more strange: Krystal, having under-eye bags, sits in what looks like her underwear and holds a champagne class filled with a white drink. There’s far too much white in this picture. The second photograph has color, thankfully. Pale blue shoes and a printed red outfit, Krystal looks asleep on her fire hydrant perch. She’s hunched over and her hands can be seen dangling beneath her thighs. This last picture looks soft and pensive, and there’s an actual kitten. The kitten is adorable but Krystal still looks asleep. At least her outfit doesn’t blend into the light this time.
Wearing tennis shoes with a dress once again, Krystal’s outfit fails once again in this picture. Like in many of the pictures, her hair looks a little unkempt, which goes with the hipster look they’re trying to achieve. The center picture is one of my favorites. Rather than her normal expressionless face, Krystal wears a curious expression. Her pose has more character to it as well, giving the picture more personality. Her cat ears are cute, I must say. As for the final picture, it is also excessively bright but Krystal looks becoming in it. With her head tilted to the side and her crossed arms, she looks soft and flirty, giving the camera a come hither look.
Do you like Krystal’s shoot?
(jungsoojung.com)
